Honda’s Tiny EV Hot Hatch Pretends It Has A Gas Engine

You can also shift through seven simulated gears to complete the experience.

Photo by: Honda

By: Andrei Nedelea

Oct 29, 2025 at 7:37am ET

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Honda's new Super One Prototype previews a tiny electric hot hatch mainly destined for the Japanese and U.K. markets.
It's based on the N-One electric kei car but has a widebody kit, more power and it promises a sporty driving experience.
Honda says it will simulate the sound of a combustion engine and feature paddles to shift through a pretend seven-speed transmission.

With so many manufacturers announcing they intend to simulate combustion engines and gear shifting in their EVs, it's no surprise that Honda wants to do it too. Its new Super One Prototype revealed at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show is fully electric, but Honda promises it sounds like a combustion hot hatch, complete with seven simulated gears to shift through for the complete traditional hot hatch experience.

It’s based on the regular Honda N-One, which is an electric kei car, so it looks very tall and narrow. The Super One Prototype fixes that with blistered bolt-on fender flares that give it a very sporty widebody look. It’s like a little racing car with its bodykit, lower suspension and bright-red brake calipers.

Gallery: Honda Super One Prototype EV

Source: Honda

Honda says its interior is “a space that heightens anticipation for an excellent driving experience.” However, it looks identical to the N-One, although the sporty seats with ample side support do help lift the sporty ambiance. Peeking from behind the steering wheel are two small paddles with plus and minus symbols, which will be used to shift through the fake gears.

The wheel also has a “Boost” button, but it’s not clear what it does exactly. Honda says it “stimulates the driver’s senses — including visual and auditory senses, as well as a tactile sensation of acceleration and vibration.” This may be the button that turns on the faux combustion car experience or it just unleashes all of the car’s power potential, accompanied by some piped-in acceleration noise.

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No specs have yet been revealed, but it likely has the same 29.3 kilowatt-hour battery pack, which gives it a claimed range of 183 miles (295 km). It will surely have more power—kei cars are limited to 64 horsepower—and between its extra oomph and wider tires, its range figure will be lower than in the kei version.

Honda notes that this prototype is an evolution of the Super EV Concept that went up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year. It also confirmed its plan to put this vehicle into production, although it will only be sold in Japan, as well as “other regions with strong demand for compact EVs, such as the U.K. and various Asian countries.” It therefore doesn’t sound like it will be available in continental Europe.