There's a wave of retro-inspired small EVs arriving in Britain, and the new Honda Super-N is the latest one to land on shore.France's smash-hit Renault 5 EV and forthcoming Twingo, Japan's Nissan Micra EV and South Korea's Hyundai Inster are all battling for first place in the small EVs with big personality space, and now Honda's thrown itself into the mix.The Super-N is inspired by Japan's 'kei cars' - the smallest road legal models sold in Japan - and is 'designed to transform mobility and deliver Honda driving fun'.Costing less than £20k, the Super-N wants to show car buyers that you can make electric urban driving affordable, stylish and perhaps even a little bit amusing. With 'boost mode', flappy paddles, synthetic engine noises and magic seats, does this petite car have enough individuality, flair and practicality to get its elbows out and push its rivals out the way?Freda Lewis-Stempel drove the Super-N on its launch this week to find out. Honda's new Super-N is a tiny, urban EV with a lot of personality, petrolhead-inspired driving features and surprising practicality. Will it be a sales success with is sub-£19k price tag?Second time's a charm?Honda already had one go at producing a retro-inspired EV. In 2020, it launched the forward-thinking Honda-e - a compact urban EV based on a concept car revealed three years prior.The Honda-e was loved for its cute futuristic looks and high-tech interior, but it failed to sell in big enough quantities and so Honda discontinued it this year.While the Super-N carries the same adorable-looking DNA, it's different from the Honda-e in two crucial ways - which should improve its chance of sales success over its discontinued cousin greatly.Firstly, it's so much cheaper than the Honda-e. At £18,995 it's more than £13,000 less expensive than the £32,000 Honda-e.Secondly, it benefits from good timing. The Honda-e was admirably ahead of the electric curve but arrived before big EV demand took off – it missed the boat, essentially.The Super-N on the other hand arrives as EV sales continue to rise. May saw a 25.6 per cent year-to-date uptick in EV sales, and the market is starting to burst with tiny EVs with a retro tinge.The Super-N Honda is targeting 3,000 units in its first year on sale in the UK, while the Honda-e only achieved 4,000 each year across the whole of Europe. The Honda Super-N's mini size is a big part of its appeal - it's one of the smallest cars on the market at just 3,599mm long, 1,573mm wide and 1,608mm tall The Super-N is cube-like in appearance, with a flared stance, contrasting exterior accents, a chin spoiler and air ducts. It's very easy to fall in love with Honda Super-N looks: Love at first sight?I don't usually talk about the 'behind the scenes' of a launch but having a herd of motoring journalists of all ages cooing over a car upon arrival is usually a good indication that the general public will love the way it looks.It might not be conventionally good looking, but the Super-N is hard to not fall in love with. It's sort of ugly-duckling adorable.I put up a picture of this EV on my Instagram stories during the test drive and was inundated with 'heart' reactions and people in my messages saying they were 'obsessed' with it.Its mini size is a big part - it's one of the smallest cars on the market at just 3,599mm long, 1,573mm wide and 1,608mm tall.Like Japan's kei cars, the Super-N is cube-like in appearance, with a flared stance, contrasting exterior accents, a chin spoiler and air ducts - for aero as well as design - and a lot of playful panache and muscular sportiness.If anyone remembers the 1983 Honda City Turbo II, then you'll see the resemblance. Honda has made the Super-N smile-inducing to drive with its 'Boost' mode - which reduces the 0-62 time from 14.5 seconds to 10 seconds - and virtual gears and synthetic engine noiseWhat's the Super-N like to drive?Sometimes you can just look at a car and know you're going to have a blast as soon as you hop in the driver's seat.This is the case with the Super-N. Thanks to its tiny size, it's a box of hilarity to drive.This car has two personalities: the first is a small city car that has a purpose and performs it - in a very charming and endearing way.The second personality is the one who lets loose on the dance floor on a Friday night. 'Boost' mode unleashes a wild side that takes this car from amusing but purposeful to fabulous.Hit that purple 'Boost' button and power goes from 47kW to 70kW and reduces the 0-62 time from 14.5 seconds to 10 seconds. Seven-speed gear shift lets you feel the revs of each virtual gear, active sound control engages the senses like a (watered down) engine or exhaust would, and the purple lighting simulation focuses your inner racing driver.The diminutive machine wants to turn into a pocket-sized Civic-R.The lightweight engineering - it's 310kg lighter than competitors - and high-performance chassis and quick-ratio steering all come into their own at 70mph. Before you know it you're flinging the Super-N around corners, squeezing into the hedges, racing down the fast lane of the motorway and using the flappy paddles to accelerate and decelerate like a boy racer. Hit that purple 'Boost' button and the 0-62 time reduces from 14.5 seconds to 10 seconds, you can work through the virtual seven-speed Gear Shifts and enjoy Active Sound Control It's agile, nimble, engaging, well planted, and punchy. Sure, you feel a bit like you could topple over at high speeds or around sharp corners and there were a few roundabouts with some spicy wheel spin, but that's all part of the fun. It does rather thump over speed bumps, though.I can't say I spent too much time in Eco, City or Normal mode - enough to know that you get a far more sedate and energy-reserving ride - because I was having too much fun in Sport and Boost mode. However, even driving in these two modes for the majority of the time, I was impressed with the Super-N's efficiency.I was getting 4.6 miles per kWh and was in no way trying to drive efficiently, so the Super-N's combined range of 128 miles shouldn't be too hard to extend to the claimed 199 miles of city range if you're trying.Visibility is great too, thanks to the large windows and front and rear windscreen and skinny A-pillars, and the sports seats keep you tucked up and confident in your driving position.Although the driver's hip structures makes it feel considerably smaller than the passenger seat, and it would be more comfortable to drive if the steering wheel had more adjustment options - I found my arms were at a slightly awkward length having to reach to the wheel.What's it like in a nutshell? A sophisticated Citroen Ami on well-tuned steroids. The retro interior is inspired by the City Turbo II with a 7-inch digital instrument panel, and a centrally mounted 9-inch infotainment touchscreen with actual physical buttonsThe Super-N's interior: Can a tiny car truly be practical?Kei cars are a bit like Mary Poppin's bag on wheels.Made for four people, the Super-N follows Honda's 'man maximum, machine minimum' principle which prioritises maximising space for people while minimising the space required for mechanical components.Its upright shape, low floor and wide stance mean there is a surprising amount of legroom for people 6'1 (my co-driver's height) and oodles of space for someone 5'3 (my height).It has a sort of vaulted ceiling feel inside, but the positioning of the rear seats aligns with the slight dip of the roof and so headroom can be a bit tight if you're 6'1 and leaning back in the rear seats.The fabric sport seats are very soft and cushioned and have upper and body support. The rear seats use Honda's 'magic seat' configuration meaning they can be folded in two ways; dive-down to create a flat floor and more luggage space or tip up so the rear seat cushions can be lifted-up to allow for taller items.The boot is 162 litres with the rear seats in place and 967 litres (to the roof) with the seats in dive-down mode - enough for a washing machine apparently. It uses Honda's 'Magic Seat' rear seat trick which can be folded in two ways. The boot is 162 litres with the rear seats in place and 967 litres (to the roof) with the seats in dive-down mode As well as being practical, the interior is designed to be as sporty and characterful as the exterior.The retro-theme continues, with a City Turbo II-inspired 7-inch digital instrument panel, and a centrally mounted 9-inch infotainment touchscreen with actual physical home buttons integrated in.The centre console contains the gear selector, drive mode switch and climate controls.There's ambient lighting, a button-filled steering wheel and multi-tone seats to add a bit of flair. And impressively Honda has made a very sustainable interior on the cheap with premium bio-based resin and recycled PET fabrics blended with repurposed Honda work uniforms no less.And there's a Bose premium speaker system with a large subwoofer under the boot floor so you can connect your phone via wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and blast your tunes out.Super-N price, range and specsThe Honda Super-N has one on the road price - £18,995.We appreciate a simple pricing structure, and the finance deals are also very appealing with buyers able to get their hands on a Super-N for just £199 a month (2.9 per cent APR representative with a £549 deposit contribution).Honda also offers an 8-year service activated warranty.Standard features include heated front seats and steering wheel, that Bose 7+1-speaker system, Smart entry, MyHonda+ app, Boost Mode and ambient lighting.If you want you can pay more for some accessory packs you can choose between the Style Pack (a centre stripe on the bonnet, roof and tailgate spoiler) or the Black Emblem Pack (finishes in black chrome).Colours include the new Boost Violet Pearl purple (our favourite), four two-tone options, and five monotone options.Maximum range is 128 miles on a single charge or 199 city miles, and it can charge up to 50kW speeds. At this speed charging to 80 per cent takes 30 minutes.Orders open 22 June and first deliveries will take place in August. The Super-N is a reminder that small cars used to be fun and still can be - even if you aren't an electric aficionadoCars and Motoring Verdict: Is the Super-N a do-over for Honda's EV aims?While it's never wise to place a bet on the sales potential of a new car, the odds for the Super-N look good.This car has more personality, more driving enjoyment, more tech, more originality and more practicality than its £18,995 price tag would ever lead you to believe.It overdelivers in value and happiness. It's a reminder that small cars used to be fun and still can be - even if you aren't an electric aficionado.Renault got it right with the R5 - clearly by the fact that it's the first EV to have a waitlist - and it looks very much like Honda has done the same with the Super-N.This car has so much vibrancy you actively want it to succeed in amongst a sea of boring SUVs. Let's hope it does. CARS & MOTORING: ON TEST