Best Sub-£20k Electric Car? Tiny Renault Twingo Vs Honda Super-n

Welcome to the cutest twin test of 2026. I had both the Honda Super-N and the Renault Twingo parked outside my house for a few days each, but what I really wanted to do was let them inside to sleep on the bed.

There aren't many cars on sale that you're tempted to treat as pets, but these are two.

In this mean world in which the wider design trend is for cars to outdo each other with their sporty aggressiveness, it's refreshing to see how both Renault and Honda have embraced friendly faces and gone in the other direction, albeit coming from different starting points.

Renault is on a retro kick. Having visited the 1960s with the recently revived 4 and the 1970s with the 5, it's now back to the 1990s with a resurrected Twingo. Á propos: what happened to the 1980s retro model? Isn't it about time for the Espace to return as a Kia PV5 rival? Failing that, I'll happily take a new Fuego.

Anyway, the reason the 4 and 5 have been successful is not simply because they have memorable designs, but also because they're good to drive, reasonably priced and competitive in all the ways a new EV today needs to be.

The Twingo is a way to add a cheaper entry-point to that line-up. Clearly, compromises were required, resulting in a smaller, cheaper battery and motor, simpler suspension and some de-contenting in various ways. But Renault has got to this point from a place of fortitude.

How different it is for Honda, which has been flailing around aimlessly when it comes to not only EVs but also, frankly, its entire strategy for convincing Europeans to carry on buying its cars. But with the Super-N it seems to have snatched at least a small victory from the jaws of defeat by playing to one of its strengths.

Kei cars have long been a uniquely Japanese phenomenon, and it is one in which Honda has long been an important player. In return for docked size and power outputs, kei cars get various incentives in Japan, but the tiny engines and footprints that make them ideal for Tokyo traffic meant they just wouldn't be at home on the faster-moving motorways of Europe.

But now there's a clamour over here for smaller, more affordable cars. At the same time, electric power makes it relatively easy to boost power and drivability to the point where kei cars could stand in for our vanishing A-segment. The Super-N isn't strictly a kei car, because in its transformation from the N-One E it has grown a bit and become more powerful, but it does fly the kei flag.

Despite Honda's lack of experience with electric drive technology, it has managed to make a car that has had a really positive reception for both its versatility and the driving fun it offers up. With Honda upgrading a fundamentally cheap, basic car and Renault simplifying its continent-conquering supermini, they have somehow ended up in much the same place. Here are two small (sub-3.8 metres long and 1.8 metres wide) EVs with a sense of fun and an affordable price.

How affordable? The Honda costs £18,995, and apart from some paint choices there are no options; it just comes with all the kit you might want.

The Twingo is still a bit uncertain: it will not go on sale in right-hand-drive form until early next year and, being built in Slovenia with lots of Chinese parts, it's unclear even to Renault for now whether it will get the government EV grant. Our fully loaded test car would cost €24,090 (£20,700) in Belgium before any grants or incentives, but one with fewer toys costs €19,990 (£17,100). Depending on your preferred spec and the new PM's generosity, then, it could end up a bit cheaper than the Honda or a bit more expensive.

Safe to say they share a ballpark, and that's all we need to say on prices for now.

Isn't it a great thing to have two affordable small electric cars that are desirable not because they are the logical outcome of a spreadsheet exercise but for how they look, how they drive and how they make you feel? Seeing them side by side, it's the Twingo that most will be drawn towards because it is just sensational in the metal. Despite being a small car, its big-wheeled wedge shape gives it so much presence, and while the detailing is relatively simple at first glance, it's all so cleverly done.

Just look at how those front light clusters evoke the original Twingo's fishbowls, with the LED running light arch and a simpler main light unit; how the tail-lights have fins on them for aero; and how the designers came up with a Twingo font that pops up all around the car.

The Super-N, owing to its kei-car origins, is much more upright and doesn't have the Twingo's natural stance, but Honda has successfully leant into the cartoon look by giving it a wide-eyed face and exaggerated blistered wheel arches. It's an overall shape we're not used to here, but it's likeable and eye-catching, like a wheeled Pokémon. Honda, I choose you!

It also pays dividends for interior space. Even though the Super-N is considerably shorter (3600mm to the Twingo's 3789mm) and narrower (1573mm versus 1720mm without the mirrors), it is quite a bit taller (1608mm to 1491mm) and much roomier inside. That says more about the Honda and less about the Renault, because the Super-N is roomier than most things this side of a Golf.

At 6ft 2in tall I actually have knee room in the back of the Honda, and the rear seats are properly clever - you might even call them 'magic'. The bases flip up to create a big pass-through space, and if you fold down the backrest, the base moves down slightly to create a truly flat load space with an incredibly low load height.

The Twingo is a more conventional small hatchback. Despite its larger exterior dimensions, it is a bit tighter inside and feels doubly so because it's also a lot darker. While the two individual rear seats slide, at most an adult can just about squeeze in for a short journey. With the seat slid forward, you couldn't be any taller than the frog Renault's press office supplied with the car (because the Twingo looks a bit like a frog from the front, geddit?). The 305-litre boot is decent enough, though.

You can feel the effects of these two cars' origin stories in the front, too. The Twingo certainly looks a lot cheerier, with its body-coloured accents, fun shapes and big, silly hazard warning button.

There's tons of charm in the details too. The screens are bright, sharp and modern, and the graphics aren't just the same as any other Renault but have a cute, bespoke style. They use that Twingo font - and the icon for the cruise control is not just a generic car but a little Twingo. All that stuff costs Renault little or nothing but adds character.

Renault has been pretty ruthless with the stuff that does cost money, though. The rear windows don't wind down but pop out and there are no centre air vents in the front, and you'll see more exposed screws and hard, flimsy plastics.

Curiously, to mimic the original Twingo's shrunken MPV shape, the designers clearly had to make the dashboard quite tall, so the view out the front is letterbox-like. Meanwhile, the Super-N's tall glasshouse looks like it's out of the 1980s, with an airy feel that reinforces the sense of space. Up front, it's all a lot less whimsical than in the Twingo, but while hard plastics are the order of the day here too, they feel heavier-duty.

The Honda is old-school in its control layout, with a centre screen that does a basic job, in a basic way, and which doesn't feel part of the overall design. It doesn't have meaningfully more physical controls than the Twingo, but the Super-N feels more old-fashioned. That's neither a good nor a bad thing, just an observation. On the other hand, the visibility out is superb.

The front seats look and feel sportier and more bespoke than those in the Twingo, albeit quite narrow for some drivers, but in both cars the perches are fundamentally quite basic. They're softer and more comfortable than you might expect but lack some lumbar and thigh support if you're driving for more than an hour.

Being upholstered in microsuede, with much heavier side bolstering, the Honda's seats put you in the mood for some proper driving. With a narrow track and a tall body, kei cars might not seem like the most natural platform for a driver's car, but there's a long tradition of sportified kei cars with wider wheels, wild spoilers and high-revving engines. The Super-N follows in those tyre tracks and is actually a lot of fun to drive.

With just 94bhp it's not particularly fast, but because you can't really abuse an electric motor, you just find yourself flooring it everywhere and having a great time.

It has a bunch of drive modes, but the only one you need if you want to have some fun is Boost, which unlocks the full 94bhp (you get only 63bhp otherwise) and turns on the moderately convincing simulated engine noise and gears. I wish you could have the option of silence, even if the compulsory acoustic accompaniment does egg you on in a way.

It's the handling that's the real delight, not least because you don't expect it from such a boxy upright car. The front end is really keen, with steering that's truly communicative. With the tiny dimensions, every road becomes a huge canvas on which you can paint racing lines.

The damping is surprisingly sophisticated, too. The Super-N is quite firmly sprung and doesn't have the suspension travel of more complex cars, so it clearly follows the contours of an uneven road. But it doesn't get deflected over big bumps or ragged over sharp intrusions, so you can just focus on having a good time.

The Twingo takes a different approach. We called it 'fun' in earlier reviews, and sure enough it is - compared with most other cheap EVs. At 1200kg, it weighs 100kg more than the Honda but is still pretty light, and the weight is low down. Everything about its mechanical make-up is sound, so it willingly goes where you point it. It grips well and the nose tucks in when you lift in a turn.

Which is the more entertaining, though? Compared with the Honda, there's no contest. In the corners, the Twingo is a bit bigger, softer and less athletic, and the steering is typically Renault in being very light and hyper around centre, so it's harder to drive smoothly and precisely. And with just 80bhp, you're to the boards even more than in the Super-N.

For all that, the Twingo is quieter at motorway speed and rides a bit more calmly. I would go for the 16in wheels, mind. While the 18s on our test example complete the 'concept car' vibe, it feels like the suspension has some trouble controlling their mass over rough surfaces.

Where the Twingo really strikes back is that Renault has immeasurably more experience with electric cars than Honda, having got in on the game early with the Zoe. And here it shows.

While the Super-N can be very efficient in town (it returned 5.6mpkWh on the road test's suburban 'everyday' loop), it doesn't like motorways very much - it dropped into the mid-3s at a higher-speed cruise. The Twingo is much more even, returning 4.5mpkWh whatever you do with it. Combine that with its slightly bigger battery (27.5kWh versus 25.4kWh usable), and it has a clear range advantage. In mixed summer use, count on about 100 miles from the Super-N and 125 from the Twingo. That's a difference of only 25 miles, but even I don't need a calculator to work out it's also 25% more than the Super-N.

On top of all that, the Twingo is faster and easier to charge. Both cars have a claimed DC peak of a modest 50kW, but the Honda won't even hit that and will drop down very quickly, while the Renault will take up to 53kW, and hold over 30kW for a good long while. On a longer trip, the Google navigation gives you a (usually pessimistic) estimate of how much charge you'll have left at your destination, and can put in sensibly chosen charging stops if necessary. At home, its infotainment system gives you user-friendly options to schedule or delay charging, and there's an app to do it remotely. The Honda doesn't offer any of that.

What it comes down to is that these two cars with similar specs and prices actually do different things with very different characters. Both are clearly limited by their short ranges, which will inevitably get worse in winter. The state of the art of EVs in 2026 is that if you want to pay less than £20,000, that can only be achieved with a small battery. Not so long ago, the Mini Electric and Honda E offered much the same but for well over £30,000, so it is possible these cars will look a bit silly in 10 years' time.

In the here and now, though, if you can accept that range figure - and there are plenty who could, given that most people drive fewer than 135 miles a week - you now have the choice of two fun, affordable small electric cars that are both brilliant in their own way.

I'll give it to the Honda here, because it's great to drive and stupidly practical for its size, but I wouldn't blame you for being charmed by the Twingo's design and reassured by its more usable range and charging.

Verdict

Winner: Honda Super-N Brings junior hot hatch vibes to the affordable EV class, along with Tardis practicality. A fun affordable small car.

Runner-up: Renault Twingo Delightful design, nice to drive and with good EV credentials. A great affordable small car.