Used Honda Civic Type R alternatives to the Super-N

Honda has finally delivered a dose of kei-car charm to Britain with the new Super-N. It is a cracking little thing: slim enough to dart through traffic, with no tailpipe emissions as it cheerfully weaves along. More importantly for enthusiasts, it offers manual gearchanges and simulated Type R engine sound, extras that make its £18,995 asking price seem like remarkable value.

But is it really? Spend the same amount and you could buy a genuine Type R in good condition. Spend only a portion of it and there are older, scruffier examples that are scarcely any less entertaining. This is the Honda Civic Type R hot hatch, a model spanning six generations that has recently left UK showrooms with a compelling claim to be the most polished and capable front-wheel-drive performance car ever made.

Really?

Absolutely. The FL5-generation Civic Type R arrived in 2023 carrying a huge, Porsche Cayman-bothering £50,000 list price. Yet it quickly proved a success, owing to the painstaking refinement of the already excellent dynamics of its predecessor. What had been a brilliant car became, well, even more brilliant, while also being considerably easier on the eye. Dealers received tiny allocations while customers formed queues to place deposits. Even today, an average-mileage, still-warrantied example will rarely cost much below £45k. We would not quite call it a future classic with the residual value of a rare mineral, but it appears a sound short-term financial proposition. Better still, it is mesmerising to drive.

Honda Civic Type R FK8 value

Want to spend less? The preceding FK8 is barely any less impressive from behind the wheel – and arguably preferable if you enjoy a tightly controlled ride and are less concerned with rolling refinement. Essentially the rawer starting point for the FL5, it provides roughly the same 320bhp performance in a lighter car. Its 229bhp/ton power-to-weight ratio is consequently a touch stronger, while the superb six-speed manual remains a delight to use. A sharp limited-slip differential also puts its turbocharged torque onto the road with real finesse.

It drives like a touring car approved for the road, and its wings, vents and swollen bodywork reinforce the impression. Its styling attracted plenty of criticism when new, but anyone able to live with the design will find it an outstanding machine. High-mileage cars can now temptingly approach £20,000, although a tidier example will command £30k or more. It is another illustration of how firmly the best cars retain their value.

What should you inspect? First and foremost, make sure it has been properly maintained. That applies to every used car, naturally, but ensure the tyres are all the same make, confirm that the clutch is light and smooth in operation, and listen for suspension knocks on a test drive. This is a car built to be driven hard, which is not a concern if it has received the right care; nevertheless, inspect it thoroughly for reassurance. Be meticulous about servicing and steer clear of dubious modifications, which may prove expensive to insure or undo.

You promised less than a Super-N…

For that, look to Honda’s first turbocharged hot hatch: the FK2 Civic Type R. It had an unusually brief production run, sold from 2015 to ’17 before the FK8 took over for a much longer seven-year spell. As a result, this earlier model tends to sit in the shadows, perhaps viewed as a less appealing first step in the revived Type R story. People also tend to overlook just how blimmin’ good it is, which is excellent news for anyone seeking a car that still feels fantastic for under £20k.

Its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder VTEC engine is shared with its successor. Output is slightly lower at 306bhp, although torque remains identical at 400Nm, ensuring that its 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds and 269km/h maximum speed remain highly competitive. It also began Honda’s Nordschleife fixation, briefly taking the accolade from Renault for the ‘fastest front-drive car’ around the ‘Ring in 2015 with a 7m50.63 lap. Volkswagen and its magnificent Golf GTI Clubsport S beat it a year later, yet even the recently discontinued FL5 Civic is only about 10 seconds faster around the Green Hell than the FK2. That is impressive when the older model can be bought for a third of the price.

As with the FK8, it is generally a robust car, so the principal advice is to check its condition and signs of wear to understand how severely it has been used. Some early examples suffered head-gasket problems, while cars with a difficult-to-operate – and therefore likely heavily abused – gearbox are best avoided.

Let’s go cheaper still…

There are three earlier Civic Type R generations to consider. The lively performance version first appeared on the sixth-generation Honda hatch in 1997, in the form of the Japanese-market EK9. It was never officially offered in the UK; instead, Britain received the vivid yellow Civic Jordan, a distinctive 500-car special edition from 1999. JDM cars do occasionally appear in the classifieds, but rarity means you should expect to pay FK2 money.

The first Civic Type R officially sold in Britain, the ‘breadvan’ EP3, represents better value. It was even built in the UK at Honda’s now sadly closed Swindon factory. In the competitive hot-hatch market of the early Noughties, it held its own against Renault Sport Clio 172s, Citroen Saxo VTSs and MG ZR 160s, combining excellent handling with a high-revving VTEC engine. They are great fun, and around £7,000 may be enough to buy one if fortune is on your side.

The greatest bargain, however, is the FN2 that followed. It placed everything that worked so well in the EP3 beneath the spaceship-like styling of the Mk8 Civic and appeared to have huge potential. Of the half-dozen heroes here, though, it remains the least celebrated. It is still enjoyable to drive, readily made sharper with aftermarket upgrades, and available from below £4,000 – little more than the deposit Honda requests for a Super-N lease.