The Honda NSX was the first hybrid supercar
When you think of a supercar, names such as the Ferrari 488 Pista, McLaren F1 and the Lamborghini Aventador spring to mind. These are all fine cars in their own rights, with their successors being plug-in hybrids with silly amounts of power, many of which are producing give or take 1000bhp without breaking a sweat.
It feels like every other supercar is a hybrid now and manufactures want us to think these are the future, with these cars paving the way for fully electric successors such as the Rimac Nevera and Lotus Evija.
However, hybrid supercars aren’t new. Concepts for an electrically assisted supercar have been shown off for a number of decades, with the first being revealed in 2004 in the form of the Toyota Alessandro Volta. Technically, the first road-going hybrid supercar was the BMW i8 which hit the roads in June 2014, roughly a year after its reveal. This was a ground-breaking car in both design and technology, but could really go toe-to-toe with say, a BMW M3 from the E46 generation - so not really a supercar.
In 2015, Honda (or Acura depending where you live) revealed the second-generation NSX after nearly a decade of teasing the car. In our eyes, this was the first true hybrid supercar.
The story behind the second-generation NSX is long and complicated due to designers and bosses at Honda changing their mind constantly, but the end product resulted in an all-new take on the NSX. Powering the car is a uniquely designed 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine producing 500hp alone and paired to not one, not two but three electric motors which bumped the power up to 573hp. This allowed for a sophisticated all-wheel drive drivetrain for the best dynamics and performance the engineers could possibly produce. All of this means the NSX can go from 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds and onwards to an electronically limited top speed of 191mph.
The NSX was a strong performer on track too. It managed to set a flying lap time of 7 minutes and 36 seconds around the Nürburgring, beating the Nissan GT-R and Lexus LFA, while it set a 1 minute and 17.6 second time around the Top Gear Test Track. The second-gen NSX has also appeared in numerous video games over the years, with notable titles including Gran Turismo 7 and Forza Horizon 5.
Despite its impressive performance and futuristic styling, the NSX wasn’t exactly a sales hit. It was expensive compared to the first NSX, coming in at around £140,000-150,000 in 2016 money, and the buyers were different then. Reasons could include the complex hybrid system and bespoke engine, the lack of space to use it as a normal car or simply due to it aging quickly.
Although, one good thing about the NSX selling in such small numbers is that residuals have been favourable. At the time of writing (July 2025), you can pick up a second-gen NSX for between £90,000-£120,000. We think now is the right time to get one if you really want an NSX.
It’s a more interesting choice than any similarly priced McLaren or Ferrari, and will certainly draw more attention at shows and places like Caffeine and Machine if that’s your thing.