Can this little electric car stand up against its cheap rivals?
Exterior – Front
Now to say that this car is a looker would be an understatement. Just like the Renault 5 the Hyundai Inster looks like it has a happy face. To start with we get this bar up top which has 7 squares either side of it. Now you may be thinking that these are your LED Daytime Running Lights but no they these are your indicators. Also on this bar is the Hyundai Logo. Lower down we get this pill shaped front end and this houses your LED headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights. This area also houses your front radar system as well as front camera and charge port. Lower down we have an active front central air vent and surround that we have some silver skid plate cladding.
Exterior – Side
Moving round to the side and we get a very chunky design with mat black cladding around the square wheel arches and lower sill. We also get some chunky bulges on the side, and we also get separate windows similar to what the Skoda Roomster had. We also get a hidden door handle and some roof bars up top. Now I also get some side cameras, and we will talk more about that on the inside.
Exterior – Rear
Moving round to the back and we get a similar design to the front as in terms of circles and squares. So, to start with we get the boot switch just below the rear wiper a bit like what the BMW estates have to open the rear window. Lower down we get another black bar which houses 24 squares either side. Now you may be thinking that this will house the indicators like the front but no. these are your taillights and brake lights. Lower down we get the Inster logo which is quite cool and lower on the bumper we get some circles which house your reflectors, reverse lights and indicators. Lower down we also get some silver skid plate cladding and some rear fog lights. Overall then a smart and modern design then. Right, lets have a look at what battery and motor options you can have with the new Hyundai Inster.
Car and engine specs and price
So there are 2 versions of the Hyundai Inster available from launch. Lets start with the first one. This is called 01. This uses a 39 kWh battery pack and is mated to a 95 bhp motor mounted to the front giving this car an impressive 203 mile range. The 0-62 time is also decent for this model at 11.7 seconds too. The next version is called 02 and this uses a bigger 46 kWh battery pack which gives the Inster a 229 mile range. It also has a more powerful 113 bhp motor. This reduces the 0-62 time down to 10.6 seconds which is still decent considering that it is carrying round a battery and it has a low amount of power. The price of the new Hyundai Inster starts at £23,495 which is more than its rivals the Citroen C3 and Dacia Spring.
Interior – Design
So, climbing inside the new Hyundai Inster and we get a modern design. So, start with we get a dual-coloured dashboard, but it does have cheap feeling plastics all around the cabin which is a shame really as it does look quite smart. To keep costs down we also get the older infotainment system, but it does still work very well and is very easy to use too. the instrument cluster is also very clear and easy to use, and it also has a very clever feature. Now Hyundai and Kia have this thing where when you put the indicator on, you get a camera feed in the dial to show your blind spot. I do like this feature, and I do wish other cars had this. The indicator stalks are modern and premium looking, and we also get a modern steering wheel with the H letter in morse code that lights up. The centre console houses your infotainment buttons and a section for your climate control which is very nice to see. In front of the Passenger there is also a shelf which houses your 12-volt socket and a USB C port, but the overall design of the dashboard is nice and modern. It would have just been nice if they used better materials. I would have been happy to pay £1,000 more to have this. One this I do want to mention is the seats. Now it looks like that you have a full width seat bench which I do like but the centre part is attached to the driver seat, but this does have your arm rest and cup holders. Its just a nice design that you don’t actually see much anymore. Let’s have a look and see what the rear space is like.
Practicality
So, getting into the back of the new Inster and you surprisingly get a decent amount of legroom and headroom. Design-wise there isn’t much to talk about apart from that you get cheap plastics and no air vents or an arm rest but apart from that it isn’t a bad place to be considering the size and price of the car. Lets have a look and see what the boot is like.
Boot Size
Opening the boot to the new Hyundai Inster and you are welcomed with 238 litres of space with the seats up but this can be increased to 351 litres if you slide the seats forward which is a very decent space and with the inster’s boxy dimensions it is very useable too. You also get a 50:50 folding split rear seat too.
Summary
So, in summary then what do I think of the new Hyundai Inster. Well with its quirky looks and decent interior as well as good practicality it is a very decent electric car. I do think the price is quite high though considering the quality inside isn’t that great but this is made up for in the build quality and the technology the Inster has so there is swings and roundabouts with this car. Overall though I do think it is a unique car and we should see a few on the road very soon.
Exterior 5/5
Interior 4/5
Practicality 4/5
Total 13/15
Model | Hyundai Inster 02 |
Engine | 46kWh Battery Pack, Single Motor, 113bhp, 0-62 = 10.6 Seconds, 229 Mile Range, Front Wheel Drive |
Transmission | Single Speed Electric Motor |
Price | £26,745 |
On Sale | Now |
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