Hyundai INSTER review

Driving position

Being an ultra compact crossover, the Hyundai INSTER drives more like a hatchback, and nothing like the baby SUV you'd expect.

Because it's so narrow and short, you'll never have a problem weaving in and out of traffic. And since it's also quite a tall car, it's easy to judge what's around you and avoid bumps.

You sit high up, which also helps visibility, and won't struggle for head room unless you're especially tall. The cabin is also fairly wide, although you might have to ask the front-seat passenger to keep their elbows off the central armrest to avoid things getting too cosy. On the whole, interior space is better than we expected for this class of car.

Hyundai has also done some clever packaging on the inside to make it feel more airy, like moving the gear selector to the steering column, leaving a but of useful storage under the centre console.

Tech and features

Being a Hyundai, value for money is a strong pull of the INSTER, which comes with dual 10.25-inch displays as standard. The screens are easy to use, even if most drivers will probably just hook up to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and leave it there, which are both wired-only, unfortunately.

You do get a wireless phone charging tray in the centre console though.

Even though it's a city cars that rivals the likes of the Fiat 500e and Hyundai's own i10 city car, you still get the big car tech passed down from larger models, including over-the-air (OTA) updates to keep the infotainment running smoothly.

We tested the high-spec '02' trim with the optional Tech Pack – ad worthwhile option at only £500 – that adds a plug for powering laptops and even your e-bike (called 'vehicle-to-load' charging) and Hyundai's digital key to use your smartphone to unlock the car.

The '02' trim also adds a heated steering wheel, and front and rear parking sensors. All versions come with adaptive cruise control and a steering aid, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Electric motors and power

Key to the INSTER's affordability is that it's not over-the-top. It's easy to get caught up in the performance of electric cars, such as Hyundai's own IONIQ 5 N's with 650hp, but most buyers still want something a lot more tame.

Much like the similarly-sized, petrol-powered i10, the INSTER has modest performance options of 97hp and 115hp, with 0-62mph times of 11.7 seconds and 10.6 seconds respectively.

At no point did our test car, the 115hp model, feel slow. In fact, it accelerates most like a petrol car because that instant electric torque has been toned down.

The INSTER still felt zippy around town and more than capable enough on twisting country roads.

Handling and ride comfort

Crossovers and SUVs tend to sacrifice handling for their high driving position, but the INSTER feels much more hatchback-like to drive.

The ride is smooth and the cabin is surprisingly refined. It's not Mercedes S-Class levels, but extra soundproofing like double door seals and thicker glass certainly make a difference.

It might be front-wheel-drive, but it never struggles to put its power down, and this is part of the reason it drives like a fun little hatchback.

Given that the INSTER is built for cities and towns, we didn't expect to enjoy driving it as much as we did.

But when it comes to those tighter streets, its super-tight 5.3m turning circle stands out.

Boot space

The problem many people find with practical cars is that they're big, expensive and sometimes tricky to drive. This is where the INSTER comes in into its own.

On paper, it might appear small, but it's all about how much you can configure the inside of the INSTER.

The 238-litre boot is already 53 litres more than the Fiat 500e, but this little Hyundai also has sliding rear seats. That means, if you need it, the boot can extend all the way up to 351 litres, trumping the Dacia Spring's already very impressive 308-litre space.

Even cars from the next class up, like the Citroën ë-C3 (310 litres) and Renault 5 (326 litres) have smaller boots.

You can even fold each seat down individually. You might want to fold the front and rear passenger seats to carry longer items, both rear seats to load larger items into the back, or even all four seats to slide in a double mattress for a spot of camping. Yes, you can really do that.

And Hyundai really thought about everything, adding clever moving trim pieces to cover any gaps made by moving the seats around.

Rear seats

Hyundai says that INSTER means 'intimate' and 'innovative' – space inside isn't all that intimate, though, if you're coming from another equally small car. Headroom in the back is acceptable, and legroom is reasonable with the seats slid all the way back.

Instead of trying to squeeze in three, Hyundai focused on making it more comfortable in the back with two separate seats.

Storage solutions

The practicality continues to the various cubbies in and around the cabin, too, like an illuminated open storage area in front of the passenger and a deep, covered tray that integrates a wireless phone charger.

Two cupholders sit between the two front seats, but it's a shame that the door bins aren't quite big enough to fit bottles in.

Safety

Euro NCAP hasn't independently safety tested the INSTER, but all the kit from bigger models has trickled down into this baby EV, including plenty of active driver aids and collision warning systems.

The only optional pieces of safety kit are the blind-spot view monitor, which shows a view of the blind spot via an externally mounted camera when indicating and a parking collision-avoidance assist system to prevent accidents with pedestrians when reversing out of a parking space in a car park.

Range and charging times

Hyundai's made a big deal of the on-board measures to improve efficiency, like a battery heating system and a heat pump. It translates to efficiency figures of up to 4.3 mi/kWh.

Our test model, the Hyundai INSTER 02 Long Range with the bigger 49kWh battery and 17-inch wheels, promised 4.1 mi/kWh. That's exactly the figure we achieved on a two-hour mixed-route run, and on the way back, we saw that climb to 4.3 mi/kWh.

It means you should be able to get up to 230 miles of range in the most efficient configuration.

The Standard Range model has a slightly smaller 42kWh battery, but it'll still to up to 203 miles with the smallest wheels.

And because you get all of that Hyundai EV expertise and experience, the INSTER benefits from standard-fit 11kW charging, reducing charging time to around 4.5 hours for the bigger battery.

The Long Range model will also charge at up to 85kW on a rapid charger for a 10-80% charge in around 30 minutes.

Reliability

Being a brand new model, there's very little information to tell us how reliable the INSTER is, but many of its parts have already been tried and tested in the Korean market petrol-powered Hyundai Casper.

It also shares a lot of the tech, including the electrical components, with existing Hyundai electric models, which we know to be highly reliable.