Hyundai INSTER Review

Introduction

So, as I said, this is the Hyundai INSTER - which definitely seems to have been named to try and attract the Gen Z car buyers. Only nobody told them that, if that’s the case, they should have called it the TikTok or the SnapChat because only old people like me use Instagram, these days! 

Anyway, the new Hyundai INSTER is based on Hyundai’s existing small city car - the Casper. The Casper is currently only sold in Korea (in my opinion, Casper would have been a better name to stick with!), which is also where it’s built as part of a joint venture with one of the local manufacturers. And that’s what allows Hyundai to reduce costs. Speaking of which, Hyundai hasn’t confirmed pricing, yet, but the INSTER is expected to cost from around £22,000 - a similar amount to its arch nemesis, the Citroen e-C3.  

It's not going to be fast, mind… The 95bhp, 42kWh INSTER will take 11.7sec to get to 62mph. The bigger 49kWh car gets a whopping 113bhp, for a slightly less embarrassing 0-62mph time of 10.6 seconds. 

We haven’t driven the INSTER yet, so we will have to make a judgement when we’ve been behind the wheel, but honestly? The performance looks pretty lazy, but I bet it’ll feel fine in everyday use, and I’ll take less power and better value for money in these lower-end electric cars, any day. We’ll have to wait and see, so watch this space and we’ll bring you the driven review later this year! 

Right then, let's have a look at what you get for your money with the new INSTER….

Styling and dimensions

Size wise, this is what the industry calls an A-segment car, and the rest of us calls a small car or city car. At 3.8m long, it’s roughly the same size as the Dacia Spring, if a tiny bit smaller than the Citroen e-C3. But it is around 20 cm longer than the Korean-market Hyundai Casper, which is good as that should make it more stable and better suited to European tastes.

I quite like its looks - its round headlights look like eyes shining out at you. It has a friendly face and the curved panels and high bonnet give it a slightly rugged mini SUV look. You can have it in a choice of 10 colours - including this buttercream yellow - and you have the option of going for two tone-paint with a black roof.

It may not bear the Ioniq name but it’s still electric Hyundai so you get pixels that are reminiscent of the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, in the form of the front LED turning signals.

There’s the option of 15-inch steel wheels with wheel covers, 15-inch alloy wheels, or the larger 17-inch alloy wheels that you see, here. Add in those distinctive oversized round headlights and a central charging port on the nose, and you can’t deny it has a strong look. I suspect the INSTER may become a ‘Marmite’ car that divides opinion.

Interior

The INSTER is very clever inside. The driver and passenger seats are fully foldable, as are the middle row of seats (if you add the optional four-seat layout), so you can turn this into a tiny van, if you want to! It’s also pretty cute up front, with houndstooth cloth, an illuminated open tray and map pockets in the doors. Rather like the Volkswagen ID cars (the ID.2 will be another rival to the Hyundai when it finally arrives) there’s a gear selector set behind the steering wheel, which frees up space on the centre console. That, and the flat floor, makes for a clear space between the dash and front seats so that it feels really airy and spacious for a small car.  

Standard equipment includes a 10.25-inch TFT Supervision Cluster and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and you’ll also be able to unlock and start the car using a smartphone.

Thanks to a long(ish) 2.58m wheelbase means that the INSTER has pretty good space in those back seats, and you can even add an optional setup that allows the seats to slide and recline, so that you can prioritise more boot space or legroom. If you do add that option, though, you can only seat two people in the rear seats – rather than the three that you can squeeze in if you stick with the standard seats. As with the front seats, the rear seats also fold flat, but they only seat two people 

Boot space

As you’d expect, the Hyundai INSTER doesn’t have the most useful boot. But there is a modest 238 litres, or those optional sliding 50/50 split rear seats increase boot space up to 351-litres with the seats slid forwards. There is also storage under the floor for cables, but no frunk. 

It’s just a much more versatile small electric car than most alternatives. It makes you wonder why so few electric family SUVs have useful features like sliding seats, if Hyundai can do it on a dinky little electric car like the INSTER?!

Battery, charging and efficiency

Making a small, low-cost electric car affordable and squeezing in a battery that offers a decent driving range is… a challenge. The Citroen e-C3 has a 44kWh LFP battery with a claimed range of 199 miles, but the INSTER can top that - it comes with two batteries of either 42- or 49 kWh. There’s no word on official figures, yet, but Hyundai is saying that a target range for the big battery version will be in the region of 220 miles. We’d expect the smaller battery car to achieve roughly 150 miles. 

The INSTER gets a heat pump on every model, which will help with efficiency and range. You also get vehicle-to-load charging, which is another really useful feature. 

Peak rapid charging speeds haven’t been confirmed, but Hyundai has said that it’ll manage a 10-80% top-up in 30 minutes. A full charge from a standard 7kW home charger will take under eight hours, and standard 11kW AC on-board charger means that you can make the most of the occasional faster AC charger that you normally find in town centres, gym car parks and other ‘destination’ charger locations. 

Price and equipment

Equipment levels in the UK are yet to be confirmed, as is pricing. As we’ve mentioned, it’ll probably start from around £22,000 for the smaller battery car, so the Dacia Spring and entry-level e-C3 will be a bit cheaper. But, the INSTER’s got style, and loads of big car features. We don’t know what will be standard yet, but we do know that you’ll be able to have heated front seats and steering wheel, ambient interior light system with a choice of 64 colours, an opening sunroof and climate control. 

There’s that 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, too, which gets all the features you want including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – although you do have to plug your phone in via the USB connection to get your phone apps mirrored on the screen. 

There’s loads of driver assistance tech, too; you’re basically getting exactly the same kit that you find in the much larger and more expensive IONIQ 5 and 6. It’s got the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assistant, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind-spot monitoring, driver attention warning, a rear view monitor and adaptive cruise control, to name just a few. I think this is very impressive, and while it’s far too early to know about Euro NCAP safety scores, the amount of ‘big car’ equipment and safety assistance bodes really well for the INSTER.

Verdict

If the Electrifying team had been allowed to make its own, dream affordable electric car, this would probably be very close to what we’d make. I absolutely love the styling, and I’m so impressed with the interior versatility and the value that it offers. We can’t wait to get behind the wheel, and to get the INSTER up against the other affordable electric cars coming out this year.

Like the Hyundai INSTER? Try these...

Citroen e-C3 Review

Dacia Spring Review

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