Styling
We're not entirely sure what to say about the styling of the Hyundai Inster. There's little doubt it's remarkably eye-catching, and maybe even appealing too (we definitely don't dislike the way it looks), but you could also less charitably say that it's a crazy mismatch of various different influences. Clearly, the Casper upon which the Inster is based is a budget vehicle, which is obvious in the vaguely
Suzuki Ignis-esque profile of the Korean EV; not a bad thing, because we approve of the Ignis, but as the Inster is not much longer or taller than a
Hyundai i10, yet it's also considerably narrower, it makes the electric car look a bit odd from some angles.
There's also a heady mix of crossover themes, like the 'skid plates' fore and aft (strange, as there's a more off-road-oriented/styled Inster already confirmed as on the way), and round detailing, the latter of which sits in jarring juxtaposition with the pixelated flourishes - such as that rear-light strip - which are lifted straight from other Hyundai electrics such as the
Ioniq 5. On this pre-production left-hand-drive car that was roughly analogous to UK '02' specification, the 17-inch alloys shoved right into the corners of the Inster give it some presence and it certainly caught the attention of other road users during our test drive, but that might be more to do with its novelty value. We'll therefore leave it up to you to decide if it's a good-looking car or not; for what it's worth, we are quite fond of it.
Interior
Again, this is a cabin bound to split opinion. Our test vehicle's bold interior colour combination saw most of the surfaces drenched in plastic that would probably be best termed as hearing-aid beige, with the upper console finished in chocolate brown. This whole 'Caramac explosion' look was then complemented by houndstooth cloth upholstery... and we have to say, we found the Inster's cabin to be suitably cheerful (officially, this combo is called Newtro Beige and Khaki cloth). It's not going to win any awards for material finishing, even at this more lowly end of the market, but it's intuitively laid out and, mercifully, features lots of physical switchgear which is easy to use on the move.
Bonus marks also for the level of kit included in the Inster, this generosity of equipment being something of a Hyundai hallmark over the decades. Even base-spec '01' cars have 15-inch alloys, twin 10.25-inch digital displays (one for the driver's cluster and another for infotainment), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satnav, climate control, smart cruise control with stop and go, smart keyless entry and go, rear parking sensors with a reversing camera and dynamic parking control, automatic headlights, and electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors. From there, '02' builds on that with the 17s, as well as front parking sensors, LED exterior illumination and steering-wheel lights, 64-colour ambient interior lighting, a wireless smartphone charging pad, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and heating elements for its front seats and steering wheel. There's also a wealth of ADAS safety gear and even the option of a three-pin plug socket in the cabin for vehicle-to-load functions, which makes the Inster seem very cutting edge for a car of this class and size.
Practicality
It's once again a mixed bag for the Hyundai Inster. On the plus side, there are many things to be impressed by. All models in the UK will come with a heat pump as standard, which means they should go further in cold weather than rivals which come without this kit, and then there's a remarkable amount of rear leg- and headroom for passengers in the back of the Inster EV, considering just how small it is on the outside. The boot also measures 280 litres, which is decent enough anyway, but opt for the 02 and the rear bench can be slid forward, liberating 351 litres of luggage space while preserving all seating positions onboard. Fold the 50:50 split rear row down and up to 1,059 litres of cargo capacity are on offer.
We also like the cupholders built into the front seats, but that very feature speaks volumes about one dimension that feels a little cramped in the Inster. And that's shoulder-room. The Hyundai is a strict four-seater, because there's simply no space for a central pew in the back, and that also counts for putting an armrest in between the front chairs. This, in turn, leads to a driving position that is otherwise comfortable except for your outermost elbow, because, um,
larger-boned drivers (like this correspondent) will feel like they're crammed up against the door cards like they're driving a shrunken version of the classic
Land Rover Defender. OK, the Inster's not
quite as bad as the Landy was, but its narrowness is acutely apparent when you're sitting in it. At least the visibility out in all directions is excellent, while there's a completely flat floor in the rear of the car, so the Hyundai's a long way from being a total loss on the inside.
Performance
Hyundai is going to offer the Inster in the UK in two distinct variants: first is the Standard, with a 71.1kW (97hp) electric motor and 146Nm of torque, supposedly capable of up to 203 miles on a single charge of its 42kWh battery pack, and also sporting performance stats of 0-62mph in 11.7 seconds and a limited top speed of 87mph; but we suspect most will go for the Long Range, which ups the battery content to 49kWh, increasing the one-shot driving capability to 220-229 miles accordingly, while also enhancing the motor to 84.5kW (115hp) - this trims the 0-62mph time by more than a second to 10.6 seconds, while also raising the top speed by 6mph.
The Standard is only available in 01 specification, whereas the Long Range can be had as either an 01 or higher-grade 02, and it's this latter car we've tried (roughly speaking; it was a German pre-prod car over in the UK for a short visit). And, frankly, without having sampled the Standard then we'd say you definitely want the more powerful car. It has no more torque, pegged at the same 146Nm, but the way it scoots from 0-30mph is perfectly adept, while it has just enough about it to whirr up to 50-60mph in reasonably short order as you leave urban areas and head out into the country. Admittedly, it takes a little more time to stoke the 115hp Inster up to motorway speeds, but when it gets there it can hold them with a fair degree of aplomb.
The calibration of the throttle and regenerative braking is also good, so controlling the pace of the little Hyundai to your exact requirements is nice and easy, but we're not entirely sure what the point of fitting three drive modes (Eco, Normal and Sport) to the Inster was. They feel barely any different from each other, apart from the usual horrid and long, fuzzy throttle of Eco mode which makes it borderline unusable, so you'll be best off leaving the car in its default Normal setting.
Finally, Hyundai claims 4.2 miles/kWh from the Inster, and across a 25-mile drive mixing all types of roads and speeds up to 70mph, brilliantly that's exactly what the EV delivered. That was on a cool day, using climate control and never performing any hypermiling tactics, so the idea of actually getting 200 miles from the Inster for each charge doesn't appear to be a pipe dream.
Ride & Handling
Narrow, upright, low-powered, eco-biased - if you're imagining that the Inster isn't that thrilling to drive then, well... you'd be right. But it is by no means terrible and is quite sweet in many ways. The ride, for instance, is more confident and accomplished than the tiny dimensions of the car suggest, possibly because the Inster weighs 1,410kg. This is quite light for an EV, but strangely more than we were expecting from the Hyundai given its small footprint and compact battery size, yet the payoff is that its mass means it soaks up lumps and bumps in the road better than it has any right to. It's not perfect, of course, and you'll hear a bit of tyre roar and some wind noise buffeting about its upright windscreen, but generally the Inster is comfortable and pleasant to travel in whether you're in the town or out in the country.
The handling is absolutely fine for the sort of car this is: a 115hp, affordable runaround. Therefore, if you're going into this hoping for some steering feel or a chassis that is anything other than completely buttoned-down and safe, you'll be disappointed. But if you focus on the fact that, beyond the light and feel-free steering, there's actually plenty of grip, good traction and rather impressive body control in the Inster's toolbox, you'll realise you can hustle it along a sinuous B-road at 50-60mph without it getting all of a fluster or feeling like it's about to understeer off into the nearest hedge. It's perfectly capable and incredibly easy to get on with. It's just not exciting in the slightest.
Value
At £23,500 basic and almost 27 grand in this Long Range 02 specification, the Hyundai isn't quite as cheap as it could be. It certainly looks very pricey up against the likes of the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03, but bear in mind both of those cars have claimed ranges of 140-165 miles, so they're purely aimed at short-distance urban buyers. Hyundai would also cite the fact that every Inster comes with a heat pump as standard, plus a wealth of standard kit and the company's five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, so that when you factor everything in the Korean car is competitively priced for what it is. However, the crucial detail will be how much money the Renault 5 is once its figures are confirmed; at the moment, the Inster is square up against the Citroen e-C3, and that feels like a slightly more polished and enjoyable product than the Hyundai. The Renault, though, is another level of desirability again and if it comes in at less than £30,000, it'll be hard to ignore the 5 E-Tech's significant charms and plump for the boxy Inster instead.
Verdict
As Hyundai already has a strong record on EVs, the Inster is - unsurprisingly - a decent little package that arrives in a growing market sector of affordable, zero-emission machines. It looks interesting on the outside, it has a spacious interior (as long as you don't need five seats), it comes with loads of kit and, aside from inert handling and a lack of outright grunt, it drives in a pleasant, amenable fashion. It also has good range for its battery size too, but whether it has enough showroom draw to convince buyers to ignore some of the alternatives remains to be seen. As it is, the Inster is a welcome addition to the ranks of inexpensive electrics and something to seriously consider if you're in the market for a good, well-equipped 'second car' that's going to be super-cheap to run.
