Overview

Is the chunky all-new electric Hyundai Inster likely to set the city-car-sized cat among the pigeons for value for money as well as capability? You’ll have to read on for that – but it’s fair to say that the eyecatching new offering from South Korea certainly comes at the right time.

Boil down all the arguments, complexities and challenges around electric car ownership right now, and you quickly come to the biggest sticking point for most drivers: cost. With prices starting at £23,440, the Inster is very big news indeed. It wraps its intelligently configured cabin in boldly distinctive looks, up to 186 miles of driving range (in WLTP testing), and safety, infotainment and tech kit levels are generous.

You’ll love or hate the styling, but to our eyes the Inster’s proportions, detailing and stance successfully work together – it’s a car that’s truly different yet instantly recognisable as a Hyundai. For a city car there’s a lot to take in. The flared plastic-clad wheel arches, clamshell bonnet, and roof bars give it a bit of an SUV-vibe, while the peering round front and rear light units add a dash of character. It’s offered at a price point where the Fiat 500e currently dominates, but will be joined by the Citroen e-C3 and Vauxhall Frontera, and for that, the Inster looks like a very interesting addition.

Too good to be true? We’ve driven the Inster in at an international pre-launch event in Korea, and in the UK in pre-production prototype form, and we’ll be further driving it when we can get our hands on the version you can actually buy. You can find out more about how we test on Parkers via our dedicated explainer page. But in the meantime, here’s what Ben Whitworth found when he had the car in Korea, with additional driving impressions from Parkers editor Keith Adams back in the UK.

25

What’s it like inside?

There’s a very agreeable mix of retro and modern here. If you’ve driven a 1980s VW Polo, you’ll immediately recognise the seat trim, while the dashboard design also harks back to that era. The view out of the windscreen is expansive, and all-round visibility is also excellent, which when allied with the light interior helps create an impression of space.

The compact centre console (which is blessed with physical buttons for the heater, thankfully) contains a wireless phone charging compartment, and additional devices can be stashed on the that illuminated shelf. Not sure about interchangeable tonka-toy plastics filets on the door cards – there’s cool and quirky, and they’re neither.

Some of the plastics, many of them containing recycled components, are hard and flat, but key touch points all feature a range of tactile finishes and fabrics. It’s a cabin that works well on a number of levels – it’s intelligently configured, packed with interesting features and ideas, and it’s genuinely roomy. It’s built to a budget, no doubt, but it’s also been built with plenty of imagination and personality.

25

Practicality

Its spaciousness is no mere impression. Swing open the doors and you’re greeted by a vast cabin that’s loaded with clever touches and smart features. And when we say vast, we meant it. It may be Hyundai’s entry-level EV, but the Inster offers its driver and three passengers almost limousine-like levels of lounging room.

The front seats work together to create a bench, while the two 50:50 split rear seats individually slide back and forth to boost either legroom or luggage space from 280 to 351 litres. That climbs to 1,059 litres when the rear seats are folded down, and if you need an impromptu overnight mini-campervan, all four fold flat. There’s no front luggage area, though.

The front and rear floors are also flat, further enhancing the sense of space.

25

What’s it like to drive?

It only takes an hour negotiating Seoul’s twenty-four-seven rush-hour traffic to appreciate that the Inster’s urban driving credentials are top-drawer. Follow that up with a couple of hours in the Cotswolds, and those initial impressions were confirmed. We drove the 95hp/42kwh battery version, and despite the quoted 11.7 second jog to 62mph, the Inster is agile, snapping ahead from standstill with an addictive verve, and feeling perky through to 50mph – plenty of pace for town work.

Quick and direct steering works with a low centre of gravity and decent body control so you can exploit that perky performance. You can play around with the drive modes, if you’re so inclined. Eco is the killjoy setting, maximising range over fun. The Sport option adds weight to the steering and sharpens up the throttle response. Snow meters out the torque like a miser so you don’t get stuck in the slush. And Normal is, well, normal.

For the most part the Hyundai rides well. The suspension setup is set-up for compliant ride quality, which is vital when urban roads tend to be collections of dips, potholes and ridges held together with broken tarmac. But dealing with larger intrusions occasionally resulted in crashing rather than smoothing over these intrusions. However, these suspension settings are likely to be adjusted further before going on sale.

25

Hyundai hasn’t released any data on the car’s kerbweight yet, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Inster weighed in at 1,350kg, and you can feel the benefits of that relatively low weight on the move. The adjustable regenerative braking is ideal for one-pedal driving, and while the brakes are up to the job, a little more initial bite would be welcome.

If you need to thread your way as quickly and comfortably across the city, the Inster would be the nigh-perfect mode of transport – good fun, hugely capable and with a decent dollop of driver engagement, too. And don’t forget that this being a Hyundai, it will be comprehensively kitted out with safety and driver assistance features, complemented by plenty of big-car infotainment and charging tech that’s filtered down from the Ioniq range.

What models and trims are available?

Headline news is the £23,440 price for the entry level 01 model. That will come with a 42kWh battery powering a single electric engine that’s dishes up 95hp for a 0-62mph dash in 11.7 seconds and an 87mph top speed. Driving range comes in at 186 miles according to WLTP.

There is also a high-spec 02 model with a ‘Long Range’ 49kWh battery with a 221-mile WLTP driving range. Power climbs to 115hp, the sprint time to 62mph drops to 10.6 seconds and top speed nudges 93mph. Both versions feature 400-volt recharging architecture with a 120kW charge rate, are fitted with a heat pump as standard – nicely done Hyundai – and are vehicle-to-load compatible.

25

What else should I know?

The Inster is known as the Casper in Korea, and is built at Hyundai’s Gwangju plant. It is classified as a ‘light car’ in its home market to qualify for tax incentives and attractive parking rates. The car sits on Hyundai’s bespoke E-GMP Electric Global Modular Platform electric that also underpins its Ioniq 5 and 6.

The UK-bound Inster is electric only, and is longer with an extended wheelbase to boost cabin space. Still, it’s a dinky 3,835mm long, and the wheelbase is 2,580mm. Why the name change? Hyundai Europe shied away from the Casper name – browse any urban dictionary and you’ll understand why.

Click through to our verdict to see if we think you should consider buying a Hyundai Inster when it hits UK shores early in 2025.