Written by Curtis Moldrich and Keith Adams Updated: 14 May 2025

Overview

Should you buy one?

If you’re in the market for a small electric car that doesn’t cost the earth, the Hyundai Inster should be right at the top of your shortlist. It’s smartly priced, thoughtfully designed, and far more practical than its compact dimensions suggest. More importantly, it feels like a car created for real people – not just early adopters or tech obsessives.

Its lively low-speed performance, accurate steering, and well-judged ride quality, are perfectly suited to the urban jungle. It’s big where it counts – big on character, big on flexibility, and big on performance. For city driving, it’s hard to beat. The interior is bristling with thoughtful tech, and is genuinely usable in terms of space for both people and luggage.

It’s not perfect – some of the plastics feel built to a budget, and it’s not quite as chic or emotionally desirable as the Renault 5 E-Tech, Fiat Grande Panda or Renault 4 E-Tech – but that’s hardly a deal-breaker. In fact, the Hyundai Inster’s honesty and charm are a big part of its appeal. It’s comfortable being what it is: a well-priced, well-thought-out small EV that feels properly ready for the mainstream.

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What’s new?

The Inster might just be Hyundai’s most important small electric car of 2025. Forget the fire-breathing Ioniq 5 N or the ever-expanding SUV line-up – this is the car that could bring the firm’s EV ownership within reach for more drivers than ever before. It’s compact, cleverly packaged, and crucially comes with an attractive and competitive price tag.

That makes it a big deal. Price is still one of the biggest hurdles for would-be EV buyers, and the Inster is Hyundai’s answer: a city car with up to 223 miles of range, eye-catching styling, and family-friendly practicality – all wrapped up in a footprint barely bigger than a Vauxhall Corsa Electric.

While it is undercut by the comfy Citroen e-C3, funky Grande Panda and outstanding Renault 5 E-Tech, the Hyundai Inster is still usefully cheaper than the less practical Fiat 500e, and offers exceptional value and space for the money.

Too good to be true? Parkers editor Keith Adams and CAR Online editor Curtis Moldrich have exhaustively driven the Inster to find out just how good it is. Also, you can discover more about how we test on Parkers via our dedicated explainer page. .

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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 illuminated shelf. Not sure about the 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.

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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 under-bonnet luggage area, though.

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

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What’s it like to drive?

The good news is that the Inster performs just as well here as it did in our early international drives in Korea. Around city streets, the 49kWh Inster is impressive. It’s compact, nippy and with pin-sharp handling, it has more than enough acceleration for easy roundabouts, overtaking and junctions. It’s positively zippy and alert, snapping ahead from standstill with an addictive verve.

There’s no escaping its modest top speed and 0-62mph time, but it copes admirably on faster roads, only really running out of breath above 60mph. The steering is light yet accurate, while the low centre of gravity, excellent visibility and tiny footprint made weaving through town surprisingly enjoyable.

Ride comfort is well-judged. The Inster deals with Britain’s crumbling roads admirably, keeping unwanted body movements in check while still providing a good level of compliance – vital when urban roads tend to be collections of dips, potholes and ridges held together with scrappy bits of Tarmac. Bigger bumps do filter through occasionally, but it’s enjoyable to drive, and that counts.

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Depending on spec, the Inster weighs as little as 1,305kg. That isn’t much for an electric car, and you can feel the benefits of this relatively low weight on the move. The adjustable regenerative braking is ideal for one-pedal driving, and while the conventional friction 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?

The entry level 01 model comes 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 203 miles according to WLTP.

There is also a high-spec 02 model with a ‘Long Range’ 49kWh battery with up to 229 miles of WLTP driving range. Power climbs to 115hp, the sprint time to 62mph drops to 10.6 seconds and top speed nudges 93mph. Finally, there’s an SUV-themed Cross version if you want roof rails and more side-cladding.

All 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.

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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 (the distance between the front and rear axles) to boost cabin space. Still, it’s a dinky 3,835mm in length overall, 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.

Is this the best small electric car you can buy? Our verdict on the Hyundai Inster can be found on the next page, where you can see whether we recommend it over its talented rivals.