The Hyundai Inster is a quirky and loveable compact electric vehicle with a surprisingly spacious interior.
The cabin’s Tardis-like qualities provide tremendous flexibility, while a pleasing amount of standard kit is included.
The cute appearance of the Inster owes a lot to its boxy shape, while the circular, projection LED headlamps give the appearance of wide eyes staring out from the vehicle’s face, adding extra personality.
In terms of powertrain, there’s a choice of two variants. The entry-level car comes with a 42kWh battery pack fitted with an electric motor that produces a total power output of 95bhp and 147Nm of torque.
There is also a long-range version, tested here, that comes with a larger 49kWh battery pack with an electric motor that puts out 113bhp and the same torque figures as the former. According to the official figures, this model will go a total distance of up to 229 miles on a single charge.
During a week in its company, I was especially impressed with how well the regenerative braking worked in terms of returning charge to the battery. With disciplined use of the paddles behind the steering wheel, I found it possible to do shorter urban journeys of up to ten miles without losing more than one or two percentage points from the battery’s charge.
The Inster broke new ground for Hyundai as it was the company’s first fully electrified city car, albeit with a range and fast charging abilities that provide confidence to tackle longer journeys.
The Inster can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 10.6 seconds for the long-range model, feeling particularly swift up to about 40mph. The standard range variant is slower off the mark, taking 11.7 seconds to get to 62mph.
In terms of specification, there are two models. The basic 01 is priced from £23,505 and comes equipped with features such as 15-inch alloy wheels, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, rear parking sensors and rear-view camera as well as a 10.25-inch infotainment display with navigation. You can opt this model with the larger battery pack too, which will give you added power and more EV driving range.
Move up to the 02 version, which starts at £26,755 and it boasts 17-inch alloy wheels, front parking sensors, LED headlamps and taillights, privacy glass and roof rails.
The Inster offers a remarkable amount of interior space for a city car.
Its flat electric vehicle floor, fold-flat seats, and high-roof SUV silhouette contribute to an unexpectedly spacious interior.
Adding to the car’s adaptability is its boot space, which can be expanded from 238 to 351 litres by sliding the rear seats forward by 16cm, thus increasing its practicality.
This feature, combined with the car’s ability to fold all seats completely flat, allows the Inster to cater to a range of needs, from naps on the go to stowing larger items.
The Iinster also comes equipped with Vehicle-to-Load capability, allowing it to power or charge any device via its converter, which plugs into the exterior charging port.
Both the exterior port and the interior socket provide up to 3.6 kW of power.
Advanced safety technology comes as standard across the range including Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (car, pedestrian, cycle, and junction turning), Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, Lane Following Assist, Highway Drive Assist, and Lane Keep Assist.
Hyundai Inster 02 +
PRICE: £26,755
POWER: 49kWh battery with 113bhp electric motor
RANGE: 229 miles
0-62MPH: 10.6 seconds
INFOTAINMENT: 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation
TRANSMISSION: Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
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