Hyundai has been expanding its EV lineup rapidly in recent years and with tremendous global success. Urban mobility is a field where the Koreans have historically done very well with their little ICE models roaming around every major city. Logically, Hyundai combined its two strengths and gave us the Inster. The model we are reviewing today is the Hyundai Inster Long Range in the Premium trim, which is the top spec'd version. It comes with a 49 kWh battery and a motor outputting 115 hp and 147 Nm on its front wheels. An AWD version will likely never be offered, as it just doesn't make sense in this class.We have tested most of the direct rivals of the Inster, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up to the competition.
The Inster doesn’t rely on nostalgia or sportiness others do. Instead it starts with a blank sheet, which helped it maximize practicality. From the front, the Hyundai Inster welcomes with a friendly face with gigantic round running lights. It looks like the car is happy to see you and that makes it very cute in today's traffic of brute and angry-looking vehicles. Inside the running lights is where the headlights are. The turn signals have their own dotted LED space where the regular headlights are located on most vehicles, giving the Inster a somewhat eccentric look. What breaks up the design slightly in the front is the charging port, which sticks from the bumper.
This makes it easy to use for most homes and chargers. From the side, the Inster looks very much like the Suzuki Ignis. Both vehicles are very small, with high ground clearance and off-angle C-pillar. It is a cool look for the Korean, and even if not very original in general, it separates the Inster from virtually any EV competitors. One big benefit of the boxy design are the squared windows, which roll down completely on all sides. This might be a great benefit for drivers and passengers who like to feel the wind while driving. The windows end with a high-mounted rear door handle, which clears up the design. The rear end keeps the blushy face aesthetics, yet the roles are switched.
The big rounded elements are reflectors, with the hazard and rear driving lights being those very tiny elements inside the circle. The big LED squares are the taillights and when you press on the brake pedal, they become substantially brighter. The giant Hyundai logo and Inster readout beneath it make sure everybody knows what you're driving in and finish off the rear-end design quite nicely. It is a lovely vehicle with slightly goofy proportions but that makes it charming and distinct. The steering wheel is round and with many buttons to control the stereo and cruise control. On the lower left part of the steering wheel is a dial to control the drive modes. It is a location only high-end sports cars and supercars normally use, yet here it is now in a 115 hp urban hatchback.
Interestingly, there is no Hyundai logo on the steering wheel and just four LED dots. This is what Hyundai has been recently doing with no apparent reasoning behind that decision so far. The dots light up and change colors with the drive modes or when charging but that is about where their usefulness ends. The gauge cluster is a 10.25" display that most current Hyundai models use. It is easy to read, with good graphics and several different layouts. You are not going to need anything more. The center display is also 10.25" in size and sticks prominently from the dashboard. It looks like an afterthought with no integration into the design whatsoever. However it works well and offers most of the amenities larger and more expensive Hyundai models do.
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Right underneath the air vents is a shelf for storing smaller items that spans all the way from the steering wheel to the passenger door. It might be practical or some but you have to be careful as there is no cover and things might fly away. There are three charge ports and you will have to use the USB-A at all times if you want to enjoy Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This is a rather outdated solution and Hyundai should finally do something to fix it. The seats themselves are comfortable and cushy. They lack side support and heavy bolstering, but that is completely normal for the segment and actually they provide excellent comfort on longer journeys.
On the door sills you can see some of the largest Philips-head screws in the automotive industry. They look tacky and goofy but their purpose is to attach aftermarket elements Hyundai will sell in the future to enhance practicality. However, if you want to store things in the doors without attachments, you're limited to very little pockets. A cool optional feature of the Inster is the sunroof that few of its rivals offer. It makes the cabin experience that much more pleasurable and we enjoy it when present. With the seats pushed to the most forward possible position, it is highly challenging to sit inside, yet not impossible.
Our 1.95 m (6'4") tall reviewer almost fits behind the driver’s seat, when that one is adjusted for his liking. In less extreme cases with shorter passengers it will be more pleasant to fit even in that position.With the seats pushed all the way back, space in the rear becomes plentiful and you feel like you’re being chauffeured around in a luxury limousine. Of course, this will also be beneficial for parents for fitting child seats and utilizing the space. You can also fold the front seats flat to either increase storage even more, or what Hyundai accentuates as a possibility - use the Inster as a bed. Of course, there are holes and you need to insert a mattress to make it comfortable but with about 3m of space you get more legroom than any bed.
Even if you never use it this way, it is great to know your vehicle is capable of doing such a trick or simply use it to carry long objects. The car handles alright in corners thanks to the short wheelbase, low battery placement, and low weight. The limit is hard to feel as the tires are the first thing to break loose under the pressure of a corner. Still, the Nexen N Fera Primus tires have good grip, and for a cheap low-tier brand handle surprisingly well. An urban vehicle must fit in tight spaces and get out of them quickly, which is why the tight turning radius of just 10.6 m is a massive benefit. This, combined with the small size makes the Inster a breeze to park anywhere.
It gets even better when you opt for the 360° camera. It has fabulous image quality that will make some cars with twice its price jealous. When it comes to assistants, Hyundai is one of the worst offenders in the auto industry right now due to its insufferable dings for all the driver aids. Not only are they annoying, but they also require multiple touches of the center display to be turned off every time you start the vehicle. The only one you can easily turn off is the traction control, which is bizarre, to say the least. If you want to get rid of the attention assist that doesn’t recognize you most of the time and just beeps, the speed assist that randomly picks up numbers from nonexistent signs or the lane-keeping assist that suddenly wants to put you in the ditch it is a hard procedure you must follow every time you start the car.
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The ride in the Inster is comfortable - it absorbs potholes and bumps with ease. The lifted suspension makes for longer travel and eliminates the crashy sensation at bumps with lower speeds. High speeds make for a rougher ride due to the short wheelbase, but the low weight makes the vehicle calm down quickly. The ride is certainly balanced for comfort rather than driving experience. Hyundai has blessed the Inster with its latest infotainment we had previously covered in our reviews of the Ioniq lineup. The system is simple and easy to operate with great button visibility and no input lag. It doesn't bring any world's firsts, yet it perfectly covers all the basics.
You get a main screen with plenty of information, which you can also personalize. It can either look subdued with minimal readout or bombard you with vehicle parameters based on your preferences. The navigation works well and calculates your journey, including potential stops for charging. It also gives you live information about traffic jams or construction work, which can be highly useful to avoid traffic. You wouldn't need to use the built-in navigation if you rely on Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, as the navigation can be done through Google Maps or Waze. However, CarPlay and Android Auto can only be activated through a wired connection.
This isn’t optimal for modern standards, let alone the fact it has to be done through a USB-A, which is becoming obsolete as we speak. You get real-time updates through Hyundai’s Bluelink connected services. The system provides you with important local events, checks your schedule in the calendar and can even inform you about the results of your favorite sports teams. The system can also do vehicle diagnostics and suggest actions if needed. The Hyundai Inster is about average for its segments when it comes to cabin noise and that holds true at all speeds. As the speed increases you get more and more wheel and wind noises, especially from the rear.
With only 115 hp the Inster is no drag demon. The initial acceleration to about 40 km/h feels great and is enough to propel in city conditions and even zip through traffic thanks to the small size. The claimed top speed of 150 km/h can actually be exceeded as we got to 160 km/h, although the Inster takes a long time to get there. The Hyundai Inster has a good initial charging speed of 120 kW, so if you’re in a rush you can get some juice quickly to reach your destination. However, once its battery gets over 20%, the speed drops significantly and you need to spend significant time on the charger. For an urban vehicle these numbers are satisfactory, but they also mean longer trips would be a pain.
The Inster faces stiff competition from an increasing number of models entering the market of compact urban tacklers and everybody has a different approach. Hyundai underlines its great packaging and serious utility as the main benefits, but after doing our review we can easily say those not the only advantages of the Inster. The Hyundai Inster is a perfect example of what a city car should be. We are usually skeptical of car awards, but it being awarded World Electric Vehicle of 2025 feels deserved. It shines in most categories and none of its shortcoming can be considered a deal-breaker, especially for the segment. Hyundai knows people don't expect such a vehicle to be a cornering king, so it prioritized comfort. The sensation behind the wheel of the Inster is not one keen drivers will appreciate, but it's one people wanting to go from point A to point B in the city will surely love.
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