Hyundai brings a splash of fun and versatility to the small EV market with this car, the Inster. Jonathan Crouch drives it.
Ten Second Review
Choosing a really cheap small EV doesn't necessarily mean you have to choose a really boring one. Or so Hyundai thinks anyway. For proof, check out this car, the Inster. It's supposed to be fun. It's certainly practical. And if you're shopping in this segment, it might just be what you're looking for.
Background
Hyundai brings a splash of fun and versatility to the small EV market with this car, the Inster. It's aimed at the pricier, trendier end of its segment and, in case you're wondering, the name isn't short for 'Instagram'. Instead, the Korean maker claims it's a mix of the words 'intimate' and 'innovative'. You might think it more logical for the brand to have once more used its familiar IONIQ tag (- perhaps badging this car IONIQ 2?). But apparently that nameplate's reserved for Hyundais with the group's advanced 800V EV platform - and there's nothing like that here.
What this car actually should be called is the 'Casper' because a petrol-powered Korean market Hyundai of that name is what the Inster is actually based on, though for this EV variant, an extra 180mm of length has been inserted into the wheelbase. Which as we'll see is significant because the very young and very old customers being targeted here are getting a small EV more internally versatile than any of its rivals. Sounds interesting.
Driving Experience
Helped by its diminutive size, on the move you'll immediately notice that this Hyundai is nippy and agile - though response from the front-mounted motor isn't quite as peppy as you'll find with some rivals. Two versions of it are available, but both perform quite similarly. The Standard Range 42kWh model has 97PS, which allows 62mph to be reached in 11.7s or, if you drive more sensibly, an official EV range of 203 miles to be approached on those occasions where you're in a lethargic mood.
The alternative, which most customers will prefer, is the Long Range 49kWh model we're trying here, which gains a supposedly perkier 115PS version of the same motor. This lowers the 62mph time fractionally to 10.6s, though as the torque pulling power figure of 147Nm doesn't change, you won't notice much real-world difference. As for the 'Long Range' bit, well don't get your hopes up too much; the official figure of this pricier variant rises to 229 miles, though as with any EV if your mileage is exclusively city-based, you might well do quite a bit better than that. Assuming of course you keep the car in the most frugal of its provided drive modes - 'Eco'; the others are 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Snow'. Unlike with quite a few rivals in this segment, there are steering wheel paddles for proper brake regen control, with the fiercest setting almost enough to bring the car to a stop when you come off the throttle.
There's an SUV-style Inster Cross variant available at the top of the line-up, but it's no differently engineered from the standard version.
Design and Build
Hyundai calls the Inster's exterior 'charismatic', with its high nose and boxy proportions. Some will think it ungainly. Others will like the combination of friendliness and ruggedness. Size-wise, it's 3.8m long, 1.6m wide and 1.6m tall (so somewhere between its two main rivals, the Dacia Spring and the Citroen e-C3). Which makes it 230mm longer than the Korean market petrol-powered Casper model this Inster EV is based on. There are 15 or 17-inch wheels. And pixel lights at the rear (a Hyundai EV signature touch). Hyundai hopes it'll all make you feel quite adventurous. To that end, there's pseudo-SUV-style body cladding, roof rails and scuff plates at both ends. And, as on the Casper, the rear door handles are hidden in the C-pillars. There's an even more overtly-styled Cross variant if you want the full lifestyle effect.
The cabin though, is the thing that might really sell the Inster to you. The front section has no centre console, creating a 'walk-through' design enabling passengers to get out on either side. The front seats merge into a kind of bench, with occupants separated by a fold-down armrest. They view a pair of 10.25-inch dashboard screens for infotainment and instruments. The other thing that quickly hits you about the Inster's interior is that in an age of physical button scarcity in automotive cabins, Hyundai here has gone completely the other way; there's switchgear everywhere, all of it sensibly placed and ergonomic to use. Virtually all the materials used are from notably eco-centric sources, like recycled PET plastic bottles and a bio-polypropylene material extracted from sugarcane.
Avoid base trim and your Inster can be really versatile, with fold-flat front seats and rear seats that slide and recline, so you can prioritise either leg room or boot space. Almost all of the Inster's 180mm wheelbase length increase over its Casper donor model is to the benefit of rear passengers. Even tall folk will be able to relax behind other front-seated tall folk. And if the front passenger seat is folded flat, they'll be able to use it as a foot rest and imagine that they're in a limo. Where the sliding bench rear seat is fitted, boot capacity can vary between 238 and 351-litres. If you're not using the rear bench in your Inster, flattening it in its 50:50-split frees up as much as 1,059-litres of space, which you could increase further by flattening the passenger-side seat to take really lengthy items. You can flatten the driver's seat too to create a kind of metal tent for camping, should you be so inclined.
Market and Model
Hyundai reckons that the Inster isn't directly aimed at either the A-segment for citycars or the B-segment for superminis; instead, it's been designed to sit in the middle of both. And that's certainly how it looks from a pricing perspective. The Inster range starts with '01' trim, available with either the 42kWh 97PS drivetrain or the Long Range 49kWh 115PS package. As we tested this car in Autumn 2025, '01' trim was starting from around £23,500 in 42kWh form, with another £1,500 necessary to get the larger 49kWh battery. To get the clever sliding and reclining rear seat that's a signature feature of this Hyundai, you have to stretch to the plusher '02' trim level and with that, you have to have the bigger Long Range battery. The combination of those two things pushes the Inster's price up quite a lot - to £26,755 at the time of this review. Another £1,000 on top of that gets you the top SUV-themed Inster Cross model, also only offered with the 49kWh battery.
Base '01' trim includes 15-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, rear parking sensors, a rear view camera with dynamic parking control, automatic headlights and a 'smart' key with keyless entry. Plus a smart cruise control with stop/go system that works with an integrated Highway Drive Assist set-up to give the car a limited amount of level 2 autonomous driving capability. Unusually in this segment, a heat pump (normally a pricey extra on cars like this) comes as standard, there to preserve driving range in cold conditions. Inside, there's a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, air conditioning with climate control, a leather steering wheel and a 10.25-inch central touchscreen display with navigation, plus 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' along with Bluelink-connected car services with over-the-air updates.
We mentioned earlier that you'll need to stretch to the plusher '02' trim level if you want all the slidey/foldable rear seat theatrics. As well as that, at '02' level your Inster will come with larger 17-inch alloy wheels, front parking sensors, LED projection headlamps and LED rear lights, rear privacy glass and roof rails. Interior enhancements include LED multifunction steering wheel lights and ambient lighting with a choice of 64 colours. The '02' also includes heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, automatically dimming rear view mirror, metal paint-effect door handles, speaker tweeters, a rear USB-C charging port and a wireless charging pad.
Cost of Ownership
Let's get to the charging figures - which aren't particularly fast. Even from a small cheap EV, you'd hope for at least a 100kW DC charging speed in this day and age, which is the level of market leaders like the Vauxhall Corsa Electric and the 52kWh version of the Renault 5. In contrast, a 42kWh Inster DC-charges at a maximum of 73kW - it's 85kWh with this test car's Long Range 49kWh battery. Despite that, you can still achieve a 10-80% battery charge in about half an hour with both battery sizes.
At home using a typical single-phase 7.4kW wallbox, a complete charge of the Standard Range 42kWh battery takes just over 6 hours; with this 'Long Range 49kWh battery, it's around 7 hours 30 minutes - which you can improve to 4 hours and 35 minutes if you're able to AC-charge with a three-phase 11kW supply. The charge port is located in the nose. With top '02' trim's optional 'Tech Pack, there's the option of 'Vehicle2Load' technology which enables you to plug in external devices to the car, like, say a camping lamp, or charging for an electric scooter or drone.
Insurance is group 21 for the Standard Range 42kWh model - or group 23 or 24 for this 49kWh Long Range variant; that's similar to a Citroen e-C3 but a chunk above a rival Renault 5 (rated in groups 18-22). That Renault does better in terms of depreciation too; this Inster is expected to hold on to about 40% of its value after three years and 36,000 miles.
Summary
If you're irritated by the on-trend name, then this probably won't be your sort of car. But if you can get beyond that, there's actually a lot to like about the Inster - assuming you're a fan of the high-sided chunky looks, which quite a few people won't be.
Hyundai of course has no doubts, convinced that this car will not only carve its own niche in the small EV market but also help the brand reach beyond it - rather as the Fiat 500 did in an earlier era. The Inster might just do that. It certainly shows that a small electric car could be a slightly more interesting proposition than you might first have thought.
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