Hyundai launches the Inster, a compact electric with 4 seats and one of the most flexible and ingenious cabins on the market. How it performs in our test drive.
Inster: just 4 seats (but very comfortable ones) and electric only (even though in Korea, the country it comes from and where it's known as the Casper, the original model is also available with other powertrains). In our country, the new Hyundai city car arrives exclusively in electric form, as we anticipated last October. A bold choice (Italy continues to languish chronically at the bottom of the major EU markets, with its share of electric cars stuck at 5 per cent in January, compared to 21.3 per cent in the United Kingdom, source: Unrae), but a consistent one.
A very interesting car because it represents one of the rare cases in which an electric vehicle designed for the city offers a cabin that is not only very spacious relative to its dimensions, but also pleasant, bright and flexible (a quality that fans of Ikea will greatly appreciate). But we'll get to that in a moment. What we want to say straight away is that the Inster is a rare kind of electric car — a vehicle whose style and personality recalls another bold electric, the Honda e, small and brilliant but taken off the stage in 2023 just three years after its launch (to make room for yet another SUV…).
To recap: electric, 4 seats, with a cabin that is pleasing in both form and materials, comfortable even over manhole covers and tram tracks (city dwellers know just how much that matters…). In short, an urban electric that delivers a very good perceived quality, priced just under 25,000 euros and boasting all the characteristics a urban car should have: compact dimensions, efficiency and advanced driver-assistance systems. The Cross version will also be making its debut shortly, which, as the name suggests, nods (at least in style…) towards weekend escapes with specific bumpers, wheel arch cladding and roof bars.
But when we say "small", we really do mean small: 3.82 metres in length, 1.61 in width. The height is also modest, which is entirely to the benefit of road safety for other users. In short, for those familiar with the Korean brand's lineup, we're sitting between a Hyundai i10 and an i20; a more sophisticated Dacia Spring, one might say, or a slightly pricier Citroën e-C3 — these were the first comparisons that came to mind when testing the Inster. As for the weight and dimensions of a car (electric or otherwise), we have previously examined the potential effects on safety (and also why manufacturers prefer to offer larger, more expensive models…).
Speaking of the Hyundai Inster's rivals, in terms of originality, style and price, the Renault 5 — albeit with more generous dimensions — is also a fine example of how an urban electric car can be original, enjoyable to drive and offer good electric range. But let's return to the Inster, and in particular to its interior — that cabin whose design, technology, flexibility and perceived quality make it perhaps the most convincing aspect of the entire car, with certain touches reminiscent of another Hyundai electric, the Ioniq 5. And with four people on board, everyone is comfortable: all the seats fold completely flat, the rear ones slide… Bingo!
Everything else is easy and intuitive: the infotainment system is managed via a 10.25-inch touchscreen, a second display sits in front of the steering wheel, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and for other functions — such as the air conditioning — there are convenient physical controls. Space? Plenty of it, for passengers and belongings alike, with the front seat — split in two though it is — resembling a small sofa, complete with a built-in bottle holder. Passive safety, meanwhile, is taken care of by 7 airbags (front, front side, curtain and a front centre airbag). On the subject of materials used, the manufacturer makes fairly generic claims — specifically that "the exterior features a gloss black paint derived from recycled scrap tyres; the interior uses recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from bottles and bio-polypropylene extracted from sugarcane".
Having looked at the Inster as a place to live in, let's now turn to the Inster as a car to drive. At present there are two versions, both electric, with outputs of 97 or 115 horsepower (71.1 and 84.5 kW), paired in the first case with a 42 kWh battery, in the second with a 49 kWh unit (the version tested here). That the Hyundai Inster is a city "animal" becomes apparent immediately: nippy in traffic, small&slim and supremely easy to park, it pulls away briskly from the lights and delivers good comfort over the bumps and imperfections typical of urban roads, as mentioned earlier.
Regenerative braking can be easily adjusted from the steering wheel and helps manage battery charging during braking. In the city, it's reassuring to know that among the various ADAS features there is also a system that not only automatically applies the brakes when it detects an imminent collision with cars, cyclists or pedestrians, but also monitors turns at intersections and brakes if there is a risk of collision with another vehicle. Finally, electric charging: if you use fast charging (DC up to 120 kW, the kind you find at public charging stations) to charge from 10 to 80 per cent, you only need half an hour, whereas at home with an 11 kW charger it takes around 4 hours and 30 minutes.