CUTE! THE BOXY LITTLE HYUNDAI INSTER IS AN EV CITY CAR WITH 221 MILES OF RANGE
Great news for those of us who haven’t given up on small cars just yet – this is the all-new Hyundai Inster, and it is an exceptionally cute little EV.
Officially, Hyundai describes the Inster as an ‘A-segment sub-compact urban EV’ and those familiar with the Korean domestic market may recognise the design as an evolution of the petrol-powered Hyundai Casper. Good news though, because after first launching in Korea, the Inster will make its way to Europe. Hurrah!
The Inster’s electric powertrain means it has a slightly extended body and wheelbase compared to the Casper, and there’s a 42kWh battery as standard or a 49kWh battery in Long-Range spec. Very sensible. Plus, because the Inster won’t weigh all that much (there are no official numbers just yet) and is only powered by a single motor with 96bhp in the standard car and 113bhp in the Long-Range car, it’ll do up to 221 miles of range on a single charge if you spec the bigger battery and the smallest 15in wheels. The standard range car is apparently aiming for somewhere north of 186 miles.
Charging will peak at 120kW at a DC station, meaning you’ll be able to top up from 10 to 80 per cent in around 30 minutes. There will also be standard 11kW AC charging and an optional heat pump. Oh, and the Inster will get V2L functionality so that you can power a kettle to make a brew on your 221-mile road trip.
For those that weren’t already familiar with the Casper, Hyundai said the Inster’s design is characterised by “its robust yet small SUV profile and flush, clean surfaces”. It also uses lots of Hyundai’s pixel-led styling influences and we love the chunky squared arches and its squat stance. You can have 15in steel wheels too – we really hope that’ll be an option once it arrives in the UK.
Inside it’s posher than you might expect, with a 10.25in digital instrument cluster and a matching 10.25in infotainment screen. Proper buttons on the steering wheel and centre console too. There’s seating for four with the front two able to be heated and the rears able to slide and recline. All seats can fold fully flat, although we’re pretty sure you would only get a teeny mattress in there if you wanted to turn the Inster into a mini campervan.
Anyway, you can have black, khaki brown or beige as interior colours with full cloth trim and there’s 64-colour LED ambient lighting to liven things up a bit. Hyundai said the Inster “offers the most complete technology package in the segment” and there’s all the active safety tech that you’d expect on cars in more premium segments.
In case you’re wondering, there’s 280 litres of boot space, or 351 litres if you simply slide the rear seats forward. Perhaps worth noting here that a Fiat 500 in electric form manages just 185 litres of space, with the new, electric Mini Cooper getting 210 litres. Both of those also only have seating for four, and while the Fiat starts at £28,195 and the Mini at £30k, Hyundai UK reckons the base spec, standard range Inster will start at under £22k.
Not sold on the ultra-cutesy looks? Another variant called the Inster Cross will join the family soon, with Hyundai describing that as having a ‘more rugged, outdoor-focused design’. Essentially, it’ll have a bit of extra black plastic cladding on the outside. We’re keen already though. Deliveries are expected to start over here in late Autumn. More details as soon as we have them.