Currently reading: Hyundai Inster gets off-road-inspired Cross variant

Korean brand aims to broaden appeal of electric cars with new miniature four-seater

The Hyundai Inster has gained an off-road-inspired Cross variant with more aggressive styling – but not four-wheel drive.

Changes for the Inster Cross include the addition of chunkier bumpers with integrated skidplates, a special set of 17in alloy wheels and a new roof rack, as well as a special Amazonas Green Matte paint option.

Inside, it's offered with model-specific grey and yellow upholstery.

The Inster is Hyundai's attempt to capture the mainstream electric car market, undercutting much of the competition at a price of £23,495 – or £249 per month on PCP finance.

It's based on the Hyundai Casper, a diminutive city car that has so far been sold exclusively with a petrol engine in Korea. Its platform has been stretched by 230mm (with a 180mm of that growth in its wheelbase), improving both practicality and the available space for an underfloor battery pack.

The Inster measures 3.8m long, 1.6m wide and 1.6m tall, which positions it between the Dacia Spring and the Citroën ë-C3.

Hyundai Inster Cross rear

Despite the car's smaller footprint, Hyundai insiders are confident that the Inster is as practical as its five-seat rivals, thanks to its efficient packaging and configurable interior. Its wheelbase almost matches that of the larger Hyundai i20, for example, and its four seats are more versatile than those in traditional hatchbacks. Each can be folded completely flat and the two rear seats are also capable of sliding and reclining to open up more leg room or boot space as it’s needed. 

The Inster will be offered with two mechanical configurations at launch. Entry-level cars get a 96bhp front-mounted motor that delivers a 0-62mph sprint time of 11.7sec and a top speed of 87mph. It’s paired with a 42kWh battery pack, which is claimed to deliver a range of 186 miles between charges. The flagship ‘long range’ Inster is boosted to 113bhp and 49kWh, taking its range to 217 miles and its top speed to 93mph, while reducing its 0-62mph time to 10.6sec.

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Both versions use the nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry and all Insters get a heat pump and 85kW (DC) charging capabilities as standard.

Although those specifications place the Inster roughly on a par with its classmates, Hyundai believes that it will stand out for its interior connectivity and on-board technologies.

Inside, all versions get a pair of 10.25in digital displays (an instrument panel and an infotainment touchscreen), and you can use your smartphone as a ‘key’ to unlock and start the car. 

Hyundai Inster front

The Inster also gets Hyundai’s full suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including a 360deg parking camera, adaptive cruise control and the Korean brand’s novel blindspot monitoring system, which projects a camera image of your rear quarter view onto the instrument panel as you indicate.

Deliveries of the Inster are set to start by next spring. UK customers will be offered both battery options and two trim levels, named 01 and 02.

Kit including the digital instrument panel, infotainment touchscreen, rear-view camera and automatic headlights are standard. However, to get the sliding rear bench, flat-folding front seats or LED headlights you have to opt for 02 trim, priced from £26,745.

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“We believe we will start electrification not only for the early adopters but for the mass market,” said Paolo Gnerro, product planning manager for Hyundai Motor Europe.

He explained that the company is targeting two new types of customers with the Inster: “very young”, potentially buying their first new cars; and “empty-nesters – families with kids already [moved out of] home, mainly in their 50s”, who want a second car for running errands.

Hyundai Inster interior - seats folded

Gnerro added that he believed the Inster would operate outside the traditional size-bound segments, pointing to changing customer behaviours with EVs.

He explained: “They were not saying 'this is a 3.8m car; it’s A-segment'. They were segmenting the cars depending on the range, no matter the size of the car. For them, a 350km-range [217-mile] car is comparable to another 350km car, no matter what the size is.”

Charlie Martin

Charlie Martin Autocar
Title: Editorial assistant, Autocar

As part of Autocar’s news desk, Charlie plays a key role in the title’s coverage of new car launches and industry events. He’s also a regular contributor to its social media channels, providing videos for Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook and Twitter.

Charlie joined Autocar in July 2022 after a nine-month stint as an apprentice with sister publication What Car?, during which he acquired his gold-standard NCTJ diploma with the Press Association.

Charlie is the proud owner of a Fiat Panda 100HP, which he swears to be the best car in the world. Until it breaks.

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Arthur Sleep 15 October 2024

This is a joke, surely?

Peter Cavellini 3 October 2024

Tall because the batteries are under the floor?, plenty of tech inside for all ages, it looks nice inside and out,and the price isn't that out there, aimed at new drivers first car( lucky them) or the over fifty sector as a second car shopper, it looks well put together, it's your choice.

ricequackers 27 June 2024

> "Affordable"> "City car"> "£22k"

Gonna have to knock at least £10k off to actually be an affordable little city car. Also why is it so tall?

Gavster11 4 October 2024

Toyota's hybrid Yaris starts at £22,620, unfortunately £20k+ is the new normal.