Hyundai Inster

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At just 3.8m long and around 1.6m wide – just slightly larger than the tiny Volkswagen up! – the Inster has a choice of two battery sizes with a longer range than its rivals.

Driving

There are two battery sizes to choose from: the Standard Range has a 39kWh usable capacity battery for an official range of 203 miles, and the 46kWh Long Range version manages up to 229 miles. As well as a better range, the Inster Long Range gets more power, with 113bhp versus 95bhp for the Standard Range.

The ride is very good and the Inster’s relatively soft suspension means it’s comfortable as you drive around town, soaking up potholes well. It smoothes out rough surfaces and is controlled over poorly surfaced roads despite its diminutive size. It is easy to steer along country roads in a controlled manner, helped by its well–weighted steering.

We’d praise the Hyundai Inster’s driving position as the seats perfectly line you up with the steering wheel and pedals. It’s also relatively easy to get comfortable behind the wheel, with all Insters offering manual seat adjustment.

The driver gets a 10.3in digital driver’s display. The Inster’s small size and large windows mean you have plenty of all–round visibility, something that’s helped further by the fact that you sit quite high up. You can easily see all four corners, so parking shouldn’t be an issue, but to make things even easier, every version gets rear parking sensors. The 02 trim adds front parking sensors and a rear-view camera, while top-spec Cross adds a 360-degree surround-view camera.

Interior

You get physical controls on the centre console for the air conditioning, making it much easier to make changes while you're driving.

Everything else in the Inster is controlled through the 10.3in infotainment touchscreen on top of the dashboard. It’s high up, so it's easy to read and you get lots of standard features, including DAB radio, Bluetooth, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and sat nav. On 02 models you can also have a brighter beige option that lifts the interior.

Space and practicality

The Inster wins the space race for small cars on the Motability Scheme with enough space for two six–footers, and enough head and legroom to get comfortable. Rear space is quite generous, with plenty of headroom and – if you go for at least the 02 trim, and slide the rear seats all the way back – a surprising amount of legroom. No matter which version of the Inster you go for, you only get two back seats.

The Inster’s maximum boot space in the 02-version (pictured) is 351 litres, depending on where you have the sliding back seats. We neatly managed to fit in the TGA Whill scooter with only one of the rear seats folded down.

Equipment

All versions of the Inster gets lots of standard equipment. Even the entry–level 01 trim gets you 15in alloy wheels, single–zone climate control, automatic windscreen wipers, an EV heat pump and battery heater, plus keyless entry.

The 02 trim – which is only available on the Inster Long Range adds even more kit. That list includes 17in alloy wheels, heated front seats, an auto–dimming rear–view mirror, a heated steering wheel, wireless phone–charging and sliding back seats. Also on the Motability Scheme is the top–spec Cross, which comes with a different alloy wheel design, adds a sunroof and a few extra safety features.

Photos: Shingiru/Hyundai, Matt Howell/Citroen, Fiat, Frederick Unflath/Hyundai, Carl Rodgerson