Hyundai Inster 2024: Prices, specs and release date

• New Hyundai Inster is an affordable electric city car
• EV range of up to 220 miles
• High-tech interior promises supermini-like space
• Launches this summer with prices from around £22,000

The new Hyundai Inster is an electric city car that aims to combine a decent range, lots of interior tech and a roomy interior with an affordable entry-level price tag.

The new Hyundai Inster aims to provide stylish competition to the new Citroen e-C3, another roomy and affordable small electric car. While it will be more expensive than the headline-grabbing Dacia Spring, it also has a much larger battery which will give a range of up to 220 miles, rather than the Dacia’s 150 miles.

The new Hyundai Inster will also blend modern and distinctive styling with a welcoming interior that’s packed with the latest technology.

The new Hyundai Inster promises to be roomy too – despite city car exterior dimensions, the firm says it offers interior space akin to a small hatchback.

As well as rival EVs, the new Hyundai Inster should also attract buyers also considering the petrol-powered Toyota Aygo X, the new Suzuki Swift and updated new Kia Picanto.

2024 Hyundai Inster prices and release date

The new Hyundai Inster will be launched this summer. First UK deliveries may start towards the end of the year, or in early 2025.

Hyundai Inster prices will be very competitive. The company is understood to be targeting the new Citroen e-C3, which will mean a starting price from around £22,000. This will make it one of the cheapest electric cars on the market.

2024 Hyundai Inster styling, interior and technology

The Hyundai Inster’s styling is designed to be modern and contemporary, following the firm’s other EVs such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. It has distinctive pixel LED running lights, which are combined with round headlights.

The new Hyundai Inster’s bulging wheelarches give it SUV vibes, which are underlined by roof rails, black wheelarch protectors and metallic-look front and rear skid plates. 15-inch steel wheels are standard, while the car pictured has 17-inch alloys.

At the rear, the new Hyundai Inster has another row of square pixel LED lights set into a gloss black panel.

The new Hyundai Inster will be available in a range of modern colours, including Buttercream Pearl pictured here. Atlas White, Tomboy Khaki and Sienna Orange Metallic will be available with a two-tone contrast roof, too.

Inside, the new Hyundai Inster offers either all-black, or Khaki Brown and Newtro Beige two-tone with full cloth trim.

As standard, the new Hyundai Inster has a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen – below which sits a wireless charging dock and - praise be - a full array of buttons for climate control and other functions.

The new Hyundai Inster has a premium appearance inside, with contemporary materials that help set it apart from cars such as the Dacia Spring. The steering wheel continues pixel theme and 64-colour ambient lighting adds a nice touch.

The new Hyundai Inster sits its front seat passengers higher than regular city cars, to continue the SUV theme. This is combined with compact dimensions – it measures just 3825mm long and 1610mm wide – to make it easily manoeuverable in town.

The new Hyundai Inster has a longer wheelbase than the petrol car it is derived from, the Hyundai Casper. This will give loads of space inside, similar to larger models, says Hyundai. All seats can be folded flat, including the driver’s seat while the front row gives walk-through access to the two seats in the rear.

The new Hyundai Inster has a 280-litre boot as standard, which expands to 351 litres when the sliding rear seat option is fitted.

The firm is also considering offering an even more rugged-looking version, called the new Hyundai Inster Cross. This will have a more outdoor-focused design with further details announced later.

2024 Hyundai Inster electric motor, performance and range

The new Hyundai Inster is available with a choice of two batteries. A 42kWh battery is standard, with a 49kWh Long-Range battery also available. It is likely that only the larger 49kWh Long-Range battery will be offered in the UK.

The regular new Hyundai Inster has a 97PS electric motor, which is boosted to 115PS in the Long-Range version. Both have the same 147kW torque output.

The new Hyundai Inster Long-Range 115PS will do 0-62mph in 10.6 seconds.

Full UK technical details have not yet been confirmed, but the firm does say the new Hyundai Inster will have a projected range of up to 220 miles in Long-Range guise. An 11kW onboard charger is standard and, via a 120kW DC rapid charger, it will charge from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes.

The new Hyundai Inster has an optional battery heating system and heat pump – and also has standard vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality, providing power for external devices such as electric bicycles, scooters and camping equipment.

The new Hyundai Inster will also have a generous amount of safety assist tech, such as smart cruise control with stop and go, surround-view parking camera, front and rear collision avoidance and the familiar lane keeping assist that so many new car buyers turn off.