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Watch out R5? Hyundai's new £23k EV is here – and we've driven it in the UK

Watch out R5? Hyundai's new £23k EV is here – and we've driven it in the UK

Business Mayor15-05-2025

Move inside and you might mistake the Inster for an SUV: its concave roof means there's plenty of head room for adults front and rear, while leg room in the back is practically limo-like.
You can't escape how narrow the car is, however, so taller and broad-shouldered passengers might not find it all that roomy up front.
The seat bases are shallow and the backrests lack a bit of lumbar support, but the fixed armrest offers some comfort and the cupholders that sit underneath are handy.
Such generous passenger space limits the boot capacity to 280 litres, but you can slide the two rear seats forwards independently to increase the volume. You can even fold down the front pair to store longer items or lie down and take a nap.
The 10.25in touchscreen infotainment system is easy enough to use but not as intuitive as the Google-based set-up in the 5.
Furthermore, it can be a little sluggish to respond to inputs and its Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality isn't wireless.
The digital dash is graphically strong and customisable. And for all the touchscreen-dominated cars we test these days, it's refreshing to step down into a small EV and have a neat cluster of large, tactile physical buttons to prod and poke.
You don't need to take your eyes off the road to adjust the fan speed or temperature and the row of buttons for the touchscreen are useful for function-hopping on the move.
The plastic on the doors, dash and lower down by your feet may feel cheap, but there's a robustness to the cabin that suits the Inster's vibe and cloth-like material on various touchpoints adds a premium air. Read More LMI showing transportation market flip is coming - FreightWaves
Ultimately the interior feels like its been thought about and created specifically for the inster, rather than simply being a scaled up or saled down version on of Ioniq EV's interior.
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