The 2025 Hyundai Inster electric city car will start from $39,000 before on-road costs when Australian sales start next week.
The Inster offers up to 360km driving range from a 49kWh battery in Extended Range guise and can recharge from 10-80 per cent in 30 minutes.
2025 Hyundai Inster Cross
Three trims will be offered: Standard and Extended range along with the toughened up Inster Cross with optional roof basket. All Insters are four-seat, and drive the front wheels.
The Inster is a very small car, a size class beneath the cheaper BYD Dolphin Essential ($29,990, MRLP) and MG4 Excite ($37,990, MRLP) and even Hyundai’s Venue.
Measuring 3825mm long, 1610mm wide, 1575mm tall, the Hyundai Inster is about the same as a Mini Cooper E ($53,990, MRLP) and a little bigger than a Suzuki Ignis.
2025 Hyundai Inster flat seats
With a long-for-its-size 2580mm wheelbase and interior with reclinable backrests and fully flat folding seats (Inster Cross), the Inster at least promises good packaging. The boot measures 280L and can expand up to 351L with seats slid forward.
2025 Hyundai Inster back seat
The new Hyundai Inster is a modified version of the South Korean-market Casper, and therefore doesn’t use the 800-volt E-GMP platform underpinning larger EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 6, or a version of the Kona Electric’s platform.
2025 Hyundai Inster features
The regular Hyundai Inster Standard Range packs a 42kWh NMC battery and 71kW electric motor. Urban-friendly numbers, much like the 327km driving range.
2025 Hyundai Inster
The Inster Standard Range is equipped with 15-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights with pixel-graphic indicators, parametric pixel tail lights, front skid plate, and ‘circuit board’ inspired bumper design.
Inside, there’s cloth upholstery made from recycled plastic bottles, twin 10.25-inch screens, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, wireless charging, connected services, double door seals and vehicle-to-load (V2L) function.
2025 Hyundai Inster interior
Standard safety features include blind-spot monitoring, driver-attention monitoring, AEB with pedestrian, bicycle and junction detection, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, auto high-beam, adaptive cruise with lane-keep and lane-trace assist, speed limit assist, occupant alert, safe-exit warning.
The Inster is yet to be rated by an independent safety testing body ANCAP.
For $3500 more, the $42,500 (before on-road costs) Inster Extended Range scores a larger 49kWh battery pack for 360km driving range.
2025 Hyundai Inster
There are also funky 17-inch alloy wheels, a punchier 84kW electric motor and the option of two-tone Khaki Brown and Newtro Beige upholstery. Both standard and extended range can recharge from 10-80 percent in 30 minutes.
But the real range hero is the Inster Cross. Toughened up exterior styling and chunky 17-inch alloy wheels allied with either Black or Dark Grey/Amazonas Khaki eco-friendly artificial leather upholstery for $45,000, before on-road costs.
2025 Hyundai Inster Cross interior
There are some pretty upmarket features, including heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, 64-colour ambient lighting, climate control and your choice of sunroof or roof basket.
The Inster Cross also benefits from more safety, including blind-spot cameras — as seen on high trims of Santa Fe and Ioniq 5 — reverse AEB, and front parking sensors.
For a pop of colour, the Inster’s paint — apparently made from recycled waste tyres — choices are extensive: no-cost Atlas white, Urban Khaki, Natural Ivory; $595 Abyss Black or Buttercream Yellow Mica; $595 Sienna Orange Metallic.
2025 Hyundai Inster Cross
Hyundai is even offering matte paint, in hues of Dust Blue, Aero Silver, and Amazonas Green for $1000 extra. A contrast black roof is available on the Inster Cross with roof basket.
The South Korean brand has a sporty concept of the new Inster light SUV called the Insteroid, though it’s unlikely to make production as an Inster flagship.
The Hyundai Inster electric car is hitting Australian showrooms from next week.