I took the tiny Hyundai Inster on a 400km weekend away – and there’s more to it than its size implies

I get excited about practically every electric car I review, but few have had me as giddy as the Hyundai Inster. This small and practical car feels like it was tailor-made for my lifestyle and the livelihoods of anybody living in the inner city, and while its tiny size may be its most noticeable feature, there’s so much more to love about this humble transporter.

My colleague Leon Poultney got hands-on with the Hyundai Inster in November 2024, and he also adored how cute and compact the car was – so to avoid going over old ground, I’m going to focus on all the other aspects of the Inster that make it such a win in my book.

The Inster is, in many ways, a response to cheap and compact small electric cars from China dominating markets across the world. It’s the South Korean answer to the BYD Dolphin, MG4 and GWM Ora, though the Inster is smaller (but taller) than all of these. Despite being smaller, it offers some noble traits over its competition, like generous legroom in the back and reliable driver assistance tech. Indeed, this car feels like the refinement that the entry-level EV market needed, particularly here in Australia where I’m based.

One of the things keeping the Inster back, however, is that it’s not exactly entry-level. It’s pricey for such a small car, and though it boasts generous range and efficiency when assessing its battery size and overall performance, if you have this much to spend, on the whole you’ll get a better all-around vehicle with the MG4.