Hyundai Inster Debuts As Brand's Most Affordable EV Yet

The all-new Hyundai Inster debuts as the marque’s cheapest EV model yet.

Following its teaser earlier this month, Hyundai has taken the wraps off its latest EV model, known as the Inster. Basically an all-electric version of the marque’s supermini hatch, the Hyundai Casper, the new Inster currently stands as Hyundai’s most affordable EV model to date.

Besides having a name that rhymes with its ICE-powered twin, the new Inster EV also shares some similar design cues with the Casper hatch, despite the former featuring a more rugged crossover body style. Key design highlights include the rounded LED headlights derived from the Casper, a choice of either 15- or 17-inch wheels, rugged front and rear bumpers with plastic underbody cladding, a pair of roof rails, and more.

Despite being larger than the Casper supermini, the Inster EV is still small compared to Hyundai's other EV crossover models.

The rugged crossover body style also makes the Inster EV slightly bigger than the Casper, with the former measuring 3,825 MM long, 1,610 MM wide, 1,575 MM tall, and with a wheelbase of 2,580 MM long. While the Inster measures 230 MM longer than its ICE-powered twin, this supermini EV crossover is still substantially smaller compared to other Hyundai EV crossovers like the new Kona and Ioniq 5.

The interior design of the Inster has also been largely carried over from its ICE-powered twin, albeit featuring some minor equipment upgrades plus a slew of colour and upholstery material options. As for the tech bits, present here include the dual 10.25-inch digital display, a wireless charging pad, a 64-colour LED ambient lighting system, heated and ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, and many more.

To make use of its miniscule footprint, all the Inster EV’s seats can be folded flat, while the second-row bench is both slidable and reclinable. Depending on the position of the rear bench, the Inster’s boot space size ranges from 280 litres to 351 litres.

Underpinning the same Hyundai-Kia K1 platform as the Casper, the new Inster EV will be available in two powertrain options, namely the baseline Standard and the top-spec Long Range model. Both featuring a single electric motor setup, the Inster Standard boasts a total system output of 95 HP (71 kW) and 147 NM, while being juiced by a small 42-kWh pack that supplies it with more than 300 KM of EV range.

Meanwhile, the Long Range variant gets a peppier motor rated at 113 HP (84.5 kW) that is juiced by a larger 49-kWh battery pack, with the latter granting the Inster EV a decent WLTP range of 355 KM.

Despite its small battery packs, the Inster EV supports DCFC at up to 120 kW, allowing a 10-80% charge to be completed in less than 30 minutes. The AC figure, on the other hand, is capped at 11 kW, which fully charges the car in about 4 hours for the Standard model and 4 hours and 35 minutes for the Long Range model.

Set to go on sale in South Korea this summer, the all-new Hyundai Inster will also make its way into several international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Although Hyundai has yet to reveal the asking price for this EV supermini, the Korean automaker did say that it will be its most affordable EV model to date.