Hyundai i20 review

The Hyundai i20 is a front-wheel drive supermini with three or five-doors. Easy to drive, comfortable and spacious, it also has a number of cubbyholes so you can safely store your everyday essentials.
It's reliable and well equipped, with even the entry level S Connect featuring rear parking sensors and a 7-inch touchscreen as standard. It also offers a good selection of efficient petrol and diesel engines.
As well as the two-door i20 Coupe and five-door hatch, there’s an i20 Active, a crossover version and a roomy ix20 MPV.

The interior doesn’t quite offer the same level of design excellence as the sharply-styled exterior, but it’s by no means unattractive. There’s a conventional speedometer with large clear instruments and buttons on the steering wheel for audio and cruise control. The touchscreen sits in the central console and is easy to use.

The best thing about the interior is the amount of available space. The i20 is easily one of the roomiest cars in its class. That means plenty of head and legroom up front, but unusually for a supermini, there’s a fair amount of room in the back for up to three adults. The headroom is reduced on cars with the panoramic sunroof, but it’s still as good as the best rivals.

The boot is also very large at 326 litres, which is enough space for several suitcases. Some models have a variable-height boot floor to boost versatility. This allows you to remove the floor panel of the boot to extend its height.

The Hyundai i20 is easy to drive with well laid out controls and promises a comfortable ride. Offering good visibility from the driving seat, it feels stable through corners and won’t sway from side to side.

The engine line-up features the 1.2 and 1.4 litre petrol models. They’re all smooth and good for driving around town, but if you venture further afield, you may appreciate the extra oomph of the newer 1.0-litre three cylinder engine. It's the only model to come with a six-speed gearbox.

The fuel efficiency of the i20 is competitive. You can expect at least 40 mpg from all models, except perhaps the 1.4-litre with the automatic gearbox. The 1.0 T-GDi petrol performs the best out of the current line-up with 56 mpg, while the 1.1 CRDi Blue diesel can officially stretch to 88 mpg.

The diesel engines are more frugal than the petrols, but you’d have to cover a lot of miles (12,000 per year) to make it worthwhile.
Insurance groups for the i20 are low, which means attractive premiums. Servicing is also cost-effective, even if you go to a Hyundai franchised garage.

Hyundai has a really good reputation for reliability, which should give you confidence when buying an i20. They offer an impressive five-year warranty as long as the service record is up-to-date, so you’re likely to be covered if you buy one which is less than five years old.

Safety levels are also good. When the i20 came out in 2015, it had a four-star Euro NCAP rating with decent scores for occupant safety. It lacked autonomous emergency braking but this was resolved in the 2018 update. Higher-spec newer cars may also be equipped with lane-keeping assistance.