Category Archives: City cars

City cars, electric, Hyundai, Motoring

A quirky, affordable and practical EV city car

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Hyundai Inster 02 Tech Pack

By Bill McCarthy

The Inster is eye-catching electric city car. Combining quirky charm with practical features, it offers a surprisingly spacious interior, advanced tech, and an attractive and competitive starting price of £23,550.

Sometimes, when describing a product – be it a car, a kitchen gadget, or a piece of furniture – as ‘quirky’ can be code for cheap and nasty.  However, quirky can also mean charming, desirable, and fun. The Hyundai Inster, an eye-catching electric city car, fits firmly into the latter category. It is a distinctive but practical EV with a price tag starting from under £24,000.

Rugged and Modern Styling

While its charming looks invite comparisons to the Fiat Panda or Honda e, the Inster has its own unique DNA. It features a boxy shape, wheels pushed to each corner, and a Tardis-like interior. The styling is dramatic and rugged, with plastic-clad wheel arches, a long wheelbase, and eye-catching pixel-pattern LED lights.

A Versatile and Hi-Tech Interior

Stepping inside is a surprise. The cabin feels light and spacious, enhanced by a walkthrough between the fully foldable front seats. A dual 10.25-inch touchscreen dominates the dashboard, controlling major functions in a straightforward manner. The column-mounted drive selector frees up space, and the logical layout includes easy-to-use buttons and a wireless charging pad.

Features include a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluelink Connected Services, a wireless charging pad, 64-colour ambient lighting, and heated front seats and steering wheel on higher models.Heated Front Seats and Steering Wheel (on higher models)

Nippy, efficient and comfortable

Both the standard (42kWh) and long-range (49kWh) models are front-wheel drive. While not rapid by EV standards, instant torque makes the Inster feel quick off the mark.

  • Performance: 0-62 mph in 11.7 seconds (Standard) or 10.6 seconds (Long-Range).
  • Driving Modes: Four modes (Eco, Normal, Sport, Snow) adjust throttle and dynamics for different conditions. In snow mode it tranfers the drive to the other wheel if slippage detected.
  • Refinement: The cabin is well-insulated from wind and road noise, making it a comfortable cruiser.
  • Driving Aids: Features like Smart Cruise Control with emergency stop, i-Pedal single-pedal driving, but the suspension felt a touch on the harsh side.

Fast charging

Like most modern EVs, the Inster supports rapid charging, making it ideal for urban life and longer trips.

  • Fast Charging: Charges from 10% to 80% in approximately 30 minutes using a DC charger.
  • 11 kW Onboard Charger: For convenient home or public AC charging.
  • Battery Heating System: Ensures better charging and performance in cold weather.

Surprising practicality

Initial boot space looks modest at 238 litres, but the flexible layout increases this significantly.

  • Sliding Rear Bench: Increases boot capacity to 351 litres.
  • Fold-Flat Passenger Seat: Creates a long, flat load space for larger items.

Comprehensive safety

The Inster comes with a comprehensive suite of standard safety technology for complete peace of mind.

Standard Safety Features Include:

  • Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist
  • Lane Keeping Assist
  • Intelligent Speed Limit Assist
  • Rear View Camera

Optional Tech Pack at £500

  • Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality with an internal three-pin plug.
  • Digital Key

Models and pricing

  • Inster 01 (42kWh): From £23,495. Includes the 10.25-inch touchscreen, navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Smart Cruise Control.
  • Inster 02 (49kWh): From £26,745. Adds the larger battery, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlamps, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a wireless charging pad.

The Hyundai Inster successfully blends quirky, charming design with serious practicality, advanced technology, and decent electric performance. At under £25 for the base model, it’s a standout choice in the EV city car segment.

Factfile

  • Hyundai INSTER 02 + Tech Pack
  • Price: £26,755
  • Mechanical: 115 PS electric motor and 49kWh battery driving front wheels via an automatic transmission
  • Max Speed: 93 mph
  • 0-62 mph: 10.6 seconds
  • Range: 230 miles WLTP
  • Insurance Group: TBC
  • CO2 emissions: 0g/km
  • BiK rating: 3%
  • Warranty: Five years/unlimited miles
City cars, Electric/hybrid, Mazda, Motoring

2025 Mazda2 a stylish supermini with hybrid power

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Mazda2 Homura hybrid

By Bill McCarthy

I have mentioned having a soft spot for the Mazda2 before, following a Spanish adventure with the little car. It performed so well it saved me the embarrassment of having to be rescued after getting lost in the hills near Barcelona. Back in the early 2000s, a fellow journalist and I got hilariously lost, ending up on a dirt track.

The locals repairing the road made it plain they were amused by our predicament. After some comical detours, the Mazda2 handled the rough terrain like a champ and we finally got back on track with the help of a local police officer. Who knew it was a mountain goat in disguise?

A gap in the market

It was, and still is, a good-looking, well-built small car with tax-efficient engines – in this case, the latest hybrid combination. It’s not necessarily the cheapest, but it comes with an impressive array of standard equipment and Mazda’s rock-solid reputation for reliability. With the departure of Ford’s evergreen Fiesta, there’s all to play for in the B segment.

To emphasise the point, Jeremy Thomson, Managing Director of Mazda UK, said: “With the latest Mazda2 Hybrid we are ensuring customers in the supermini segment still have the choice of a Mazda in a sector that has seen several key models disappear in recent months.”

It’s not the cheapest supermini; the entry-level model starts at £24,580, with the range-topper at just short of £30k. However, Mazda does attract buyer loyalty and offers bulletproof reliability for peace of mind.

There are four models: the entry-level Centre-Line, Exclusive-Line, Homura, and the range-topping Homura Plus driven here. It is one of the better-looking superminis, and recent upgrades to its sculpted styling include changes to the grille, bumper, and rear tailgate. A sporty touch on this model are the black 17-inch alloy wheels and panoramic roof.

Hybrid economy

Economy is excellent, with official figures showing up to 72mpg, which I didn’t manage, achieving a still-respectable 65mpg with a fair chunk of motorway driving. The combined power output delivers 116ps through the three-cylinder engine and electric motor via a CVT automatic transmission, reaching 0-62 mph in 9.7 seconds.

Despite being a full hybrid, it can run for a decent amount of time in electric mode. Its silent, emission-free running means it can escape some congestion charges. During deceleration and under braking, kinetic energy is recovered as electrical energy for storage in the high-performance battery. The battery power level is constantly managed via an engine-driven generator, removing any need to recharge the system from an external source.

Well-equipped interior

The interior looks pretty upmarket for a small car. It features black cloth seats with red accents combined with a black gloss dash panel and contrasting red air vent surrounds. There are also black half-leather seats with red accents, a soft-touch black dash panel with red stitching, and a heated leather steering wheel with red stitching.

Central to the experience is the upgraded 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a seven-inch display for real-time information. This latest colour touch-screen display features the Mazda Connect system, which supports uprated Android Auto and now wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity, as well as navigation and infotainment.

Space and comfort

Four occupants can be seated in comfort, with a fifth being a tighter fit in the middle. Headroom and legroom are reasonable and exactly what you would expect in this class. The boot space is respectable, offering 286 litres with the rear seats in place. If you fold the rear seats flat, the space expands to a generous 930 litres, making it ideal for transporting larger loads.

Packed with equipment

Maybe not the cheapest, but the models are packed with equipment. Exclusive-Line models and upwards feature auto-folding mirrors, Blind-Spot Monitoring, and front and rear parking sensors. At the top of the range, the Homura and Homura Plus grades feature a new digital instrument binnacle and black roof lining.

There’s a decent level of equipment throughout the range. This model featured an impressive array of features, including integrated navigation, panoramic glass roof, LED lights, electric windows, power steering, a head-up display, smart keyless entry, privacy glass, reversing sensors, and rain and dusk sensors.

Conclusion

Not a mountain goat, but their managing director is right, it’s a stylish, economical, reliable car that has plenty to play for in the B segment.

Factfile

  • Mazda2 Homura Plus Hybrid
  • Price: £29,720
  • Mechanical: 115PS, 1,490cc, three cyl petrol engine and electric motor driving front wheels via e-CVT transmission
  • Max speed: 109mph
  • 0-62mph: 9.7 seconds
  • Combined mpg: 67.3
  • Insurance group: 15E
  • CO2 emissions: 98g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles