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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
electric, Executive, Lexus, Motoring

Lexus a statement of electric intent

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Lexus RZ 450e current and upgrade

Lexus has long built a reputation on quality, refinement and bulletproof reliability. So, when it introduced its first ground-up electric vehicle, the RZ SUV, it was a serious statement of intent from this premium arm of the Toyota empire.

 The current model blends a striking design, impressive performance and desirability, but its range is by no means class-leading. 

However, for 2026, this has been addressed with a series of upgrades, not least a larger battery that considerably extends the range – a key area for EV buyers – putting range anxiety firmly in the rearview mirror.

Striking exterior

From its striking looks to its cutting-edge technology, the RZ is a luxury high-performance model with a comprehensive list of equipment.  It is currently available in three versions – Premium Pack, Premium Plus Pack and Takumi.

It has a presence that is hard to ignore. Sitting between the NX and larger RX, it echoes some of their design features, including an elegant, sleek sculpted profile, the familiar but more striking spindle design on the front grille, trapezoidal headlamps, and a heat-shielding panoramic roof. 

In addition, it features a powered boot lid, rear privacy glass, 20-inch alloy wheels, a split roof spoiler and the now signature Lexus LED light bar across the width of the car.

Light, airy, hi-tech cabin

The interior is light and airy with plush upholstery, thick carpets, and a high-end soft-touch finish to the dash and doors. Controls are intuitive and logically placed. 

The central 14-inch touchscreen controls navigation and infotainment via a Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound system. Smartphone connectivity and remote services are accessed via the latest Lexus Link Pro multimedia system with “always connected” services. 

This allows remote locking and unlocking of the car and can activate the air conditioning system to warm or cool the cabin prior to starting a journey. A customisable multi-information display relays real-time info to the driver, complemented by a head-up display.

Legroom is good, although the almost coupé-like shape restricts headroom a little in the rear. The seats are firm and comfortable and the cabin, as is typical for Lexus, feels a comfortable place to be.

Performance and handling

It is the first Lexus to include new e-Axles and Direct4 all-wheel electronic drive torque control to improve handling and responsiveness, while a 74kW lithium-ion battery unit is fully integrated into the chassis beneath the cabin floor to deliver extra stability. These will all see upgrades for the 2026 model.

Power is delivered from the battery to twin motors, one on each axle, for a combined 310bhp, delivered via a seamless single-speed transmission. 

For tricky conditions, the AWD system constantly distributes drive between the front and rear axles using data collected through a series of sensors.

It is very rapid, as are most electric vehicles, hitting the benchmark 60mph in a smidge over five seconds. Handling is responsive and the adaptive suspension provides independent damping control at each wheel, giving a more comfortable ride on uneven surfaces. 

It is a fun drive, particularly on twisting country lanes where the grip is good, and it is equally at home in and around town, potholes included.

Practicality and safety

In practical terms, the battery placement doesn’t compromise the stowage area. With all seats in place, the boot provides 522 litres of space. This increases to an impressive maximum (to the ceiling) of 1,451 litres when the rear seats are folded down.

For safety, there is a full range of airbags, a 360-degree camera, parking sensors, and systems such as a pre-collision system, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert, lane tracing assist and lane change assist.

The 2026 Evolution

While the current car’s tested range of approximately 220 miles is workable, the 2026 update promises to close that gap decisively. It is a brilliant motorway cruiser and with the ever-increasing number of charging stations, range anxiety is becoming less of a problem on longer journeys.

The 2026 Lexus RZ is not a revolution but a thoughtful evolution. The upcoming range-boosting battery will put it on a more level playing field with its competitors.

Factfile

  • Lexus RZ 450e – Premium Plus Pack (current model)
  • Price: £61,095
  • Mechanical: 309bhp/230kW electric motor driving all wheels via E-CVT automatic transmission
  • 0-60 mph: 5.3 secs
  • Top speed: 99mph
  • Range (WLTP): 252 miles
  • 2026 Update: Higher-capacity battery estimated 280 plus range
  • Insurance group: 44E
  • C02 emissions: 0g/km
  • Bik rating: 3%
  • Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles