Hyundai i10 (2020 – present) | Expert Rating [hide]
Summary
The Hyundai i10 is a small, city-class hatchback. The current model was launched at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2019 and arrived in the UK in early 2020. It is the third generation of i10.
The new i10 arrives at a time when other manufacturers are withdrawing from the city car market due to the difficulties of hitting EU emissions targets in a low-price vehicle with no electrification. However, Hyundai seems committed to the sector and has produced an all-new model that currently has the highest Expert Rating of any city car we have analysed to date.
The Hyundai i10 had received almost unanimously good reviews from the UK motoring media, right up until Euro NCAP published its safety rating for the i10 in December 2020. It scored three stars, including multiple test results where it earned the lowest rating of ‘poor’. As a result, Which? magazine immediately reduced its rating to ‘Don’t Buy’ status.
The i10 has received particular praise for its interior quality, equipment levels and driving experience. Several reviewers had previously suggested the Volkswagen Up is still better overall, but the main criticism has now become the i10’s sub-par safety rating.
As of January 2022, the Hyundai i10 has an Expert Rating of 72% based on 26 reviews. That puts it six points behind the Volkswagen Up.
Key specifications
Body style: Five-door hatchEngines: petrol
Price: From £10,025 on-road
Launched: Winter 2019/20Last updated: N/A
Replacement due: TBA
Image gallery
Media reviews
Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.
The Car Expert
Model reviewed: 1.2-lite petrol manual Premium“The Hyundai i10 may be a city car but it feels like anything but a budget offering. The downside, unfortunately, is a poor safety rating.”
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Auto Express
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 7 / 10“The Hyundai i10 is a capable, comfortable city car, now with sharper styling, improved tech and useful practicality, although it does come at a cost.”
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Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual N LineScore: 8 / 10“The Hyundai i10 is a superb little city car. It’s crammed with technology and kit you don’t expect to see at this price point, while the addition of a new 1.0-litre turbo engine in this N Line model brings a welcome injection of performance.”
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Auto Trader
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 8.2 / 10“A compact city car with the refinement and technology to mix it out of town, the all-new Hyundai i10 is affordable, reliable and includes all the latest safety gear as standard. It’s a good-looking car, with optional contrast roof colours that help jazz up the exterior.”
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Autocar
Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual N LineScore: 6 / 10“Gets the turbocharged engine the i10 always needed, but styling revisions, performance enhancements and a price it could do without.”
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Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 8 / 10“This third-generation model restores the Hyundai i10 to the top echelons of petrol-engined city car contenders. While others have been arguing about who killed the city car, Hyundai just went away and built an excellent new one.”
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Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual PremiumScore: 8 / 10“Thankfully the revitalised look of the i10 is reflected in how it performs, with handling that regains some of the verve of earlier-generation i10s but without losing the maturity and poise of more recent versions.”
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Business Car
Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual N LineScore: 8 / 10“In terms of fleet application, this car’s appeal is still fairly narrow. But if companies are keen to introduce an element of driver choice at a small car level, we could see why there would be interest in the range-topping i10 N Line.”
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Car
Model reviewed: Range reviewScore: 8 / 10“The i10 is one of an increasing number of Hyundai models that won’t put you straight to sleep. It’s stylish and desirable, a feat that’s difficult to pull off at this end of the market. The updated interior offers class-leading space and some big-car kit that will make downsizers feel more at home, too.”
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Car Keys
Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manualScore: 8 / 10“The new Hyundai i10 is exactly what you should expect from a city car, but also so much more in the process. It remains easy to pilot around town but also gains added safety kit and technology – though you might have to splash out on the top models to gain access to the latter.”
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Carbuyer
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 8 / 10“The Hyundai i10 is a city car with as much space and equipment as many superminis, making it good value.”
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Company Car Today
Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual N Line“A well-worked makeover adds a new dimension to the sensible Hyundai i10, though there is a question as to how many people would be looking for a £16,000 Hyundai city car.”
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Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol manual Premium“Genuinely nice to drive and with decent space plus an enormous amount of standard equipment, but top-spec car looks a touch pricey.”
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Daily Mirror
Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol manual PremiumScore: 6 / 10“The new Hyundai i10 is a simple and straightforward city car, not bristling with unwanted tech.”
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Fleetworld
Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual N LineScore: 8 / 10“Could do with more power to make it really top-notch, but there’s plenty still to enjoy about Hyundai’s smallest N Line.”
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Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 8 / 10“There’s a lot to be said for the Hyundai i10, which manages to offer big-car equipment and efficient engines in an appealing package.”
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Heycar
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 9 / 10“The Hyundai i10 is pretty much the perfect city car. It offers more space than most, is incredibly comfortable yet remains good value for money. We’d put it on par with the excellent Volkswagen Up.”
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Honest John
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 8 / 10“The third-generation i10 is easily Hyundai’s best small car to date, even if it doesn’t quite do enough to top the city car segment.”
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Parkers
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 8.4 / 10“Hyundai’s smallest car is pretty as well as pretty practical”
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The Sun
Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol manual Premium“The all-new Hyundai i10 is a tidy little motor that would suit a 17-year-old as much as a 77-year-old and vice versa”
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The Telegraph
Model reviewed: 1.0-litre petrol manual N-LineScore: 10 / 10“Somehow this car gets the balance right; it’s more than the sum of its parts, fun and appropriately equipped. Even its drawbacks are things to be tolerated – and who wants to drive for two hours without a break to stretch out.”
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Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol manual PremierScore: 10 / 10“There’s little it doesn’t do well. So if you can live with its comparative lack of flair, this is now the best city car there is.”
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Top Gear
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 7 / 10“City cars aren’t quite dead yet – new Hyundai i10 is grown-up, comfy and loaded with kit”
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Model reviewed: 1.2-litre petrol manual SE ConnectScore: 7 / 10“As rivals around it go fully electric – or disappear from price lists altogether – cheap little petrol-powered cars begin to seem less and less like they’re classed ‘essential transport’. We’re pleased Hyundai sees differently, because this is A Good Car.”
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What Car?
Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 10 / 10“If you looking for cultured motoring on a sensible budget, then you must check out the Hyundai i10. It’s relatively spacious, comes with a smart-looking interior, great infotainment system, and it rides and drives more impressively than some bigger, pricier cars.”
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Which?
Model reviewed: Range overview“The all-new Hyundai i10 was a cracking new addition to the city-car class – before it got safety tested by Euro NCAP. It’s easy to drive, reasonably practical and has a high-quality feel and driving experience that belies its entry-level position in the range. But numerous safety issues revealed by Euro NCAP quickly erode the would-be appeal of this car – which is why it’s a Don’t Buy.”
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Safety rating
Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP
Overall rating: 3 stars
Date tested: December 2020
69%
ADULT OCCUPANT
75%
CHILD OCCUPANT
52%
VULNERABLE ROAD USERS
59%
SAFETY ASSIST
Read full Euro NCAP review
Eco rating
Independent emissions and efficiency ratings from Green NCAP
No eco rating
As of January 2022, the Hyundai i10 has not been lab tested by Green NCAP.
Security rating
Independent vehicle theft and security ratings from Thatcham Research
Rating: Superior | Good | Basic | Poor | Unacceptable
Relay Attack: Pass
Date: March 2020
Model tested: Premium MPI
Awards
Trophies, prizes and awards that the Hyundai i10 has received
2022
- What Car? Awards – Best Small Car for the City
2021
- What Car? Awards – Best Small Car for the City
- carwow Awards – Best Small Car
2020
- Carbuyer Awards – Best City Car
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Citroën C1 | Fiat 500 | Fiat Panda | Kia Picanto | Peugeot 108 | Suzuki Ignis | Toyota Aygo | Volkswagen Up!
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Keyword: Hyundai i10