Hyundai’s Inster and its rivals: What’s available?

Electric vehicles have traditionally carried very hefty price tags alongside them. However, 2024 seems to be the year that the affordable electric car has come about with a variety of different models jumping onto the market.

The Inster is Hyundai’s take on the urban EV, and with that, it also comes with a miniature SUV-like appearance thanks to its plastic wheel arch cladding and roof rails. Plus, with its cavernous interior space, flat-folding seats and good boot space, the Inster’s interior proportions give it a tardis-like feel.

But, what if you don’t like its exterior design with its pixelated LED lights? Or do you want something a little more tame? Well, we’ve compiled a list of the Inster’s main rivals to see what they’ve got to give compared to this very cool and quirky little Hyundai.

The cheapest new EV on sale today is Dacia’s Spring which at £14,995 is almost £9,000 cheaper than the entry-level Inster.

The Spring may be cheap, but it certainly feels like it too. That’s no bad thing, however, because to drive, this Dacia doesn’t pretend to be anything other than an honest, simple little car. Also, with a 26.8 kWh battery pack and electric motor, the Spring can do a claimed 135 miles between charges – not as impressive as the Inster’s 229 miles, but that’s a much more expensive car.

The Spring comes with five doors as standard, an acceptable amount of standard equipment and running costs should be very cheap, too.

The new Citroen e-C3 has turned into a mini SUV. But, that means it looks, feels and costs around the same as the Inster with a starting price of £21,990 and a claimed electric range of 199 miles.

Furthermore, the design is very similar to the Hyundai in the fact that it looks funky and fresh and utilises Citroen’s latest design language with the new Chevron badge, roof bars and ‘boomerang’ front headlights. You can also buy a conventional version of the e-C3 that comes with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and is offered with manual and automatic gearboxes – whereas the Inster is purely sold in the UK as an EV.

One of the Inster’s biggest challenges is competing with something as retro and different as Renault’s 5. A famous nameplate that has made a comeback after 30 years in retirement, this new EV looks superb from every angle. Inside, it adopts the French firm’s latest 10-inch infotainment screen with Google built-in. It’s also being offered with a choice of two battery packs. A 40kWh with an electric motor that Renault claims can do 186 miles and a larger 52kWh that does a claimed 252 miles.

Additionally, the R5 starts at £23,000 for the entry-level Techno model and rises to £29,000 for the top-spec – making the Inster better value for money in this instance.

If you’d like something that rivals the Hyundai but is a little bigger, then BYD might have the answer with its Dolphin.

The Chinese firm’s smallest car currently is available with a choice of two battery packs. Either a 44.9kWh or 60.4kWh which has a claimed range of 211 miles for the former and 265 miles for the latter. The Dolphin may come from a company that is still relatively new here in the UK, but the firm is rapidly picking up pace with its sales and the brand is becoming more recognisable.

It may not be the most revolutionary of some of the cars on this list, but the Dolphin packs a sensible image with a practical interior and comfortable driving experience.

One car that hasn’t been launched yet, but will be on the road at the same time as the Inster is Fiat’s new Grande Panda, which, like the Citroen e-C3 can be specified with the choice of battery or combustion power.

The exterior design is fun and fresh and looks like a mini SUV, and there will be a 44kWh battery pack on the EV version – giving a claimed range of up to 195 miles. Additionally, one thing that this Fiat has over the Hyundai is its built-in charging cable which makes those home charging chores a lot easier.

The Grande Panda will go on sale next year, but although prices have not been revealed yet, it’s said that the EV version will cost less than £22,000.