Hyundai i20 review: a well-equipped small car with a roomy interior
It's not flawless, but the latest Hyundai i20 is the firm’s most competitive entrant into the supermini market yet
Quick Review
The Hyundai i20 delivers an entertaining chassis, sweet-spinning three-cylinder engine, impressive practicality, and a high level of standard equipment. Add a strong warranty and affordable finance rates, and it looks like a compelling package.
It’s not perfect, though. The interior is let down by mixed material quality, it has a firm low-speed ride on its larger wheels, and the limited engine range might not suit all. For those reasons, we still think the Renault Clio is a better all-rounder, but the i20 is closer to the top of the class than ever before.
About the Hyundai i20
The steady march of progress continues at Hyundai, and the latest i20 is one of the best demonstrations so far of this gradual improvement – it’s the most complete i20 yet, and the closest Hyundai has got to building a supermini capable of taking on the class-leading Renault Clio, Skoda Fabia and Volkswagen Polo.
While based on the same platform as its predecessor, Hyundai has developed the car in every area. You won’t fail to notice the sharper new styling, particularly the slash-cut flanks which ape the SEAT Ibiza. All versions now come with modern LED headlights that help freshen the look; there’s a new grille, and the Hyundai badge has moved to a more prominent position near the bonnet's leading edge.
Used - available now
There have been similar advancements inside, with a more modern design and the notable application of a dual-screen set-up not dissimilar to that used in the Mercedes A-Class. Offering a fully digital instrument cluster is impressive in this class, adding a high-tech feel. Unfortunately, that doesn’t quite stretch to the interior materials, which lag behind some rivals.
Trim levels consist of Advance, Premium, and the top-of-the-range Ultimate. The pre-facelift i20 introduced us to the highly regarded 201bhp i20 N hot hatch, but there’s no word yet if this model will also receive the new look. For now, we’re currently without a hot version of the latest i20.
With plenty of interior space, one of the larger boots in the class, and manageable exterior dimensions that make it easier to park, the i20 retains the practicality of its predecessors. With some good finance offers also available, the i20 should be on your shortlist if you want a new supermini.
Engines, performance & drive
Previous generations of Hyundai i20 have driven neatly enough but rarely got within striking distance of the more entertaining cars in their class. It’s all changed this time, though, because the latest i20 is now a genuinely satisfying little car to drive.
It’s clear that Hyundai made sure the basic i20 package was up to the task – but it hasn’t sacrificed the needs of everyday buyers in the pursuit of a more entertaining drive. The ride is a little firmer than previous i20 drivers might be used to, which has helped reduce body lean in corners and sharpen up the Hyundai’s handling, but it still smothers bumps admirably well, at least on the smallest 16-inch wheels of Advance models.
Lack of engine choice may pose an issue for some. The sole 99bhp engine in the i20 does a decent job of keeping up with traffic, but it doesn’t have the flexibility of the equivalent turbocharged 1.2-litre engine as used in the Vauxhall Corsa. The Corsa has a bit more pulling power that gives you the confidence to overtake slower-moving traffic, and when getting up to motorway speeds, while wind and tyre noise in the i20 become a little higher than the Corsa at this increased pace.
The manual gearbox is our preferred choice for cost reasons, although it isn’t the best manual we’ve ever tried. It’s a drivability issue between first and second gear where we couldn’t perform a smooth gear change, no matter how hard we tried. Rivals like the Renault Clio, Skoda Fabia, and Volkswagen Polo have a much more satisfying gear change.
The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic had the edge over jerky rivals like the Citroen C3, but even that can be caught out when asking it to kick down for quick acceleration.
Engines, 0-60 acceleration and top speed
The front-wheel drive i20 range offers a choice of a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT). The sole three-cylinder petrol unit comes in 99bhp form, and there’s a useful 172Nm of torque available from only 1,500rpm.
The manual car delivers the quickest 0-62mph time, taking 10.4 seconds, while the automatic version is a little slower at 11.4 seconds. The manual has a top speed of 117mph, while the auto has a maximum of 115mph.
That’s a little slower than our preferred 99bhp 1.2-litre Corsa and 94bhp 1.0-litre Polo, both of which can crack the same sprint in under 10 seconds.
MPG, CO2 and running costs
The 1.0-litre petrol engine in the Hyundai i20 is respectably frugal, with both manual and automatic versions managing the same combined figure of 51.3mpg. That, unfortunately, is less than before – probably not helped by the loss of mild-hybrid technology.
That’s a shame because the Peuegot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa have just added this technology; plus there are a few full-hybrid alternatives that are even more efficient, such as the Toyota Yaris, which gets up to 68.9mpg.
The emissions for the i20 are also slightly higher than before, with the best being the manual at 124g/km, while the automatic puts out 126g/km.
The numbers affect Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) rates for company users, with manual i20s in the 29 per cent band and auto ones falling into the 30 per cent segment. That’s a fair amount higher than the 25 per cent band the Yaris is in, plus there are a host of all-electric alternatives in the form of the MG4, BYD Dolphin, Peugeot E-208, and Vauxhall Corsa Electric that all have significantly lower running costs for company car drivers.
Insurance groups
The i20 should be a fairly cheap car to insure by class standards, with the entry-level Advance model being in group 13, while the top-of-the-range Ultimate goes up to group 14. These are all similar groups to the Toyota Yaris.
However, the Volkswagen Polo starts in insurance group three for the entry 1.0-litre petrol engine, while our preferred 94bhp 1.0-litre TSI model only goes up to group nine.
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Depreciation
The i20 will hold its value better than rivals like the Corsa. According to our experts, after three years and 36,000 miles, the i20 should retain between 50-52 per cent of its original value when new, with the entry-level Advance performing the best.
If you’re after rock-solid residuals, you might want to consider the Audi A1, because in 30 TFSI Sport form, it is expected to hold on to 61 per cent of its value over the same period.
To get an accurate valuation on a specific model check out our free car valuation tool…
Interior, design & technology
If the Hyundai i20 exterior styling is considered wild, then the cabin design is quite conservative in comparison. There’s some visual interest with the unusual four-spoke steering wheel design, vents that seem to flow into the rest of the dashboard, and a 10.25-inch digital instrument display standard to all i20s. However, there’s a depressing lack of colour used – even with the Lucid Lime interior stitching option. It’s nowhere near a Citroen C3 in terms of imagination.
It’s not up to the quality of a Renault Clio, either. There’s a bit of a mishmash of textures and only a thin layer of soft-touch materials on the top of the dashboard and door armrests. To be fair to Hyundai, everything seems well screwed together, with no evidence of squeaks or rattles. Equipment levels are good, and the 64-colour ambient interior lighting that comes with mid-range Premium and above, helps compensate for the lack of visual stimulation with a sprinkling of colour – at least at night.
The entry-level Advance gets cruise control, LED front and rear lights, manual air-conditioning, a rear-view camera, and parking sensors. A 10.25-inch digital cluster is a neat standard feature, too. Like on premium rivals such as the Volkswagen Polo and Audi A1, you get a configurable display to keep track of major functions.
Premium trim adds 17-inch alloys, automatic wipers, a wireless smartphone charging pad, and niceties such as heated seats and a heated steering wheel. The Ultimate brings keyless entry and start, blind spot warning and Bose premium audio.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
Like many rivals, the i20 has an infotainment screen placed high on the dashboard, level with the driver’s instrument cluster. On Advance models, you get an eight-inch screen with useful physical controls on either side of the display, which serve as quick links to the system’s major functions.
Premium and Ultimate trim lines get a larger 10.25-inch display with a row of touch-sensitive quick link ‘buttons’ below the screen. We don’t find this set-up to be as intuitive as the physical buttons surrounding the smaller screen, though we are thankful that the volume knob remains as a physical control. Hyundai’s systems are always logical to use, and the larger screen features built-in navigation, though smartphone users can still connect their device to the screen and use a navigation app instead.
Practicality, comfort & boot space
Hyundai’s supermini has had a growth spurt over the last couple of generations, and the latest model is no exception. Growing in every dimension apart from height, with its slightly lower profile combined with greater width to lend the car its sporty proportions. There’s been a small increase in wheelbase to improve cabin room, and little tweaks to the cabin design make this the most accommodating i20 yet.
The usual suite of cubbyholes makes it easy enough to stash stuff around the i20’s cabin, and we approve of the decent-sized glove box, which is far more useful than what you’ll find in a Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa. The cubby ahead of the gearlever is more than suitable for a mobile phone or two, though, and in Premium models and above, it comes with a charging pad.
Dimensions and size
The i20 is right in the supermini ballpark, with a length of just over four metres, at 4040mm. It’s also 1775mm wide (excluding mirrors), and 1450mm high, with a 2580mm wheelbase, 10mm greater than its predecessor. For comparison, those figures are within a few centimetres of a Volkswagen Polo in terms of length, marginally wider and around the same height.
Legroom, headroom & passenger space
Being among the largest superminis in the class, the i20 can comfortably accommodate four adults – you might even squeeze four six-footers in there, so carrying a couple of children around is no issue.
As per most of its class rivals, there are a pair of ISOFIX child seat mounting points provided on the outer positions.
Boot space
At 352 litres, the i20’s boot is among the largest in its class, and it has the measure of the Peugeot 208’s 311-litre hold. Only the Volkswagen Polo can claim similar space, with an insignificant one-litre difference at 351 litres. Even then, the Hyundai’s 1165-litre seats-down volume is 40 litres greater than that of the Volkswagen.
The rear seats fold in the traditional 60/40 split, as you’ll find with most cars in this class.
Reliability and safety
Take one look at Hyundai’s five-year warranty, and it should give you a pretty good idea of how the brand sees its reliability, which in turn is reassuring for the customer. The i20 didn’t feature in our 2023 Driver Power survey, but Hyundai, as a brand, ranked a decent 17th out of 32 brands, far above many well-established brands such as Volkswagen, Vauxhall, and Skoda.
The i20 scored a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating when tested in 2021. That’s disappointing considering the Volkswagen Polo got the full five-star rating when tested under the same criteria. It received superior marks in adult occupant protection and safety assistance categories.
The i20 range packs plenty of useful safety tech, from autonomous emergency braking, forward collision assist, lane keep assist and blind spot collision warning to the usual stability control, six airbags, and an eCall system that alerts rescue services in the event of an accident.
Warranty
Hyundai offers a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty that should cover the length of most lease deals and offer plenty of peace of mind for customers buying and intending to keep their i20 for longer. Only a few companies, such as MG and Kia offer a longer seven-year guarantee for greater peace of mind, while Toyota will cover your car for up to ten years, as long as you have it serviced annually at an approved centre.
Servicing
Much like the warranty situation, Hyundai’s servicing packages are pretty good too. The fixed-price options cost around £500 for three years and £1,000 for five years, which can be paid monthly and include all routine maintenance over those periods.
Hyundai i20 Alternatives
The facelift has left the range with just a single engine choice: a 99bhp turbocharged, 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol, while mild-hybrid technology is also missing, which seems an odd choice to us given such technology is in use with the i20’s Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa rivals. There are a growing number of full-hybrid alternatives, too, such as the Honda Jazz, Clio E-Tech, and Toyota Yaris that boast impressive fuel efficiency. Thankfully, there remains a choice of a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic version in the i20 lineup.
Used and nearly new
The Hyundai i20 dates back to 2009 when the first-gen version arrived to replace the Getz supermini. As it’s evolved, the i20 has moved further away from the bargain-oriented roots of the original, though all of the car’s generations provide good value and offer decent equipment levels and practicality given their respective ages. Reliability is a plus point across all Hyundai i20 generations, too, and owners of younger examples should still have some of Hyundai’s five-year manufacturer warranty to fall back if needed.
Hyundai i20 history
Hyundai i20 Mk3: 2020-present
The Mk3 Hyundai i20 arrived in 2020, and it marked a big shift in the character of the car – no longer was it a dirt-cheap bargain, because prices were now on par with many of its main rivals. There were plenty more changes, too: the Mk3 was much more fun to drive and striking to look at than previous versions. Not every trait of the older i20 generations was thrown out on the third-gen car, though – equipment levels and practicality across the board were good, and pre-facelift cars came with a selection of peppy petrol engines – with the hot i20 N being a particular highlight.
Hyundai i20 Mk2: 2015-2020
While not as big a leap forward as its predecessor, the Hyundai i20 Mk2 was nevertheless handily better in several areas than the Mk1 model. Practicality improved a bit, and the car was much more stylish – especially if you ignored the five-door version and went for the sportier three-door i20 Coupe instead. Like the old car, the i20 Mk2 was also well equipped and represented good value compared to some of its rivals. Read our full Mk2 Hyundai i20 buyer’s guide here…
Hyundai i20 Mk1: 2008-2014
The Mk1 Hyundai i20 arrived in 2008, and was a big improvement over the Hyundai Getz supermini that preceded it. Practicality was good for such a small car, and the combination of competitive pricing and impressive equipment levels made the i20 Mk1 a tempting value-oriented alternative to other superminis like the Vauxhall Corsa, Toyota Yaris and Ford Fiesta. A choice of petrol and diesel engines were available, and the Hyundai i20 Mk1 only came in a versatile five-door hatchback form.
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