Hyundai i20 Review & Prices

The Hyundai i20 is a good-looking small hatchback that's long been comfortably middle-of-the-road. It's not too cheap, but it's not too pricey either. It's not massive, but nor is it tiny and cramped. It's not bad to drive by any means, but it's not likely to pluck at the heartstrings of a proper petrolhead any time soon.

It's truly the Sainsburys of the automotive world - a safe, reliable option, but not one that'll get you giddy with anticipation. However, while your options for supermarkets are many and varied, there's rather less choice when it comes to traditional small cars these days. If you've got your eyes on a Hyundai i20, you'll probably also want to consider cars like the Renault Clio, Skoda Fabia and Peugeot 208.

Make sure not to confuse the Hyundai i20 with its alter-ego - the i20 N hot hatch. We've reviewed that car separately here.

The current i20 was launched in 2020 and updated in 2023 with slight tweaks to the styling and the equipment options. Visual changes were limited, but that's okay - the i20 was and still is a pretty handsome small car. It has a sharp front end and characteristic creases down the sides, while the rear features a faux light bar across the tailgate and angular rear lights.

The interior looks good, too, with the lines of the air vents continued right across the width of the dashboard. The infotainment screen and digital dials sit high up and operate slickly, with a really logical interface and plenty of features.

It's a shame material quality isn't as good as it looks, though, with swathes of hard plastic across every interior surface.

It is redeemed by its space, though. There’s plenty of adjustment in the driver’s seat and steering wheel, so you won’t struggle to get comfy there, while passengers in the back get a good amount of head and legroom for a car of the i20’s size.

Boot space is reasonable too, coming in at 352 litres — that’s a single litre over the Volkswagen Polo, but is a few litres down on the Skoda Fabia.

There’s one engine for the Hyundai i20 from 2023, and that’s a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol. This engine produces 100hp and is linked to a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

It is a good engine — punchy enough for motorway use and handy around town.

The Hyundai i20 does tick all the basics for pottering around, which is probably why you’d look at this kind of car. The steering is light, the turning circle is impressive and it’s super easy to park. A light clutch makes stop-start traffic effortless plus a seamless mild-hybrid system helps cut emissions and boost economy without you ever really noticing it — though firm-set suspension means you’re going to feel bumps a bit more than you might like.

It’s fine on a motorway as well. It’s nothing special and the Volkswagen Polo is comfier for longer journeys, but the Hyundai i20 offers enough power for overtaking easily. It gets noisy though, with wind, tyre and road noise all filtering into the cabin rather noticeably.

Where the Hyundai i20 might surprise you most is on twisty roads. The firm suspension results in little lean and a lot of grip – though the steering doesn’t feel the most engaging. It’s fun, but not quite so much as the Renault Clio.

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The i20 has a slightly higher starting price than alternatives like the Vauxhall Corsa or Skoda Fabia, so it looks quite expensive on paper. However, if you dig a little deeper it's easy to see why - not only does the i20 come extremely well-equipped as standard with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, all-round LED lights, cruise control and a digital instrument cluster, but the standard engine has 100hp, where most alternatives have a less powerful option as their entry level.

As a result the i20 actually sits pretty well in the middle of the pack when it comes to pricing.

For those paying with their own cash, the i20 rewards when you come to sell as it holds its value very well, so you get back a bigger slice of your original spend than you do with a Vauxhall Corsa.

Hyundai has covered all the bases with the i20, but it’s not quite as much fun as a Ford Fiesta or as quiet as a VW Polo

In town

There’s a lot to like about the Hyundai i20 when you’re driving around town. For starters, it has a tight turning circle, so you can weave past obstacles quickly or make a U-turn without having to make multiple stabs at it.

Every i20 comes with rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard, which is better than most others of this size and price. Small windows in the rear pillars help when backing into a space, while the front pillars don’t impede vision when pulling out of junctions.

The 100hp 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine has plenty of get up and go, and the standard six-speed manual gearbox has a really good feel to it. Or, you could go for the seven-speed double-clutch automatic, which is smooth and makes slow-moving traffic hassle-free.

In traffic, you’ll notice the mild hybrid system used in all i20s often switches the engine off as you coast to a halt to save fuel. The Hyundai can also pull away using battery power before the petrol motor cuts in imperceptibly.

Where the i20 is not so impressive is the comfort and how it deals with bumps. It just feels as if Hyundai has started with a sporty setting and forgotten to ease it off for anything that’s not a sporty N Line model. The outcome is you feel a few too many lumps and humps, and the i20 doesn’t fully settle into its stride like a Renault Clio.

On the motorway

The firm suspension of the Hyundai i20 in town has an upside when you head on to the motorway as the car feels more than able to hold its own among trucks and vans.

The firmness at lower speeds eases away and the i20 feels controlled and composed. You also have lane keep assist and Forward Collision Avoidance, plus automatic emergency braking to ward off any potentially dangerous situations.

It’s not all comfort and joy, though, as there’s too much wind and road noise inside the i20’s cabin.

The 100hp 1.0-litre engine has just enough puff to cope with motorway driving, but you will need to drop down a gear or two to accelerate at a decent pace to join off the slip road or get up hills easily.

On a twisty road

The Hyundai i20 is so close to being a lot of fun on back roads that it’s a bit annoying it doesn’t quite finish the job.

The problem lies in the steering, which just doesn’t feel very connected to the front wheels. It turns the car in just fine and the i20 holds its line perfectly well with lots of grip, but the driver just isn’t aware of much of what’s going on. Ford gets this spot on in the Fiesta, so it’s frustrating the i20 doesn’t measure up.

When you're pressing on you might also be annoyed by the lack of feedback through the clutch. Fast gearchanges just don't feel as satisfying as they could.

Still, the firm-ish suspension keeps body lean from ever being an issue, though you will hear changes in road surface quality all too often.

One of the best cars of this size for passenger space and carrying ability, it’s just a pity the Hyundai i20 doesn’t have more flexible options in the load bay

Hyundai has made a cracking job of the i20’s driving position. You get a height-adjustable seat in all models, and the steering wheel moves for both height and depth. It makes it super easy to find the right seat set-up no matter what size you are.

There are a couple of minor points to bear in mind, though. For starters, the i20 doesn’t come with any sort of lumbar adjustment, though the front seats do offer good support.

Also, the backrest is adjusted via a number of fixed settings, so it’s not quite as good at offering the perfect angle as, say, a Ford Fiesta with its rotary adjuster.

However, the controls are all ideally in line with the driver when you’re sat in the Hyundai, and there’s good all-round vision as the front pillars are not too thick.

Rear parking sensors and a reversing camera are fitted to all i20 trims, so it’s a doddle to park.

Big door bins take care of water bottles, and there are two cupholders in the console between the front seats. Here, you’ll also find a cubby with a lid that moonlights as an armrest, too.

There’s more storage in front of the gear lever, where Hyundai has fitted a 12-volt charger and USB port to work with your phone. In the Ultimate trim, this pad works as a wireless phone charger.

In the glovebox, there’s a bit of extra space for small items alongside the car’s owner’s manual.

Space in the back seats

The i20 offers more rear seat space than many other small hatchbacks. You get plenty of head, leg, knee and shoulder room.

For anyone sat in the middle of the rear bench, there’s still just about enough space for feet, but you will definitely be rubbing shoulders with the people on either side of you.

A trio of triple-point seat belts are fitted to the i20, and there are ISOFIX mounts in the two outer rear seats. It’s not as quick to access these secure mountings as in some others as you have to poke the kiddy seat’s lugs into the fabric of the seat to find the brackets.

With a child seat fitted, you might need to move the front seats forward a bit.

Door bins offer plenty of storage space, and there’s a map pocket on the passenger side. Hyundai also includes a small angled tray to stash a mobile phone in, with a USB conveniently placed just below for charging.

Boot space

With 352 litres of boot space with the rear seats up, the Hyundai i20 has a single litre more carrying capacity than a Volkswagen Polo. What that means in the real world is the i20 has a decently big boot for this type of car. It's not anywhere close to the Renault Clio's 391 litres, though.

The floor can be adjusted to two different heights, and in its higher setting it just about sits flush with the load sill.

The rear seats split 60-40 and tip forward easily, but there’s none of the cleverness of the Honda Jazz in here. Instead, Hyundai simply offers a maximum boot capacity of 1,165 litres, so it’s good without being the best in the class.

The i20 is well made and well equipped, but not everyone will appreciate Hyundai’s styling or the scratchy plastics

There’s no doubt the Hyundai i20 will last for a long time and put up with all the usual trials of life, but why did they have to use so many hard, cheap-looking plastics in the cabin?

Everywhere you look and feel, Hyundai seems to have used a stock of scratchy plastic that makes the i20’s cabin appear less appealing than a Volkswagen Polo’s or Skoda Fabia’s.

Luckily, the person put in charge of the controls was a much more sensible individual. They came up with clear, easy to read digital dials for the main instruments and they’re standard on all trim levels. There’s also a small information cluster between the main dials that you can scroll through menus with to see various bits of data about your journey or the car’s well-being.

In the middle of the dash, there are quite a few buttons to work the heating and ventilation, but it’s not too bad to use once you’re used to it.

Much better is the infotainment system in the i20. The 8.0-inch touchscreen on most models works easily with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and if you didn’t know any different you’d be very happy with its clear graphics and quick responses.

However, Hyundai has kept an ace up its sleeve with the 10.3-inch touchscreen used in the i20's upper trims. Its big, bright display is ideal to use while driving, and there are shortcut buttons to take you straight to the most used menus.

There’s even a rotary dial close to the driver’s left hand to change the stereo volume in an instant instead of the slightly small steering wheel buttons.

Hyundai i20 fuel economy is good without being stellar. Manual models return an official 53.2mpg combined, while that figure's reversed in the automatic, offering 52.3mpg.

In practice, we found that steady motorway cruising yielded around 50mpg in the manual, which is on par with most of the petrol-powered competition. However, it's much less than you'd get in a Toyota Yaris or Renault Clio Hybrid.

Hybrid alternatives also offer lower CO2 emissions - the i20's are 120g/km and 122g/km for the manual and the automatic versions respectively.

Every i20 falls into the same road tax bracket, which is £210 for the first year, while company car tax is fairly low as well - just not as low as a hybrid or electric vehicle.

When Euro NCAP tested the Hyundai i20 in 2021 it scored four stars. That's the same score as the Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 208, though the VW Polo and Renault Clio both have five-star ratings.

There’s no shortage of safety kit as standard for the Hyundai i20. Every car comes with six airbags, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, and Forward Collision Avoidance.

You also get eCall, Intelligent Speed Limit Warning, and a driver fatigue alert.

Go for the Premium trim and you also benefit from a blind spot warning, Forward Collision Avoidance for junctions, and Lane Follow Assist.

Hyundai is confident in its i20 to supply it with a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty as standard from new. That exceeds most of the other cars in this class unless you pay extra for their extended warranties.

There has been one recall for this generation of Hyundai i20, which was for a possible fault with its eCall emergency response system not sending all of the car’s details. This should have been resolved now and it only concerned a small number of cars.