The Hyundai Insteroid is the pumped up baby drift machine you never knew you wanted
April 01, 2025 by Tom Wiltshire
Car changing is a big deal
Based on the dinky Inster EV, the Hyundai Insteroid is a one-off concept with one of the best rear wings we’ve ever seen
Hyundai’s range of electric cars includes some of the best on sale – particularly the hot hatchback-aping Ioniq 5 N, which redefined what an EV performance car could be. However, the Korean brand has just revealed its most radical one yet. Called the Insteroid, it’s based on the Hyundai Inster city car – but one that’s been mainlining creatine and pumping weights in secret.
Sadly just a one-off concept car for now, the Insteroid has been described by the head of Hyundai’s design centre as ‘a celebration of pure fun’. It’s already had its debut in South Korea, and will be on display at the Seoul mobility show from April 3 – April 11.
No prizes for guessing where the Insteroid’s name comes from – it fuses the Inster on which this concept is based with ‘steroid’ reflecting its muscular makeover. There’s little of the original Inster left – the body has been dramatically widened , featuring huge boxed wheel arches carrying 21-inch wheels with unique alloy designs front and rear.
There’s a new splitter at the front and a barmy diffuser at the rear, plus one of the best rear spoilers we’ve ever seen on a car. The Inster’s own mixture of pixelated and round LEDs looks positively tame on this bodywork.
Inside, it’s even crazier. Gone is the regular Inster’s sensible dash and clever folding seats. Instead, there’s a stripped-back dashboard panel containing a selection of desperately cool-looking digital instrumentation. Bucket seats and a racing wheel also feature, while where the rear seats once were, you’ll find a vast subwoofer.
Hyundai hasn’t suggested what might power the Inster, but it’d be fair to assume that it’d be slightly beefier than the normal car’s 115hp electric motor. A bespoke Drift mode should allow the driver to be as juvenile as they like with whatever power source is installed.
While the Insteroid is undeniably a remarkable thing, don’t expect it to foreshadow any sort of future production model. Hyundai’s N division’s next project will be the Ioniq 6 N, expected to use the same 641hp setup as the brilliant Ioniq 5 N. The Inster range may see a sporty-looking N-Line trim added, but the Insteroid will remain as a styling exercise.
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