- Hyundai’s new INSTER EV has launched in Australia with a starting price of $39,000
- Despite the price, it packs features like dual 10.25-inch displays, wireless charging, and advanced driver assists.
- Range tops out at 360 kilometres, and the sliding rear seats boost practicality beyond what the compact size suggests.
Where most entry-level EVs feel like compromises wrapped in recycled plastic, the Hyundai Inster arrives in a way that feels suspiciously inexpensive.
This compact SUV, which was recently honoured as the 2025 World Electric Vehicle at the World Car Awards, is not only Hyundai’s smallest car (slightly more streamlined than a Suzuki Swift) but also its most affordable EV to date. It’s one of the most affordable EVs on the market, period, aside from its bigger/longer-range Chinese rivals.
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With the base model coming in at a smidge under $40,000, it delivers more tech, more safety, and more usable range than you’d rightly expect from something that looks like it might come free with a Happy Meal: we’re talking dual 10.25-inch screens, single-zone automatic climate control, automatic LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, wireless phone charging, keyless entry and start, vehicle-to-load functionality, as well as paddle shifters to adjust regenerative braking strength are all standard.
All Insters also feature an entire suite of safety assurances, such as autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist, and intersection assistance; navigation-based adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance with adaptive lane guidance, auto high beam; rear occupant alert, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, plus driver attention alert.
Heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, blind-spot cameras, front parking sensors, 17-inch alloys, as well as ambient cabin lighting are introduced beyond the standard model; while off-road-styled bumpers, a different wheel design, and body trim are exclusive to the top-spec Cross variant.
It’s not as poky as it might look inside, either – rear seats that slide allow the boot to expand from a grocery-run 280 litres to a genuinely usable 351 litres. There’s even enough room to pretend you’re spontaneous if you toss a weekender bag in the back.
Powertrain options are straightforward. The Standard Range (from $39,000) variant gets a 71kW/147Nm motor capable of 0-100 in 11.7 seconds; and a 42kWh battery rated for 327 kilometres on the WLTP cycle – not groundbreaking, but plenty for suburban skirmishes.
Upgrade to the Extended Range (from $42,500) and things get a touch more serious with 84.5kW/147Nm of grunt and a 49kWh battery stretching the claimed range to 360 kilometres. Acceleration improves from leisurely to almost brisk, trimming the 0-100 sprint to 10.6 seconds. Still not awfully fast, sure, but quick enough to outpace your average scooter-riding desk jockeys.
And then there’s the Cross (from $45,000), Hyundai’s attempt to sprinkle a bit of rugged spice into the metaphorical trail mix. It shares the Extended Range drivetrain but exchanges an optional roof basket or sunroof (among other things) for a shaved-down range of 293 kilometres.
Charging is surprisingly painless for a car this size and price. According to Hyundai, the Inster supports 85kW fast charging that ensures 10 to 80% in about 30 minutes. AC charging, on the other hand, is up to 10.5kW, which should keep things civilised for overnight top-ups at home.
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The Inster doesn’t try to revolutionise the category, nor does it swagger about pretending to be something it’s not. What it does do, and quite charmingly, is offer a well-considered package for city dwellers who want electric without the evangelism. It’s proof that small, done right, can still make a big impression.
This cutie-patootie will be available in nine colours: Atlas White, Urban Khaki, Natural Ivory, Abyss Black, Buttercream Yellow, Sienna Orange (metallic), along with new metallic matte choices like Dusk Blue, Aero Silver, and Amazonas Green – Sienna Orange costs an additional $595 while any matte requires an extra $1,000.
Keep an eye out for the 2025 Hyundai Inster, which is on sale now and due to arrive in Aussie showrooms within the coming months.
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