2018 Hyundai i10 SE 1.25 petrol

Summary:

An excellent city car for those unconcerned with image and it's a hoot to drive

Faults:

The second 12v socket was not working. Fixed by my local Hyundai dealership under the original warranty. Turned out to be a burnt fuse.

General Comments:

The i10 is the smallest car made by Hyundai and I absolutely love driving this. It is so easy to drive and park.

I gel better with this car than the Nissan Almera I owned previously (also reviewed on this website). Simple things like lighter power steering, being able to switch the stereo on without the ignition key and the lever to recline the front seat instead of a rotary knob. Seat comfort is also better.

South Korean in origin, however this i10 was manufactured in Turkey. It feels incredibly well engineered for a small inexpensive car. I'm glad that it has a mechanical handbrake and a space saver spare wheel. This SE spec suits me fine. It is mid range which offers air conditioning, cruise control and four electric windows. The Premium spec i10s look smarter than the SE and have even more equipment.

One thing of note is that this 2018 i10 does not have a CD player, which is something that Hyundai phased out of their cars. However, you do get two 12v sockets and a USB port. There is also Bluetooth and a DAB stereo.

Most of my driving is around town so I get around 44 mpg. On a long run I achieved 50 mpg. I believe that better fuel economy could be achieved with the 1.0 litre engined version, but this 1.25 litre engined version offers a good compromise between performance and economy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th January, 2022

6th Jan 2022, 18:01

Nice honest review. They are good cars. Hyundai, like Kia, have come a long way in recent years. Much better cars than they used to be.

2015 Hyundai i10 SE 1.0

Summary:

Can't beat the warranty and driving pleasure

Faults:

Trip computer and fuel gauge reset along with cruise control.

Near side rear seat rattles due to ill fitting catch

General Comments:

The latest generation of i10 has been praised in the press as being much more grown up than previous models. For a mid spec car it has a generous level of equipment backed up by the five year warranty. My previous i10 had a few niggles which were all taken care of without fuss by the dealer.

Some people think the 1 litre is underpowered for motorway journeys, but having done several 500 mile round trips across the UK, it suits my style of driving well. It'll happily sit at 70 mph with cruise control on, and even with air con deployed, will give over 50 MPG. Around town it's not so fuel efficient, but if you try hard it'll almost reach 50 MPG.

It's a lot quieter than the previous model. The fit and finish is also more 'upmarket'. That's why you get very little in the way of discount with the dealers, as they know that five year warranty marks it hard to haggle.

All in all, a nice runabout for us savvy motorists.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th September, 2015

2012 Hyundai i10 Classic 1.2 16v petrol

Summary:

Good fun little city runaround

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I bought this to save on fuel costs, as my last car, a 2.8T V6 Vauxhall Signum, was killing me on fuel costs! After the culture shock of going down to a city car, I really started to enjoy driving this little i10.

I got a deal on it, which meant I got it for £6995 brand new and managed to get bluetooth fitted to it free of charge as well. Pretty basic little car, but it had A/C, central locking and a stereo you could play your iPod through. After owning it a while, I had cruise control retro fitted as well, which to be honest made it quite a relaxed little cruiser, as the gearing is quite long on these.

Performance was actually OK; the quoted 0 to 62 is 12 secs, but I read one magazine road test that got it to do 10.9 to 60, which with its weight and 85 HP is probably not far off. It has a very punchy, revvy and smooth variable valve timed little engine that they also use in the i20 and new shape i10.

Handling wasn't too bad either for its height and width; positive steering feel, ride not bad for its wheelbase, although obviously it did roll a fair bit and grip became limited in the wet due to tyre width. I put winter tyres on it, and in heavy snowfall it did really well, and never struggled.

Cabin space is good, tons of head room, and even rear knee room is not too bad as rear passengers sit so upright. The boot space is again OK for the size of car, one of the bigger boots in its class. Even used it as an emergency car once rather than our estate to get our Great Dane to the vets as my wife was off in the estate car!! And, yes... she did fit in the boot... just, although down the road is about as far as I would've wanted to take her, and she cracked the plastic boot floor cover!!

Overall a very good value little car, well built, economical, cheap to run. If you need a cheap little car that doesn't go too badly, then get one. The new shape is way more money!!

Unfortunately I'm back to the quick stuff again after I got owning an econo car out of my system... now have a remapped 300HP Mazda3 MPS... just a little bit different!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th June, 2015

2012 Hyundai i10 Active 1.2 petrol

Summary:

Worry free, low cost motoring

Faults:

Very reliable.

General Comments:

Not sure whether to call this car the go kart or Tardis.

A small, nippy, extremely capable car with a list of standard equipment for a very competitive price. Air conditioning, electric power steering, four electric windows, four airbags, remote central locking, anti-lock brakes with brake force distribution for under £8K on the road. £20 a year road tax and five years warranty, plus five year breakdown cover.

Seats four adults with adequate room, has five doors, turns on a sixpence, and has a great little engine, which will easily achieve 50 MPG with the manual version.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th November, 2012

2012 Hyundai i10 Active 1.2 petrol

Summary:

A superb city car. Highly recommended

Faults:

Minor rattle from underneath the dashboard, but promptly fixed. Everything else has been flawless so far.

General Comments:

This car is very nippy, and the automatic gearbox is very smooth indeed. The engine can sound a bit raucous when pushed hard, but this is to be expected given its small 1.2 litre size and it's smooth enough for everyday driving.

The electric power steering feels slightly numb, but otherwise the car handles well enough with plenty of grip, and the suspension, whilst firm, is not uncomfortable.

The styling looks great, with its large front grille, front fog lamps and colour-coded mirrors and door handles.

The cabin is spacious and well equipped with front/side airbags, electric mirrors and windows, iPod compatible/MP3 CD radio unit and air conditioning. An auxiliary power socket and front/rear cup holders complete the line-up. The seats are comfortable enough and are height-adjustable. The plastics, while hard, don't feel cheap, and the interior feels very well put together.

The dealership has been extremely helpful. No complaints at all. They treat you like a human being, and their customer service is superb.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th August, 2012