Faults:

Beyond the usual consumables, just maintenance. Never any big expensive problems. The car has slightly lower mileage than average for its age and I service it on time.

General Comments:

My grey i20 is a smart looking little car, I like it. Nothing more than basic transport, but that is the point - if you want a no fuss hatchback but want something different from a Corsa or a Fiesta, take a look at these.

Interior is nicely designed; I don't like the silly blue pattern on the seats though, but they are comfortable enough. The car is equipped with the electric extras you would expect from a 2010 car.

1.2 petrol is not fast at all, but is cheap to insure, tax and service or repair. Everyday driving will get you 48 mpg + more on a longer drive. This car does not need a more complicated diesel engine in my opinion. The car handles OK and the ride is smooth and quiet around town, but a little bouncy on country roads, and noise levels on motorway are only about acceptable.

In short it is the ideal run about and about as cheap as you can get on the road.

Faults:

Has this car from new. Mostly routine servicing needed. Recently needed two new front springs. New battery. And it did have some work done under warranty, but I actually forget what!!

In any case car has been a good buy all round. It averages around 60mpg (UK gallons) and is zero tax rated so is cheap to run.

Intend to keep it going!

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This is my third i20, having owned two diesels and now a petrol. All had mid-level trim, with this being the SE spec. In the UK the cheapest SE spec car uses the fairly old 1.2 four cylinder petrol engine. Having driven this example in a test drive, I opted to go for the 1 litre 3 cylinder turbo engine. The difference transforms the car as the turbo means you can keep up with traffic without the need to plan ahead. The 1.2 just isn't as flexible. The 1.2 is slightly more fuel efficient, but with light footed driving the turbo returned 45 MPG during my ownership.

SE spec provides lots of kit as standard and Hyundai still provide a five year unlimited warranty. Service intervals are every 10,000 miles and the pre-paid service plans save money (although it has risen in recent years and you can no longer see pricing on the website). You even get AA cover for the duration as long as you keep the car serviced in the Hyundai network.

Never had any issues with the car. Never failed to start. My only query was with the stop / start system and whether this is a reliable feature longer term on a turbo car.

The turbo comes into play from 1500 RPM and is useful up to 3000 RPM. No point revving any higher. Tall gearing means at 70 mph in fifth gear the car is revving at 2500 RPM.

Sound proofing in the car is good. Engine noise is not intrusive at all.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I owned this car for 15 months and clocked up just over 18,000 miles. Primarily used to commute to and from work over a return distance of 75 miles; the car regularly returned 55mpg at 70 mph.

The Active Blue Drive trim includes Hyundai's Intelligent Stop and Go system which took me nearly eight months to activate. Many forums discuss whether the system works and I found mine would work at any time as long as the fan blower was off. It works based on a combination of factors including outside temperature, electrical load, and battery charge state.

The vehicle never failed to start, never let me down, and I was sorry to see it go - but I traded it for a new shape i20 which has proved even better.

The price paid for the vehicle was low as it was an ex driving school car and at a year old had done nearly 37,000 miles. Despite all the hard driving it had endured previously, it was faultless.

If you're not a badge snob and want a car with a good warranty then I would recommend it. It's not the fastest of vehicles and doesn't have handling as good as class leaders, but it has plenty of safety kit and dealer prices for serviceable parts are fair. I had tyres replaced by the dealership that were less than online tyre companies.