The range of accessible electric cars is finally expanding. Apart from the Dacia Spring, customers can now consider buying a Citroën ë-C3, a Renault 5 E-Tech, a Leapmotor T03 or even a Hyundai Inster. The small SUV, just 3.83 meters long, was priced from €25,000, the expected price of a future entry-level version of the electric Renault 5, but which qualifies for environmental bonuses.
Due to its production in South Korea, the Inster was launched in France without the environmental bonus. Now it’s complementing that with a new five-seater version, which costs the same as a four-seater, but which manages to get enough environmental scores to qualify itself for that valuable state aid. In fact, this score is calculated by the number of seats the model has, allowing only the five-seat version of the Inster to receive an environmental bonus. Inster is not the first model produced outside of Europe to achieve a high environmental score, as the Mazda MX-30, assembled in Japan, is also favored by ADEME thanks to its very small battery.
Hyundai announced the news in a press release ahead of the publication of the ruling that will make the ruling effective. In the five-seat version, however, the interior loses out in modularity compared to the four-seat model. While the latter offers a sliding bench seat with reclining backrests, the five-seater is only entitled to a fixed bench seat, more classic, folding in a 60/40 split and definitely accommodating three adults. A bit tight to do. The trunk increases to a fixed volume of 280 l, which is between 238 and 351 l depending on the bench development for the four-seat version.
One of the best equipment/price ratios in its category
With the environmental bonus, which now amounts to between €2,000 and €4,000, the five-seat Inster costs €23,000 or even less for the lowest-income customers. At this price, it already offers full standard equipment, including two 10.25-inch screens, a reversing camera, automatic air conditioning, and even hands-free access and starting.
The entry-level Inster is equipped with an efficient 42 kWh battery that gives it up to 327 km of WLTP range. It is then powered by a 71 kW (97 hp) electric motor. A 49 kWh battery version is also available, great At least The intuitive intermediate finishing level and sold from €28,250 excluding bonuses, for which it will also be eligible in the five-seat version. It has a range of up to 370 km and is currently equipped with an 84.5 kW (115 hp) electric motor.
On the charging side, Inster announces a 30-minute time to charge from 10 to 80%, thanks to an accepted power of up to 120 kW in direct current. That’s great for such an accessible vehicle.
In short, the Inster stands out as one of the options to seriously consider in the electric city car category. We can’t wait to get behind the wheel to compare its performance to its rivals.
