Skip advert
Advertisement

Hyundai i20 Comfort

Auto superminis don’t come much cheaper than Korean star

While small cars often try to emulate their larger stablemates, Hyundai hopes its i20 will be as successful as the tiny i10. The city car is the class leader, so can the automatic supermini follow suit?

At £10,845, our Comfort trim hatch has a clear price advantage – it’s £335 less than the base Fabia 1 Tiptronic, and nearly £2,500 cheaper than our Fabia 3 test car, while the Jazz i-SHIFT starts at £12,660. Jump into the Hyundai after a stint in the others, and you won’t feel short-changed, either. Air-conditioning, six airbags, steering wheel stereo controls and a USB connector are all standard.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Hyundai i20

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_narrow","fid":"69242","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image"}}]]

There is room for improvement on the outside, though, because the i20’s styling looks anonymous next to the Skoda and Honda. Its curving roofline and rounded front end remind us of the Vauxhall Corsa, but the Hyundai needs more character.  The same can be said of the cabin.

From behind the wheel the plastics and uninspiring dash show where money has been saved. There’s plenty of cabin space, but with the rear seats in place, its 295-litre boot is the smallest on test. Under the bonnet is a 99bhp 1.4-litre engine, linked to a traditional automatic gearbox with only four ratios – two fewer than its rivals. That blunts performance, and the i20 took one second longer than the Skoda to sprint from 0-60mph at the test track, with a time of 12.5 seconds.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

UX 300e

2021 Lexus

UX 300e

25,972 milesAutomaticElectric

Cash £14,600
View UX 300e
CLA

2022 Mercedes

CLA

21,157 milesAutomaticPetrol1.3L

Cash £23,500
View CLA
Discovery Sport

2023 Land Rover

Discovery Sport

36,613 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £27,500
View Discovery Sport
Sportage

2023 Kia

Sportage

55,816 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L

Cash £19,500
View Sportage

It was two-tenths quicker than the Jazz, but this tells only part of the story. In-gear urge was also compromised, as the Hyundai trailed behind the Honda in every test, accelerating from 30-70mph in 13.7 seconds – that’s 1.7 seconds longer.

It’s not that the i20 feels off the pace – you simply have to push it more to keep up with the others, which doesn’t show the Hyundai in its best light. With large gaps between ratios, the engine races, and you get a jolt in the back as it kicks down to a lower gear under hard acceleration.

Unlike the Honda and Skoda, the Hyundai doesn’t provide a sequential manual function, so the i20 is better suited to a gentler approach. Drive at a more reasonable pace and changes are smoother than those of the Honda Jazz. The poise and grip impressed us, too. The i20 was the most entertaining supermini on test thanks to its strong brakes and responsive chassis – and it proved to be more refined than the Skoda.

]But you pay the price for its four-speed auto at the pumps, because our fuel return of 30.2mpg was the worst in this test. The Fabia was only slightly better at 32.3mpg, although the automated manual box in the Jazz helped it achieve the best fuel economy of our trio, at 40.4mpg. Will that keep the i20 from the top step of the podium, or will Hyundai’s market-leading five-year warranty and low running costs swing the balance in its favour?

Details

Chart position: 2
WHY: The value-for-money i20 undercuts its rivals here, but its automatic box has only four ratios to play with.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Omoda 5

Omoda 5

RRP £25,915Avg. savings £2,241 off RRP*Used from £20,921
Renault Clio

Renault Clio

RRP £16,160Avg. savings £2,721 off RRP*Used from £8,800
Toyota Yaris Cross

Toyota Yaris Cross

RRP £26,495Avg. savings £1,672 off RRP*Used from £12,200
Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,415Avg. savings £5,924 off RRP*Used from £12,697
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Peugeot 208 GTi: electric hot hatch gets stunning looks and plenty of power
Peugeot E-208 GTi - reveal front

New Peugeot 208 GTi: electric hot hatch gets stunning looks and plenty of power

Hot Peugeot E-208 gets racier styling, 276bhp and does 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds
News
13 Jun 2025
New BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort review: the best BYD yet
BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort - front

New BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort review: the best BYD yet

The new BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort is arguably the Chinese brand's most convincing model in its range
Road tests
11 Jun 2025
New entry-level Renault Symbioz is £3k cheaper than a Nissan Qashqai
Renault Symbioz hybrid - front angled

New entry-level Renault Symbioz is £3k cheaper than a Nissan Qashqai

The Renault Captur has also been fitted the new full-hybrid powertrain, which gets a bigger battery for more pure-electric driving
News
12 Jun 2025