2025 Hyundai Inster priced for Australia

The 2025 Hyundai Inster EV will be priced from just $39,000 plus on-roads when sales begin later this month in Australia.

Billed as the Korean firm's smallest most affordable EV yet, the new Hyundai Inster is still significantly more expensive than Australia’s cheapest EV, the BYD Dolphin Essential that costs just $29,990 plus on-roads.

When it lands locally in dealers, the Inster will be offered with the choice of either a 71.1 kW e-motor with a 42kWh Standard Range battery or slightly punchier 84.5kW version with the 49kWh Extended Range power pack, the cheaper of the two Insters can cover up to 327km on the WLTP test-cycle, with the long-range variant covering up to 360km on a single charge.

Plugged in a 10-80 per cent top-up is said to take around 30 minutes at a maximum DC rate of 120kW.

When it lands in Australia, the baby Hyundai EV will come in three trims - the Inster Standard Range, Inster Extended Range and the rugged Inster Cross Extended Range that gets the bigger battery.

All versions come with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment that boasts built-in navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a wireless charger.

The base model rides on 15-inch alloy wheels, tinted windows, LED lamps, auto wipers, a heat pump, blind-spot detection, driver fatigue warning, high-beam assist, AEB, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic assist, safe exit warning and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, plus a keyless go and a vehicle-to-load capability.

While recycled cloth seats come on the Inster Standard Range, the Extended Range has the added choice of either Khaki Brown or Newtro Beige coloured seats.

Opt for the Extended version and you also bag a pair of larger 17-inch alloy wheels.

The Inster Cross, meanwhile, is offered with black or grey fake leather heated and ventilated seats and features front parking sensors, 360-degree camera, 64-colour ambient lighting, rear privacy glass, roof rails and extra bashplates, a sunroof with sunshade and climate control, plus the option of the Roof Basket that reduces the range from 360km to 293km.

Options include premium metallic paint $595 and matte premium paint $1000.

Based on the Korea-only Hyundai Casper, the new Hyundai Inster measures in at just 3825mm long, 1610mm wide, 1575mm tall and rides on a 2580mm wheelbase, and offers a up to 280 litres of space, although versions with sliding seats can boost that figure to 351 litres.

Driven by a single e-motor that spins the front wheels, the Standard Range 71.1kW/147Nm is capable of a 0-100km/h dash of 11.7 seconds and a 140km/h top speed, while the Extended Range's punchier 84.5kW/147Nm sees the 0-100km/h dash fall to 10.6 seconds.

Despite smaller than a BYD Dolphin (4290mm long) the little Inster has been built to offer 'exemplary refinement', say Hyundai engineers, with double seals for the doors, thicker front door glass, optimised aero and special bushings used for the electric motor mounts all used to slash noise and vibration entering the cabin.

Even the dampers, steering rack and steering wheel have been designed to reduce vibration permeating into the cabin to ensure a quiet and smooth ride.

Equipped with Hyundai's connected services and a five-year complimentary subscription, the Inster is capable of over-the-air updates that will continue to improve the infotainment and update the maps.

Like every other Hyundai EV, the new Inster is covered by the car-maker's five-year unlimited kilometre warranty that includes eight-years/160,000km protection for the high-voltage battery.

How much does the 2025 Hyundai Inster cost?
Standard Range - $39,000
Inster Extended Range - $42,500
Inster Cross - $45,000
Inster Cross with Roof Basket - $45,000
* Prices exclude on-road costs

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