Quick overview
- Well equipped for the money
- Generous rear seat space
- All use mild hybrid tech
- Not huge fun to drive
- Mediocre ride comfort
- Drab interior materials
If you were to draw up a list of everything you need in a small car, it would likely amount to the Hyundai i20. Should you add another column for everything you’d ideally like in a supermini, the Hyundai i20 might be found wanting in a couple of areas that either quite important or not particularly relevant, depending on your viewpoint. This is the conundrum for anyone considering the Hyundai i20: do you let your head or heart have the final say in the buying decision?
If you go with objectivity and let your head hold sway, there is almost nothing to unseat the Hyundai from being a very sound choice. It’s affordable when compared to rivals as it’s well fitted out with standard kit and the all-mild hybrid engine line-up offers low running costs allied to strong reliability. You also get lots of rear seat space, decent boot, and a perfectly good driver’s environment.
For those who let their heart have the lead when deciding on a car, the Hyundai i20 does have some deficiencies that can tip the balance. For starters, the cabin may be functional, but it’s also a bit dour and misses the panache of a Ford Fiesta or Volkswagen Polo, never mind the pizzazz you get in a Citroen C3. And while the Hyundai i20 will carry you and your passengers any destination with minimum fuss, it also completes the journey with little in the way of fun. Where a Fiesta always has a puppy dog eagerness to make the most of any opportunity, the Hyundai i20 feels more like it just wants to get there and not much more.
None of this takes away from the ease of ownership you’ll experience with the Hyundai i20, so it really does come down to what you want from a supermini over and above the basics.
Infotainment, comfort and practicality
Open the door to the Hyundai i20’s driving seat and you find a large aperture to step through. This is the first hint that this is a car designed to make life as easy as possible for its an owner and users. Once installed the driver’s pew, you’ll find all trim levels have a height adjustable seat, and it also slides back and forth a long way to cater for people of all heights. With rake and reach movement for the steering wheel, as well as generous amounts of head, leg and shoulder room, the i20 is one of the most accommodating superminis you could wish for.
The interior of the Hyundai i20 is a relentless procession of grey and black materials, which is only alleviated in the N Line thanks to its red stitching on the seats and gear lever. This mass of dark colours lends the cabin a dour feel, though there is nothing to complain about regarding the quality or durability of the i20’s interior. Another bright spot is the 10.25-inch Driver’s Supervision Instrument Cluster, as Hyundai calls, it what you and I would refer to as the main dials. This digital display looks good and is easy to read, as well as being configurable to some degree about what information is presented to you in the screen.
While this main dash screen is standard in all Hyundai i20s, the matching 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen is only offered in the upper three trims. The SE Connect makes do with a smaller 8.0-inch touch display that still works with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so you don’t miss out that much. With the larger infotainment screen, you get integrated sat-nav. Whichever trim level you opt for, every i20 uses the infotainment display as a screen for the reversing camera that saves craning your neck when backing into or out of space.
Pull open the rear doors of the Hyundai i20 and you’re presented with a rear bench that seems to have been transplanted from a car from the class above. There is so much space in the back of the i20 that carrying two adults in here is a walkover. Fitting three abreast is asking a bit much of a supermini, and the i20 doesn’t have the same amount of versatility as a Honda Jazz’s rear bench. However, for no-nonsense space, the Hyundai is hard to beat and you get Isofix child seat mounts on both outer rear seats. There’s also a trio of three-point belts.
Round the back of the i20, the tailgate swings up to leave a big opening. However, there’s quite a drop from load sill to boot floor, making it more of a chore than it needs to be when lifting out heavy bags. The boot of the Hyundai i20 offers 262-litres with the rear seats in place, or with the 60-40 split seat back tumbled forward you can release up to 1075-litres of room, which is among the better load capacities in the supermini sector. A neat feature in the i20 are the runners in the boot sides where you can slide the load cover when not needs, such as when you have the family dog in the boot.
2020 Hyundai i20 engines: how does it drive?
The Hyundai i20 comes so close to being very good to drive that it’s frustrating it doesn’t quite get over the line. On a country road, it has plenty of grip in corners and turns in with out fuss or drama to bends. Yet, the steering doesn’t offer anything like the feel or accurate weighting that you get with a Ford Fiesta, so the Hyundai i20 doesn’t offer up the sort of fun that Fiesta owners take for granted.
It's a similar story with the suspension on this type of road, where it keeps body lean in check superbly but doesn’t have the Ford’s clever mix of suppleness. As a result, the Hyundai can feel a little brittle and harsh over some bumps, with a consequent jolt felt by the car’s occupants. Head on to the motorway, and the ride is just as likely to pick up on small blemishes, though the upside is the i20 feels very confident in among traffic and is not wafted off course as you drive past lorries or experience crosswinds.
Around town, the i20 is a different animal and feels very at home as the suspension is better able to soak up imperfections and grazes in the road. The steering also becomes more suited to the task, where its lightness and quick reactions make simple work of nipping round corners and parking. Every i20 comes with a reversing camera and rear sensors, so slotting this Hyundai into even the most closely packed parking bay won’t raise your pulse.
Then we come to the engines in the i20, which give you a very big reason to choose this supermini over others in the sector. The three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol turbo comes in two power outputs. The 100hp motor is offered in the SE Connect, Premium and Ultimate, while the N Line is treated to its own 120hp version to deliver improved performance fitting of its sporty looks. As a result, the N Line signs off 0-62mph in 10.1 seconds with the six-speed manual gearbox or 10.3 seconds with the seven-speed auto. These transmissions are also offered with the 100hp motor.
While the N Line is zippier, we’d stick with the 100hp 1.0-litre engine as, with the manual gearbox, it’s only three-tenths of a second behind for the 0-62mph dash and is a lot of fun to use. It’s smooth and revs freely when you need to build speed in a hurry, aided by the slick shift of the manual transmission. There’s some engine noise at motorway speeds, as well as a bit of road noise, but it’s no worse or better than most in this class. At lower speeds, the mild hybrid set-up allows the car to run on battery power and initiate the start-stop system before the car comes to a complete halt, which all goes towards saving fuel. It’s an identical story in the N Line, just with a bit extra mid-rev pull for overtaking.
Value for money: how much does a 2020 Hyundai i20 cost to buy and run?
The i20 follows Hyundai’s familiar trim levels and starts with the SE Connect that costs from £19,035. Adding the seven-speed automatic gearbox in place of the six-speed manual will add £1250, as it does with every i20 model. Next up is the Premium, which is £220 more than the SE Connect at £21,235. From here, the range goes in two directions, with the Ultimate offering more of a luxury outlook from £22,535. For a sportier choice, the N Line gets its own 120hp engine and costs from £22,630. There are savings of around £600 to be had with the i20 SE Connect, while the top of the line Ultimate and N Line trims can be found with savings of up to £1500. Choose a nearly new i20 and you could shave around £2300 from the list price for a car with around 3000 miles on the clock. A two-year old i20 with 15,000 miles under its wheels will cost from around £13,000.
Picking the SE Connect trim with the Hyundai i20 does not mean missing out on lots of standard equipment. This model comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, lane keep assist, and rear parking sensors with reversing camera. This is displayed on the 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, and there’s a 10.25-inch digital main dash display. The infotainment comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and you also get air conditioning and cruise control. Safety is taken care of by six airbags, autonomous emergency braking, forward collision avoidance, and eCall to contact rescue services in the event of an accident. Move to the Premium trim and you gain 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic wipers, front foglights, rear privacy glass, and electric folding door mirrors. Inside the Premium, there’s climate control, heated front seats and steering wheel, and the 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with integrated sat-nav. The Ultimate builds on this with Lane Follow Assist, keyless entry and ignition, and Blind Spot Collision Warning and Forward Collision Assist. The stereo gets a boost with a Bose Premium Sound System, and there’s a wireless phone charging pad. Or, you could take the N Line which, over and above the SE Connect, has its own design of 17-inch alloy wheels, climate control, auto wipers, twin exhausts, and unique N Line body kit. Inside, this trim has N Line seat trim, keyless entry, interior mood lighting, and the larger infotainment screen.
Running costs with the i20 are very affordable. Fuel economy is best with the SE Connect model with six-speed manual gearbox, which delivers an official combined consumption of 55.4mpg along with 116g/km of carbon dioxide emissions. The least efficient i20 is the Ultimate with automatic gearbox, which still serves up 53.3mpg and 122g/km. With the others sitting in between these figures, all new Hyundai i20s attract a first year VED road tax of £180. Insurance will also be easy on the pocket as the i20 range varies between groups 12 and 16 depending on trim and gearbox choices.
Verdict: Should I buy a 2020 Hyundai i20?
We said at the outset that the Hyundai i20 is a car that you’re more likely to buy with your head than your heart. And in this case, head wins out over heart as the i20 is a seriously good supermini that does everything you ask of it when it comes to all of the things a supermini must tick off to be a top contender. It’s cheap to run, spacious inside, well made, and it comes with a long list of standard kit and safety gear.
The i20 does come with the caveats that it’s not as exciting as a Ford Fiesta to drive and nor is it as refined as a Volkswagen Polo. You might also find the interior a little dull, but there’s no doubting the appeal of its digital dash and the large infotainment screen fitted to all but the base model.
What could I buy instead of a 2020 Hyundai i20?
Ford Fiesta
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It’s hard to find fault with the Ford Fiesta as it’s a car that seems to rise to meet every challenge thrown at it. From the perfect car to learn to drive in to a feisty hot hatch, there’s a model to suit every need and budget. It’s also a car that’s deeply satisfying to drive, whether you just need straightforward transport or desire something with good handling. It’s also very comfortable and refined, has a broad range of engine options including a hybrid, and the cabin is one of the roomier in the class. There’s also lots of choice with trim levels, so there’s a Fiesta for almost everyone.
Citroen C3
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For those who are determined to stand out from the crowd, Citroen has been a natural choice of car for decades, and the current C3 is one of its best. The funky looks are only the start of it as the C3 also offers a very cushy ride that makes it ideal for dealing with battered city streets. It also comes with superbly comfortable seats for those in the front, but rear seat passengers will find the Citroen comes up short on the amount of space it has to offer, especially when compared to the Hyundai i20 or Honda Jazz. The C3 is also only average at best when it comes to how it drives, and the entry level model is somewhat basic with its equipment.
Volkswagen Polo
Effortlessly classy and desirable, the Volkswagen Polo still manages to come with an appeal that is across the board. Think of it as a Golf in a more slim-fitting suit and you’re bang on the mark with the Polo, which provides its drivers with a spacious, comfortable cabin and excellent refinement at motorway speeds. It’s not as snappy fun to drive a Ford Fiesta, but comfort is always good. There’s a range of engine options with the Polo, and most trims are decently kitted out. However, VW’s latest infotainment system lags behind many others, including the Hyundai i20’s excellent set-up with its large screen and simple menus.
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