HYUNDAI INSTER

Small EVs are suddenly all the rage. Here's one of the most intriguing

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Having infiltrated every major class of car in the past 10 years, usually with no small impact, Hyundai's stated aim in 2025 is to double its European EV sales.

You can't accuse the South Korean company - the world's fourth-largest by volume - of lacking ambition, can you?

Key to achieving its goal is the launch of two models that will bookend the current range of mid-sized electric cars. At the serious end will sit the new Ioniq 9: a luxury seven-seat SUV that costs from £64,000, can be had with as much as 429bhp and presents as something of a Range Rover Electric for the people. At the little end is today's test subject: the Inster, all 3.8 metres of it, yours for £23,505.

Known as the Casper in Korea (where an appealing-sounding 1.0-litre petrol version is also sold), the car is assembled in Gwangju. In 2021, it became the first car to be built by a joint venture between Hyundai and the city government.

As has often been the case with Hyundai's European model launches, the timing of the Inster's arrival looks savvy. Petrol-powered superminis are dying out and electric alternatives are finally sprouting up to replace them, now that the cost of batteries and their energy density are at a stage that makes them commercially viable. The competition is growing, with BYD's Dolphin Surf, the Renault 5 E-Tech and a couple of Stellantis products already vying for dominance. The Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03 bring further competition from even lower down the food chain, at less than £20,000.

If the Inster can bottle Hyundai-typical pragmatism, as well as having grownup EV credentials and an easy drivability, it ought to do well. As for fun? Well, don't count it out. Small cars often have a simple joy about them and Hyundai has released a fanciful, WRC-inspired concept called the 'Insteroid', so there seems to be an awareness of this car's potential for mischief.

An N version may yet come. For now, how good is the regular car?