Is the Hyundai Inster ULEZ compliant?

Most petrol Hyundai Insters from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.

What insurance group is the Hyundai Inster in?

The Hyundai Inster sits in insurance group 11 of 50, towards the cheaper end of the scale. Your actual premium still depends on age, postcode, annual mileage and no-claims history.

Is the Hyundai Inster reliable?

Our reliability score for the Hyundai Inster is 70 out of 100 (good), derived from DVSA MOT records.

What economy does the Hyundai Inster get?

Expect roughly around 4.2 miles per kWh for a typical Hyundai Inster, based on official figures and our running-cost model. Real-world figures vary with driving style, load and conditions.

What are the common problems on the Hyundai Inster?

On the Hyundai Inster, the issues that come up most by mileage include 12V auxiliary battery, Tyres (wear faster on EVs) and Brake discs (corrosion from light use). The section above breaks down each one with its typical mileage, repair cost and severity.

How many Hyundai Insters are on UK roads?

About 3,428 Hyundai Insters are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

Is the Hyundai Inster reliable?

The Hyundai Inster scores 70/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure. That is computed from 4,966 real DVSA MOT test results.

How much does a used Hyundai Inster cost?

A 2024 Hyundai Inster with around 15,600 miles is worth roughly £13,400 today (typical range £11,200–£15,600). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.

How quickly does the Hyundai Inster depreciate?

A new Hyundai Inster typically loses about 60% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.

What insurance group is the Hyundai Inster?

The Hyundai Inster sits in insurance group 11 of 50 — the cheaper end of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.

What goes wrong on a used Hyundai Inster?

The most common age-related issues we track for the Hyundai Inster are: 12v auxiliary battery (typically around 40k-70k, £120-£220 to put right); tyres (wear faster on evs) (typically around 18k-28k, £320-£600 per set to put right); brake discs (corrosion from light use) (typically around 40k-70k, £240-£480 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.

What does the Hyundai Inster cost to run?

Expect around 4.2 miles per kWh, £195 a year in road tax, about £185 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.

Ranked #200 car in the UK · City car (EV) · 3,477 units sold last year

Hyundai Inster

The Hyundai Inster is the characterful little electric city car - a tiny, tall, retro-flavoured EV that brings genuine personality and surprising interior flexibility to the affordable end of the market. Range is geared to city and regional use, but it's usable enough for more, and the clever sliding, folding seats make it roomier inside than its dinky footprint suggests. A cheerful, well-warrantied small EV that stands out from the crowd.

Body: City car (EV)
Years: 2024–2026
Fuel: Electric
Range: — mi
Insurance: Group 10

The short version

33/100

Forecourt score

Value 0 · Reliability 34 · Insurance 95

The Hyundai Inster loses value faster than most cars and is cheaper to run than most. Its MOT-based reliability is good, 70 out of 100, ahead of 34% of the cars we track. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 0% of models.

The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20). Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.

Pick your version

Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.

Fuel

Electric

Power

115 ps

Drivetrain

FWD

Efficiency

4.3 mi/kWh

The volume Inster - Hyundai's tiny, characterful city EV. 49 kWh Long Range, 115 PS FWD, ~229 mi WLTP (huge for the size). Heat pump standard. Sliding/folding rear seats make it absurdly versatile.

Tell us about the one you're looking at

Year of registration2024

20242026

Mileage on the clock15,600 mi

0Expected: 15,600180k

Conditiongood

PoorFairGoodExcellent

Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.

Region

Remembered as you browse other cars.

Know the registration?

Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.

Estimated market value

£13,400

Range £10,450 – £16,650

medium confidence

When new (2024)£23,500Age-based value£11,750Mileage adjustment+£0Condition & region-£8Market calibration+£2,558Forecourt price£14,300Private sale£12,500Part-exchange£11,000

The depreciation curve

How a 2024-registration Hyundai Inster loses value over time.

Marker = your selection
Dashed = mileage either side

What it costs to own

Over

Based on the 2024 car with 15,600 miles you entered above — worth about £13,400 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 7,800 miles a year.

5-year total

£12,004

Per year

£2,401

All-in per mile

£0.31

Fuel per mile

6.4p

If a company carAround £26/mo Benefit-in-Kind tax at the 40% rate (£13/mo at 20%) — 3% band (EV)

Depreciation£3,377

Fuel / energy£2,507

Servicing£1,765

Road tax£975

Insurance£3,380

If you're a company-car driver

At 3% BIK, this would cost a 40% taxpayer about £26/month in company-car tax (£13/month at 20%) — one of the strongest cases for choosing an EV via salary sacrifice. Full BIK table below for context.

Best age to buy — around 3 years

A 3-year-old example loses roughly £2,550 a year — under half the £5,950 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.

Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.

How it compares

Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.

Holds its valuebetter than 0%

Reliabilitybetter than 34%

Cheap to insurebetter than 95%

Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid or EV?

How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.

01 / 02 / Cross

What Car? Best Small Electric Car for the City 2024. Cross-shop Renault 5 E-Tech, BYD Dolphin, Citroen ë-C3, MG4. The Inster is the affordable Hyundai EV — sensible small car with proper range. Cross trim adds outdoor styling.

New price: £25,000
Annual fuel / energy: £600
3-yr depreciation: 48%

Watch for

·Too new for clear patterns
·DC charging modest vs E-GMP cars (85kW vs 200+kW)
·Hyundai 5-year warranty + 8-year battery
·Range realistic — 200mi/230mi WLTP achievable in real-world

Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 22/06/2026) · Petrol 153.3p/L, Diesel 172.5p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ

Estimated insurance

Group 11 of 50 (low — cheaper end of the scale) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB

Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.

No-claims bonus3 years

0 yearsBaseline: 3 years15+

Risk profile:

Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39

£676/ year

Roughly £56 per month

Typical

Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.

Age band	Lower risk	Typical	Higher risk
Age 17-25	£1,541	£1,927	£2,505
Age 26-32	£804	£946	£1,155
Age 33-39Selected	£595	£676	£798
Age 40-49	£505	£561	£651
Age 50+	£450	£500	£590

How we estimate this

Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.

Expected annual costs

Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).

Annual mileage7,800 mi/yr

2,000UK avg for this model: 7,80030,000

Routine service

£185

Annual main-dealer service

Major service

£210

Every 2 years, annualised

Road tax

£195

Standard rate, post year-one

Electricity

£490

4.2 mi/kWh, 27p blended

Insurance

£676

Age 33-39, group 10

Clean-air zones

✓ ULEZ compliant

Electric variants are compliant with London ULEZ and all UK clean-air zones.

Based on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.

Total expected£1,756 / year

Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).

Unexpected costs

What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.

0-30k miles

£80

per year · low risk

30-60k miles

£240

per year · low risk

60-100k miles

£520

per year · medium risk

100k+ miles

£900

per year · high risk

Tyres

175/65 R14 · 185/60 R15

What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.

Budget

£300

set of 4, fitted · £60 per tyre

Mid-range

£440

set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre

Premium

£620

set of 4, fitted · £140 per tyre

What to fit

Optional extras worth paying for

Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.

Option	New cost	Added used value	Return
Tow bar (factory-fit) Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it.	£650	£450	69%
Parking sensors & reversing camera Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns.	£500	£300	60%
Heat pump Genuinely useful in winter; buyers increasingly look for it.	£1,000	£450	45%
Heated seats / cold-weather pack	£450	£200	44%
Faster on-board AC charger	£800	£300	38%
Metallic or premium paint Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk.	£600	£200	33%
Panoramic / opening roof	£1,100	£350	32%
Larger alloy wheels	£700	£200	29%

Parts most likely to fail

Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 15,600 miles.

Watch now

Failure typically happens around your current mileage.

Upcoming

A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.

Already due

Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.

12V auxiliary batteryUpcoming

Typical at 40k-70kCost £120-£220low severityParts high

General wear item — not a model-specific fault.

Tyres (wear faster on EVs)Watch now

Typical at 18k-28kCost £320-£600 per setlow severityParts high

General wear item — not a model-specific fault.

Brake discs (corrosion from light use)Upcoming

Typical at 40k-70kCost £240-£480low severityParts high

General wear item — not a model-specific fault.

Suspension bushes & drop linksUpcoming

Typical at 60k-100kCost £150-£400medium severityParts high

General wear item — not a model-specific fault.

"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.

Safety rating

Euro NCAP's independent crash-test rating for the Hyundai Inster, from its 2025 assessment.

4/5

TEST YEAR2025

Rating expired (test protocol superseded)

The passenger compartment of the Hyundai INSTER remained stable in the frontal offset test.

Independent crash-test data from Euro NCAP. Star ratings reflect the test protocol of the year shown — newer protocols are stricter, so a 5-star from 2024 represents a higher bar than a 5-star from 2014.

MOT outlook

How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 4,966 real DVSA test records.

Longevity

Not enough older examples yet to gauge longevity.

Reliability

70/ 100

Good

No usable MOT data — estimated score.

MOT outlook

Insufficient MOT history at this car's reference age — too few tests to compute a reliable percentile.

Things owners say

01Surprisingly flexible inside thanks to sliding/folding seats - roomier than its tiny size suggests.
02Range suits city and regional use, with enough for occasional longer trips - plan around charging.
03Characterful and well-warrantied; the larger battery is the range pick - check battery health as on any EV.

Safety recalls

Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Hyundai Inster, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.

Check on GOV.UK

Opens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.

Theft risk

A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.

Whole-car theft

Around average

Theft risk is around the UK average. Like most modern cars it has keyless entry, so relay theft is the method to guard against.

Parts theft

Lower

As an electric car it has no catalytic converter, so the most common parts-theft vector doesn't apply.

Worth doing

Keep keys in a Faraday pouch and away from the front door to block relay attacks.
Park in well-lit, busy areas, and consider a tracker for faster recovery.

Clean-air zones

Whether driving a Hyundai Inster into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.

Charging zones for cars

City	Area	Daily charge	Likely outcome
London	All of Greater London (within the M25)	£12.50	Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
Birmingham	Inside the A4540 Middleway	£8.00	Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
Bristol	City centre and part of the Portway	£9.00	Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
Glasgow	City centre	—	Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
Edinburgh	City centre	—	Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
Aberdeen	City centre	—	Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.
Dundee	City centre	—	Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere.

Zones that don't charge private cars

Bath — City centre (Private cars and motorbikes are not charged).
Bradford — Outer ring road and the Aire Valley (Private cars are not charged).
Sheffield — Inside the A61 inner ring road (Private cars are not charged).
Newcastle & Gateshead — City centres and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges (Private cars are not charged).
Portsmouth — Part of the city centre (Applies to taxis, PHVs, buses, coaches and HGVs only).

Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.

EV reality check

40 kWh

Winter range

210 mi

Cold-weather realistic

DC charge 10–80%

30 min

Typical

Heat pump

Standard

Standard fit

Battery chemistry

NMC

Higher energy density, faster charging, charge to 80% daily

Cost to charge

~£11

full charge · ~£6.28/100mi

Winter range estimates assume ~5°C ambient with cabin heating; figures from manufacturer cold-weather testing where available, otherwise derived as a fraction of WLTP. DC times are manufacturer-claimed 10–80% on the headline charger; real-world sessions on UK rapids can be slower. Charging cost is a full battery at the home/blended electricity rate; public rapid charging costs more.

UK charging network

119,080 public chargers across the UK

As of 2026-04-01, the UK has 119,080 publicly available EV chargers, up 12.6% on the prior year (13,281 added in 2025). 23% of those are rapid (50 kW+) or ultra-rapid (150 kW+), so the network can support both home and on-route charging.

3-8 kW

50%

Standard

8-50 kW

27%

Standard plus

50-150 kW

12%

Rapid

150 kW+

11%

Ultra-rapid

Source: Department for Transport / Zapmap · Released 2026-05-21 · DfT statistics

Company car tax

What HMRC's Benefit-in-Kind charge looks like if you ran this Hyundai Inster as a company car, by tax year and income-tax band. Calculated from a CO₂ of 0 g/km, using £25,500 as the P11D value.

EVs sit at the bottom BIK band — currently 3% — so this is one of the cheapest ways to take a company car.

Tax year	BIK %	Tax @ 20%	Tax @ 40%	Monthly @ 20%	Monthly @ 40%
2025-26	3%	£153	£306	£13	£26
2026-27	4%	£204	£408	£17	£34
2027-28	5%	£255	£510	£21	£43
2028-29	7%	£357	£714	£30	£60
2029-30	9%	£459	£918	£38	£77

P11D value is approximated from the latest new price; the exact figure on your tax code will depend on options fitted. The 4% diesel surcharge applies only to non-RDE2 (pre-2021) diesels — we assume RDE2 compliance for current models. Bands and rates from HMRC's Autumn Budget 2024 confirmation through 2029/30.

Servicing & the dealer network

How well-supported Hyundai is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.

Franchised UK dealers

~155

Large network

Mass-market

Network size relative to the UK's largest (Hyundai is 3.4% of all franchised outlets)

Servicing, parts and warranty work are easy to find UK-wide, and most independent garages know the brand well — which keeps maintenance competitive.

For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.

Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.

Dimensions & weight

Length

3,700 mm

Width

1,680 mm

Height

1,500 mm

Kerb weight

1,350 kg

Boot

250–900 L

Battery

40 kWh

How many are still out there

Of every Hyundai Inster ever registered in the UK, this is what's actively on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, or gone for good.

Total ever registered

3,438

Currently taxed & on road

3,428

100% of all registered

SORN (off road)

0% of all registered

Scrapped or exported

Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 1 Jul 2026

Common questions

Hyundai Inster, answered

Is the Hyundai Inster ULEZ compliant?: Most petrol Hyundai Insters from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.
What insurance group is the Hyundai Inster in?: The Hyundai Inster sits in insurance group 11 of 50, towards the cheaper end of the scale. Your actual premium still depends on age, postcode, annual mileage and no-claims history.
Is the Hyundai Inster reliable?: Our reliability score for the Hyundai Inster is 70 out of 100 (good), derived from DVSA MOT records.
What economy does the Hyundai Inster get?: Expect roughly around 4.2 miles per kWh for a typical Hyundai Inster, based on official figures and our running-cost model. Real-world figures vary with driving style, load and conditions.
What are the common problems on the Hyundai Inster?: On the Hyundai Inster, the issues that come up most by mileage include 12V auxiliary battery, Tyres (wear faster on EVs) and Brake discs (corrosion from light use). The section above breaks down each one with its typical mileage, repair cost and severity.
How many Hyundai Insters are on UK roads?: About 3,428 Hyundai Insters are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

Similar cars

Other city car (ev)s worth looking at

Ranked #248 in the UK

Fiat 500e

Read profile →

Common questions

Hyundai Inster, answered from the data

Is the Hyundai Inster reliable?: The Hyundai Inster scores 70/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure. That is computed from 4,966 real DVSA MOT test results.
How much does a used Hyundai Inster cost?: A 2024 Hyundai Inster with around 15,600 miles is worth roughly £13,400 today (typical range £11,200–£15,600). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.
How quickly does the Hyundai Inster depreciate?: A new Hyundai Inster typically loses about 60% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.
What insurance group is the Hyundai Inster?: The Hyundai Inster sits in insurance group 11 of 50 — the cheaper end of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.
What goes wrong on a used Hyundai Inster?: The most common age-related issues we track for the Hyundai Inster are: 12v auxiliary battery (typically around 40k-70k, £120-£220 to put right); tyres (wear faster on evs) (typically around 18k-28k, £320-£600 per set to put right); brake discs (corrosion from light use) (typically around 40k-70k, £240-£480 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.
What does the Hyundai Inster cost to run?: Expect around 4.2 miles per kWh, £195 a year in road tax, about £185 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.

Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.