Hyundai i20N 2021-present review

It may be one of the class's more recent entries, but the Hyundai i20N is a delightfully old-school hot hatch. It's small, quick, relatively affordable and only available with a manual gearbox. In fact, it neatly supplements the Korean firm's larger offering in this class, the popular Hyundai i30N, which was its first-ever hot hatch.

You'll find this gearbox – a satisfyingly precise six-speed – linked to a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. It's turbocharged and produces 201bhp, which is about par for the hot hatch course, as is the i20N's 0-60mph time. In our hands, it managed the sprint in 6.4sec.

In terms of its character, turbo lag is quite prominent (for a modern unit), so expect a noticeable delay between a kick of your right foot and the engine's performance coming on song. Past that, mind you, it soars high into the rev range with great determination.

Fortunately, this grunt doesn't corrupt the i20N's steering. Sure, there's some slight tugging as this front-wheel-drive pocket rocket puts maximum power to the road, but it's far from unruly and uncontrollable.

Front-end grip is mighty, too, and body lean is incredibly well controlled. Everything feels balanced, giving you loads of confidence on a bendy B-road.

The trade-off is that the ride is firm and will jiggle you around when driving over uneven surfaces. This isn't unusual in a hot hatch, though, and the i20N isn't the worst of the lot. In fact, over small bumps and on the motorway, the ride is fairly compliant for such a car – not so much over harsh, sharp bumps and potholes, on the other hand.

Complimenting the driving experience is the digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. The set-up will make gamers feel at home, because the display can be configured in a multitude of ways. It can show everything from cornering G-force to how much brake pressure you’re using. You can even see your lap times on a track day.

The rest of the car is a doddle to use because the main dashboard controls, including those for the air-conditioning, are proper physical knobs and buttons.

Unfortunately, that theme isn’t continued when it comes to the infotainment system: you’ll find touch-sensitive shortcut buttons below the 10.3in touchscreen instead of physical ones. While we rate the screen’s graphics and resolution, the software is unusually slow for a Hyundai system. The time it takes to boot up after switching on the ignition and the wait for it to respond after making selections can be quite frustrating.

On the plus side, it’s well equipped. All i20Ns have a DAB radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, built-in sat-nav, wireless phone charging and a six-speaker sound system.

Sticking with equipment, there's just one version of the i20N available and it ticks a lot of boxes. You'll find it has a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, 18in alloy wheels, automatic climate control, power-folding door mirrors, privacy glass and keyless entry.

The i20N is also pretty rich in interior space for a small car. It has more than enough leg and head room for six-footers in the front. Helped by only being available as a five-door car, your passengers should find it easy enough to get into the back seats, where there's a surprising amount of leg room. Even tall adults should have a gap between their knees and the back of the seat in front. There’s not a vast amount of head room, but enough for six-footers.

The boot isn't terrible for a car of its size, but the angle of the rear seatbacks meant we really struggled to fit four carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf.

If you're interested in finding a used Hyundai i20N or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at a great price.

As of writing, the Hyundai i20N starts at around £22,000 on the used market, although most examples sport prices of around £23,000 to £25,000. New i20Ns start at £26,230.

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MPG

During our real-world tests, we averaged 40mpg in the i20N.

Road tax

You'll be paying the current flat-rate fee of £180 per year in road tax.

Insurance and servicing

The i20N belongs to insurance group 27 – this is fairly mild for a hot hatch. For three services of the i20N, Hyundai quoted us £899. Other service plans are available.

There's just the one and fortunately its packed with desirable kit. You'll probably want to seek out an example that has the optional-from-new Bose Premium Sound Package, but that's pretty much it.

Our favourite Hyundai i20N: 1.6T GDi N

We've yet to address the elephant in the room and that's the Hyundai i20N's chief rival, the Ford Fiesta ST. Check out our full comparison, entitled Used test: Ford Fiesta ST vs Hyundai i20N, to see how they stack up and test drive them both if you're at all on the fence.

If you have close to £30,000 to spend, a used Toyota GR Yaris is definitely worth considering. It's a blast to drive, not to mention it's much quicker than the likes of the Fiesta ST and i20N.

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If you're interested in finding a used Hyundai i20N or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at a great price.