Hyundai i10 review

Up front there’s similar head and leg room to that you'll find in a Kia Picanto. The main difference is that the i10's interior is wider, so more amply proportioned passengers will have the room to breathe. 

Storage space is good. There's a tray in front of the gearlever – big enough for a smartphone, wallet or keys – and you'll find another that's perfect for a small umbrella above the glovebox. The latter is also a good size, as are the door pockets, and you get a couple of cup holders, too

Unlike the majority of city cars on sale, the i10 is a five seater. That immediately makes it more versatile than the four-seat Toyota Aygo and Volkswagen Up, and puts it on par with the Kia Picanto. Admittedly, you'd struggle to load up the back seats with three large adults, but there's sufficient leg and head room for two six-footers to fit in the back without feeling crushed. The only other value car that can do that is the larger Dacia Sandero.

The hump that runs along the middle of the floor is low, so along with the gap under the front seats there's plenty of foot space. You even get a couple of door pockets big enough for a small bottle of water – a feature that's rare in a city car.

There's not a great deal to mention here. The i10’s rear seatbacks are split 60/40 and can be folded down by pressing buttons next to the rear head restraints.

There's no lumbar or height adjustment for the front passenger, either standard or at extra cost, but that's broadly the case among its rivals, too

At 252-litres, the i10’s boot is only a couple of bottles of pop short of the Picanto’s impressive 255-litre capacity. In other words, there's enough space for three carry-on suitcases with some room leftover, or a fairly hefty shopping trip.

When you're lifting your shopping in and out there's a fairly high drop to negotiate from the edge of the tailgate to the boot floor, but it's not as big as it is in the Picanto. No i10 has a height-adjustable boot floor; this means you're stuck with a bump in the boot floor when you fold down the rear seats. 

If you need a more practical boot, the Dacia Sandero’s is significantly bigger.