Hyundai i10 review

Up front the i10 offers a similar amount of head and leg room to the Kia Picanto, which means plenty of space even if you're six feet tall. The main difference is that the i10's interior is wider, so more amply proportioned passengers will have extra room to breathe. 

Storage space is also 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. 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 without feeling crushed. The only other cars that offer more space in the back for the price (or less) are the larger Dacia Sandero and Duster. 

In the i10 the hump that runs along the middle of the rear floor is low, which along with the useful gap between the floor and the bottom of the front seats means 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 as standard or at extra cost. That's broadly the same deal you get with its rivals, though.

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 (below the parcel shelf) 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 – it fitted twice the number of cases (six).