Hyundai i20 (2014-2020) review | Practical, excellent-value hatchback

What is the Hyundai i20?

If you’re looking for a used supermini, you will not be short of choices. Indeed, the market is saturated with small-car alternatives to the Hyundai i20. There are the obvious, big-selling rivals such as the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Polo. Then there is a huge supporting cast that includes the Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, Mazda 2, Seat Ibiza, Nissan Micra, Honda Jazz, Skoda Fabia, Kia Rio and more. The second-generation Hyundai i20 has the measure of most of them, though, particularly when it comes to interior space, packing loads of room for passengers and luggage into its supermini-sized footprint.

Introduced in 2014, this version of the i20 brought a sharper, more appealing exterior look, available as either a three- or five-door hatchback – the former optimistically referred to as the i20 Coupe. It was also offered as the Hyundai i20 Active, this being a pseudo-crossover with black body protection panels over the wheel arches and along its flanks, skid plates front and rear, and some roof bars for a more rugged, adventure-ready appearance.

A facelift in 2018 delivered subtly refreshed looks on the outside and some trim and material upgrades within. Crucially, it added a far more advanced infotainment system, plus all models benefitted from enhanced equipment levels. The slow-selling diesel models were also killed off at this point.

In 2020, an all-new, third-generation Hyundai i20 was launched in the UK. If you’re looking to buy a brand new i20, therefore, that is the model to read about.

How practical is it?

Hyundai managed to deliver an impressively practical small car in the i20. Both the three-door Coupe and the five-door hatchback feel spacious and airy inside, although the five-door is obviously the more practical choice overall.

Looking at the i20 Coupe first, it was available from launch in 2014 until the end of 2016, and had 311 litres of boot space with the rear seats up and 986 litres with them folded down. With only three doors, you need to pivot one or both of the front seats forward to get passengers into the back. Once ensconced, they will notice a slight lack of headroom compared to a five-door model.

Speaking of the five-door, in both pre-facelift and post-2018 cars you get either 301 or 326 litres of boot space with the rear seats up, then 1,017 or 1,042 litres with them folded. Those capacities depend on which engine you go for, so be sure to check contemporary brochures for the exact specification of the car you are interested in. That said, the differences are very small indeed.

When it comes to towing, capacities will also vary depending on the engine, but pre- and post-facelift cars share the same figures. The maximum unbraked load you can carry is 450kg, while braked limits vary from 800-1,100kg.

The most practical i20 is the Active, on sale from 2016 until the 2018 update. Admittedly, its boot and towing capacities are the same as for every other version, but it does ride 20mm higher than its siblings, and comes fitted with bump-proof extended wheel arches, skid plates (only cosmetic, sadly) and roof bars. All second-generation i20s were front-wheel drive, though, so don’t expect something as tough and purposeful as a Suzuki Jimny.

Various accessories were offered by Hyundai for the i20, including a tow bar, rubber boot and floor mats, roof rails, phone holders, boot storage dividers, and even an emergency window breaker. You can pick most of these up online, either new or used.

What's it like to drive?

The second-gen Hyundai i20 is competent and capable on the move, although doesn’t have the driver-delighting sparkle of a Ford Fiesta. The suspension is comfortable and the clutch, gear shift and steering all feel light and accurate, which is a boon around town. Visibility is mostly good, too, making this a relatively painless car to park. There is one small blind spot around the rearmost pillar (it’s worse in the Coupe), but the i20 is still far better than many of its contemporaries in this respect.

On twisting roads the i20 can be driven with surprising verve, helped by decent grip and taut body control. Yet there is little reward for doing so, as the major controls offer little in the way of feedback and the handling has been set up to be safe and predictable, rather than edgy and agile. Given the i20’s original target market, that seems sensible. It is surprisingly adept at longer journeys, with good refinement and cushioned ride. Only at low speeds does the Hyundai’s suspension feel a little firm.

When it comes to engines, pre-facelift cars were offered with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol unit producing either 74bhp or 83bhp, with a five-speed manual gearbox in either case. There was also a 99bhp 1.4 four-cylinder petrol with either a six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic, plus a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder from 2016 onwards with 99bhp and a five-speed manual gearbox, or 118bhp with a six-speed manual transmission.

On the diesel front, you could have a 1.1-litre three-cylinder with 73bhp or a 1.4 four-cylinder with 88bhp, both of which have manual six-speed gearboxes. Although they muster more torque than the petrol units, neither is particularly refined, while the former is a sluggish performer. Worse still, in day-to-day use the diesels aren’t much more efficient than the petrol engines. It was no surprise when Hyundai dropped them from the range in 2018.

There was a lot less choice for those buying an i20 Active or i20 Coupe. The Active came with the 99bhp 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine, while the Coupe was sold with either the 83bhp 1.2 petrol or 89bhp 1.4 diesel.

The engine line-up was simplified after the 2018 facelift, with Hyundai offering only the 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol in both 73bhp and 88bhp forms, alongside the 1.0 turbo three-cylinder with 99bhp or 118bhp. The 99bhp engine could even be had with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, though this was pricier at the time. It’s the more powerful 1.0-litre unit that is our pick of the lineup, with eager and smooth performance that gives the i20 a big-car feel outside of the city.

One point of note: the 74bhp, 1.2 petrol had ventilated disc brakes at the front but drum brakes at the rear, while every other version had solid discs at the rear. The drums offer slightly poorer performance if you really need to brake hard. Similarly, post-facelift cars in ‘S’ trim used drums at the rear.

For serious hot hatchback performance, you’ll need to look to the next-generation Hyundai i20N, which had bigger brakes, lowered suspension and a far more powerful engine.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

The Hyundai i20 is generously equipped for a small car, and anyone downsizing from something more expensive may not need to sacrifice much in the way of kit. Well, that’s assuming they steer clear of the pre-facelift S model, which is very basic. Not only does it go without air conditioning, it also has a plastic-rimmed steering wheel and steel wheels instead of alloys.

Much better is the SE, which adds air-con, a leather-trimmed wheel and Bluetooth connectivity, plus upmarket features such as cruise control, parking sensors and electric windows front and rear. Stepping up to Premium spec adds a number of luxuries, such as climate control, a front centre armrest and a small LCD screen within the instrument cluster, while the Premium SE is fully loaded with heating for the front seats and steering wheel, keyless entry, front and rear parking sensors and a panoramic roof.

If your budget stretches far enough, we’d recommend looking for a post-2018 facelift car. Here, Hyundai added its intuitive seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, complete with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Also included with the basic S Connect model was a rear-view camera, DAB radio, USB and Aux sockets, manual air conditioning and rear Isofix child seat mounting points.

Moving from S Connect to SE, you’ll be treated to goodies like cruise control and headlights with a cornering function (they point in the direction you’re turning as you go through a bend). The following Premium Nav trim added – you guessed it – in-built satellite navigation, front and rear parking sensors, folding mirrors, climate control, LED rear lights and a variable height boot floor. The top of the range Premium SE Nav comes with heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, keyless entry and a panoramic sunroof.

There was also an improvement in the safety equipment available, with SE models and above benefitting from features such as a driver attention monitor, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist and high-beam assist.

Hyundai i20 running costs

Superminis come with a certain expectation of low running costs, and that’s very much the case here. The i20 was at the cheaper end of the spectrum for list prices compared to its contemporaries, and it continues to offer good value to used buyers today.

If you choose to service your i20 with a main Hyundai dealer it won’t be hugely expensive, even now. Admittedly, without a warranty to think about, there’s nothing to stop you from servicing an i20 at a non-Hyundai garage, but some people still like the peace of mind from a service book with only manufacturer stamps in it.

Unsurprisingly, the i20 is light on tyre wear and other consumables, regardless of what version you go for. Road tax will be low, too, as will insurance. The engines are all pretty frugal, but you need to keep in mind that the second-gen i20 was tested under the old (and somewhat inaccurate) NEDC fuel consumption schedule, as opposed to today’s WLTP tests. Don’t expect to see the 70-ish mpg quoted for pre-facelift diesels, for instance – it's likely to be more like 45-50mpg in reality. Likewise, the mid-50mpg stats for petrol cars will probably equate to more like high 30s-40mpg. All these numbers are competitive against contemporary rivals, however.

Hyundai i20 reliability

Hyundai had good cause to offer a generous five-year warranty for the i20 when new, as it has proved to be a sturdy little supermini, rated as dependable in numerous reliability surveys and scoring very well against its rivals.

While the second-generation Hyundai i20 doesn’t feature in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, you can take some reassurance from the fact that its third-gen successor is the sixth most reliable small car up to five years old in the UK, and that’s out of 26 cars overall. The current i10, meanwhile, is the most reliable car overall in the entire survey. Hyundai as a brand secured a less brilliant 14th place out of 30 manufacturers, but this is to do with reliability issues with some of its newer EVs, not cheap and simple machines like the i20.

As the five-year warranty that came with a second-generation i20 will have expired by now, and some cars have doubtless fallen into the hands of neglectful owners, be sure to check for knocks and scuffs on the bodywork, or any uneven tyre wear that suggests the alignment is out. The i20 does tend to appeal to older buyers who are more likely to look after it, but check the service record of any potential purchase thoroughly.