In-depth reviews

Hyundai i20 hatchback (2015-2020): owner reviews

"The Hyundai i20 is a roomy, affordable and attractive supermini, but keen drivers should look elsewhere"

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by Richard Ingram

26 Jun 2020

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Carbuyer Rating

3.4 out of 5

Owners Rating

4.1 out of 5

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

79%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Brakes, Other (1 case)
Engine (1 case)
Engine, Gearbox / clutch (1 case)
Gearbox / clutch, Other (1 case)
Gearbox / clutch (2 cases)
Engine, Other (1 case)

Review 1 of 14

Tell us what you think about your car?

The car looks pretty simplistic and a little dull. The curves are nice and the car looks quite elegant with its parking lights on in the dark, but they could have tried a little better to make this car stand out. Inside, the cheap plastics are a bit off-putting. They add a downmarket feel to the car initially which I feel is quite a let down. Plastics are also more likely to scratch, if the owner isn't careful. However, apart from that aspect, the interior is otherwise fantastic! The shape of the dashboard is pretty sleek and the integration of the HUD fits in so nicely, Not to mention the coloured mats, door card and seating! It that adds a little personal touch. For a 1.2 engine, this car gives more power than I expected. I've jumped down from a 1.6 and I can tell you that this 1.2 is a whole lot nippier and gives you a bit more kick, which I was surprised about. I am not too sure if it's the engine or the exhaust, but when flooring it a bit, the car sounds quite sporty, which does raise some eyebrows. If not flooring it, the fuel consumption of this car is apparently supposed to be pretty decent, however I only average about 30.3mpg (on the display) when driving gently. Finally, the steering is very responsive, but does not feel out of control. You let the car know what you want to do, and it does it nicely. You get a lot more feel from the road which is nice when you want to feel in control, but the stiffer suspension might give you a little bit of a bumpy ride if the roads aren't up to scratch. Overall, the car is worth thinking about. The Hyundai badge isn't worth looking at when looking at this car, as they've proven that they might just be a big name in the future. If you're used to cars that are around 10+ years behind the current year, this car will be a comfortable introduction to modern cars. It boasts better economy, drive, technology etc, without scaring you off with a hefty price tag or insurance quote.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Way better than my previous car 2014 Polo 1.2 TSI (which was unreliable, unstable and with expensive servicing). The i20 is stable, quiet, robust and practical as a bigger car. Great real world economy also.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I think this car is truly wonderful and, for a full year, it gave me no problems. However entering year two it suffered an engine fault, where a fuel leak caused the computer to put the engine in safe mode, so I had no power. After the repair not had any problems since.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I've had my car for 2 years now and i think it is a really good value car and I do like it. However, i have recently had to get a new starter motor put in my car. I had quite a bit of trouble getting the Hyundai garage to believe me that my car had a problem as it would sometimes start and sometimes wouldn't but luckily on the second day it was in the garage it wouldn't start and they identified the problem and fixed it! Also, a few months ago i had an oil leakage that led to a two day investigation in which I had to have a new clutch installed. Thankfully, my car is still under warranty but it does run out later this year which i am actually quite worried about!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Great wee car very happy with performance + MPG Dont be a badge snob

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Super wee sporty car. The reviews on this site knock it because of the badge on it but the quality and drive smoothness is second to none. has all the power it needs!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I've just bought a Hyundai i20 in Premium trim with the more powerful 120ps T-GDI engine and I have to say it's beautifully smoothly powerful - there's a bit of delay while the turbocharger kicks in but it's amazing for a three-cylinder one litre engine. I'd wish the interior was slightly less muted and the boot was slightly bigger, but the inside is good and roomy and the car feels nice and sold and it's well kitted with extras, plus it looks good in Iced Coffee I think. Added to everything it's got a five year warranty and if you can get it under Hyundai's Affinity scheme it's unbeatable!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I really didn't like this car at all, it was bad on fuel, especially short journeys. I averaged about 30mpg. It was sluggish, so forget trying to get up a hill, it really struggled even when dropping gears. It wasn't too bad on the motorway, but I often struggled to get to 70mph when joining from slip road. I had issues getting it into reverse, the gearbox stuck, and the car was only 6 months old when I got it. It had some good features such as Bluetooth, lane departure warning, a phone holder, a decent sized boot, reverse parking sensors, it was sporty looking and felt sturdy. Other than that, I can't think of any positives, apart from the 5 year warranty. I wouldn't recommend this car to anyone else. I sent it back after 6 months, but wish I'd done this sooner!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

One thing I don't like about the i20 is the way the gearbox is designed. 1st and third gear are too close together, often resulting in putting in third to pull away from traffic lights, it's not very pleasurable on a slope, hill-assist doesn't help here, if it comes on no problem I'm off, but most the time it stays off even on the hill that it has worked before , it maybe worth seeing if the dealer can reset the hill assist?, I had n problem driving VW Group 1.9tdi, without hill assist. Driving on the motorway is fantastic, ok a bit slow before the Turbo kicks in at 50mph, but fuel consumption rises to a whacking 42mpg, well short of Hyundai test figures. This may better than cars 15 yrs ago, but is poor by todays standards for petrol engines, I found the trip computer highly inaccurate. Overall MPG v Actual MPG v Fuel left - gives vague figures. Overall is a low reading, Actual only reads up to 99.9mpg for some reason and seems to give higher instant readings than what Overall reports. The Fuel left maybe the most accurate. My last fill up gave me 507 miles, that's 48 mpg, but the overall mpg gave me 42. One think to note is that the Overall takes ages to get going compared to my previous 02 plate Octi. Whilst on subject of fuel the orange warning light comes on at 30miles remaining. It has a pleasant driving position, firm seats, plenty of space in the back for 2 teenagers, 3 will get in for a short journey with few complaints, I like the way the back seats are sculpted to hold you in the seat . Rear seats fold down, but not flat, boot space is adequate for a 2-3 weekly shop. Plus there is the additional space underneath the boot floor and in the tyre well for any oil, washer fluid and Hi Visibility vest. Outside you get one rear fog light and one rear reversing light on opposite corners; reversing sensors on the SE model. Front driving lights are non LED on this model. The dashboard is laid out well, if a little over bright in the daylight and needs turning down. At night the lights on controls around the dash take on a pleasing blue colour, or you will be blinded by the dashes display - a reminder this model does not have auto headlamps. No sat nav on this car, but DAB, USB port, Lane Departure system and Stability control. The turning circle is small, stopping is good with disc brakes all round and I can now get into spaces my Octavia couldn't! Overall this cars get me from A-B; Fuel consumption could be better and the problem with hill assist not always working is an issue, I doubt it is clutch related as the clutch would "slip" when driving up steep hills, it doesn't.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

A solid well made car - everything fits properly and they don't cut corners like not fully painting under the bonnet. Refined - quite and rides well. A very thick owners manual that has to be read - there are lots of features that need to be understood - if anything it's a bit too complicated, eg the instrument displays. Fuel consumption disappointing but the automatic is only 4 speed and we use the aircon a lot. We bought as a pre-reg at a great saving - the colour we really wanted had a very long delivery time. We've also found that Hyundai dealers vary a lot in quality. Only faults we've experienced are a couple of false tyre pressure warnings shortly after taking ownership, symbol paint crumbling on the left hand column stalk and the auto gearbox possibly fighting the handbrake when stationary - we've yet to ask the dealer to inspect andcheck.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

This Hyundai i20 is the best car I have ever owned. It’s a 2013 1.4Crdi diesel version with 220Nm torque, currently at 157,000km with no problems at all. Everything is still original with no leaks. I’m from South Africa. Not sure about mpg and annual miles. Approx 20,000km in one year, average of 5L/100km, servicing it myself.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

A well thought-out medium sized car which is used by four drivers from 5'2" to 6'5". The SE trim level has all comfort gadgets at a fair price. Its previous owner was a rental firm and it has 12k. I can't fault it. It's good in bad weather and the 1.2-litre engine has enough power, and we get an easy 40+mpg. Because of its age, road tax is only £30 per year, too.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Had it for a week and love the car. My last two cars were fiestas and would have bought another but the difference in price and spec was to much to accept. I am so pleased with the i20 it's far better than I expected, OK it's not as nippy as my Fiesta but I actually think it's a lot nicer ride and deals with the dreaded speed humps far better. I am confident the mpg will be far better than the Fiesta, which was awful, too.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I have had this car for 30 mths, I was pleased at first but now it has developed a tappits noise. I have only done around 7000 miles which I feel is low to be having problems. Hyundai services tell me is quite a big job to repair. It also doesn't fare well on the battery life, as despite buying new, when left in car parks while on holiday, the battery is always flat on our return (we didn't have this problem with our other car). Hyundai are asking a lot of money to repair this problem, evidently if you don't pay them to service your car your warranty is void so read the rules carefully. Anyway, if anyone knows how to deal with the problems I am discovering I would appreciate any info.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

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