Hyundai i20 Review (2014-2020)
Hyundai i20 cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
Very good value for money
Five-year warranty gives peace of mind
Lots of space for people and luggage
Cons
Not as much fun to drive as some rivals
Slightly bland styling
Pre-facelift autos are a little clunky
The CarGurus verdict
This second-generation i20 is now only available as a used car, and while the automotive press collectively banged Hyundai’s drum for its generous five-year warranty when new, it’s even more relevant here when used. Buy a year-old i20 and it’ll come with four years of warranty, most new rivals only offering three as standard when new. It all adds up to a sensible choice, then. Don’t think that such pragmatism is all centred around the warranty, though, as the i20 makes a strong case for itself due to the space it offers, and while none are particularly interesting to drive, they’re all capable and inoffensive.
Avoid the earlier S models, as they really did come with a low standard specification, but post-2018 facelifted models all gained some desirable upgrades, most notably air-conditioning and Apple CarPlay. They’re economical, too, not just on fuel, but all running costs, while the styling and cabin are neatly designed and should age well. A good buy new, and an even better one used.
If you’re looking for a supermini you’ll not be short of choices, with the marketplace absolutely saturated with small car alternatives to the Hyundai i20. There are the predictable, big-selling rivals like the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Polo with a huge supporting cast of the Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, Mazda 2, Seat Ibiza, Nissan Micra, Honda Jazz, Skoda Fabia and Kia Rio to name just a few. The Hyundai genuinely has the measure of most of them, though, particularly when it comes to interior space, packing loads of the stuff into its supermini-sized footprint.
Introduced in 2014, the mk2 i20 hatchback brought a sharper, more appealing exterior style, presented in either three-door (this was optimistically referred to by Hyundai as the i20 Coupe)or five-door hatchback body styles. It was also offered as the Hyundai i20 Active, this being a pseudo-crossover, adding some contrasting black body protection panels over the wheel arches and along the flanks, ‘skid plates’ front and rear, and some roof bars for a more rugged, adventure-ready look.
There was a facelift in 2018 that delivered very subtly refreshed looks on the outside and some trim and material tweaks inside. Crucially, it added far more advanced infotainment, plus all the models benefitted from enhanced equipment levels. The slow-selling diesel models were also killed-off at this point. An all-new i20 arrived in showrooms in 2020.
If you’re looking for a supermini you’ll not be short of choices, with the marketplace absolutely saturated with small car alternatives to the Hyundai i20. There are the predictable, big-selling rivals like the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Polo with a huge supporting cast of the Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, Mazda 2, Seat Ibiza, Nissan Micra, Honda Jazz, Skoda Fabia and Kia Rio to name just a few. The Hyundai genuinely has the measure of most of them, though, particularly when it comes to interior space, packing loads of the stuff into its supermini-sized footprint.
Introduced in 2014, the mk2 i20 hatchback brought a sharper, more appealing exterior style, presented in either three-door (this was optimistically referred to by Hyundai as the i20 Coupe)or five-door hatchback body styles. It was also offered as the Hyundai i20 Active, this being a pseudo-crossover, adding some contrasting black body protection panels over the wheel arches and along the flanks, ‘skid plates’ front and rear, and some roof bars for a more rugged, adventure-ready look.
There was a facelift in 2018 that delivered very subtly refreshed looks on the outside and some trim and material tweaks inside. Crucially, it added far more advanced infotainment, plus all the models benefitted from enhanced equipment levels. The slow-selling diesel models were also killed-off at this point. An all-new i20 arrived in showrooms in 2020.
The i20 is competent and capable on the move, but doesn’t have the driver-focussed sparkle of something like the Ford Fiesta. The suspension is comfortable and the clutch, gearstick and steering is light and accurate, which is a boon around town. Visibility is mostly good, too, making parking it relatively painless: there is one small blindspot around the rearmost pillar, but the i20 is still far better in this respect than many of its contemporaries.
On twisting back roads the i20 can be driven with surprising verve, as there’s decent grip and body control. Yet there’s little reward for doing so, as the major controls give little in the way of feedback and the handling has been set-up to be safe and predictable, which given the car’s target market is no bad thing. It is surprisingly adept on longer journeys, however, with good refinement and cushioned ride - only at low speed does the Hyundai’s suspension feel a little firm.
During the time this second-generation i20 was on sale, the petrol engine choices were a pair of 1.2-litre four-cylinder units with either 74bhp or 83bhp, a 1.4-litre petrol with 99bhp mated to a four-speed automatic gearbox. There was also a three-cylinder turbo engine with a smaller 1.0-litre capacity and a choice of either 99bhp or 118 bhp. This is the pick of the engine line-up, with eager and smooth performance that gives the i20 a big car feel when you break free of the city.
Hyundai also offered a pair of diesel offerings, a 1.1-litre three-cylinder, or a 1.4-litre four-cylinder both coming with a manual six-speed gearbox. Neither is particularly refined, while the former is also a sluggish performer. Worse still, in day-to-day use they aren’t that much more efficient than the petrol, so it was no surprise whe Hyundai dropped them in 2018.
Overall, the Hyundai is generously equipped for a small car, and any one downsizing from something more expensive will be surprised to find they won’t be sacrificing much in the way of kit. Well, that’s assuming they steer clear of the 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.
Much better is the SE, which adds air-con, a leather wheel and Bluetooth connectivity, plus big car features such as cruise control, parking sensors and electric windows front and rear. To this the Premium adds a number of luxuries such as climate control, while the Premium SE is fully loaded with heating for the front seats and steering wheel, keyless entry and a panoramic roof. If your budget stretches, then we’d recommend looking for a post-2018 facelift car as Hyundai added its intuitive eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system complete with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity.
There was also a wide scale improvement in the safety kit available, with SE models and above benefitting from features such as driver attention monitor, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist and high beam assist.
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 on list prices compared with its contemporaries, and it’ll continue to offer good value to used buyers. Only the very oldest will have run out of warranty, with all examples coming with generous five-year manufacturer cover.
Insurance groups are all low, with none above group 11, and most being significantly lower than that. Servicing at Hyundai dealers isn’t expensive, and it's worth keeping the book fully stamped by an official dealer workshop to avoid any potential issues should you ever need to tap into that warranty. That’s for the first five years of life, at least, and after that there’ll be any number of cheap, independent garages that’ll be able to keep it in fine fettle for you. It’ll be light on tyre wear and other consumables like brakes and suchlike, while VED rates for post-April 2017 care are the flat rate of £150 a year. Cars registered before that are more variable in VED costs as payments are based on CO2 emissions, but many i20s fall into the £30 a year category.
All the engines should be parsimonious enough, especially if - as is likely - you’re not pushing it very hard. However you drive it, though, you’ll be doing very well to achieve anything like the quoted mpg figures, the i20 having been tested under the old, and somewhat inaccurate NEDC fuel consumption testing schedule. Don’t expect to see the 70- mpg quoted for those diesels, then: it's likely to be more like 45-50 mpg in reality. Likewise, the mid-50s mpg for the petrol cars is more likely to be high 30s or, if you’re on a longer journey, into the 40s. All fairly competitive against its rivals.
Hyundai has good cause to put a generous five-year warranty on its i20 supermini, as it seems not to need it. It’s proven to be a dependable car in numerous reliability surveys, scoring very well against its rivals, and more often than not, getting a top five spot among them all. That’s not just true of the i20, but Hyundai as a brand, so you can be reassured of the reliability of the whole company. Any big issues with the i20 should have been covered by that warranty, with a trawl of various online forums and owners groups only seeing the occasional car that’s causing problems, and these are usually related to electrical gremlins that frustrate, rather than large mechanical issues.
That warranty means few i20s will have fallen into the hands of neglectful owners, too, but 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 an older buyer, too, who are more likely to look after it, and if you buy from a Hyundai dealer's used forecourt, you can be even more certain you’re buying into trouble-free ownership.
- Don’t be confused by Hyundai’s GDI badging on the i20's engines. It’s not 'D' for diesel as you might imagine, it's actually Gasoline Direct Injection. Put simply, that means petrol engines. If you’re after the better long-range fuel economy, the diesel engine choices you’ll need to look out for wear CRDi (Common Rail Diesel injection, in case you’re wondering) badges. However, the diesels are relatively rare in comparison to the petrol choices, and indeed, were unavailable from the 2018 facelift.
- As part of the 2018 facelift, the i20 got a mild makeover to include some things like revised lighting, better standard equipment – including air conditioning and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on all – and Hyundai also brought a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox to the range. It allowed those preferring a two-pedal automatic to have one without any penalty in fuel consumption (as had been the case previously with the ancient four-speed automatic), as it achieved the same combined consumption in T-GDI 99bhp guise, as the manual five-speed choice.
- The i20 Coupe was the basis of the brand’s incredible World Rally Championship contender between 2017 and 2021. Packing a 380bhp turbocharged 1.6-litre engine, four-wheel drive and wild aerodynamics it racked up 17 wins. Sadly, there was no trickle down effect to the road cars, with keen drivers having to wait until the all-new i20 launched in 2020 complete with the brilliant N hot hatch.
- The cheap and cheerful one: Not everyone wants air-conditioning and more than a pair of speakers for the stereo to play Radio 4 through, right? If that’s the case then the i20 in S trim will suit you perfectly, because it does without air-con and there really are only two speakers, too. The cheapest, and most cheerful, if you’re happy with the above, although we’d suggest getting a post-2018 S so you get Apple CarPlay and chilled air as standard, even on that entry-level S.
- The image-conscious one: That’ll be the Active. The world’s gone mad for SUVs and crossovers, and keen to tap into that, Hyundai gave customers something little but SUV-like in its looks with the Active trim. There’s some additional plastic body trim, including some ‘skid plates’ on the front- and rear bumpers, some roof bars and a 20mm increase in the ride height. Easy as it is to mock these pseudo-crossovers, all that scuff-resistant plastic is a boon for urban users, helping the car to shrug off parking knicks and dings on the doors a bit better. The jacked-up suspension makes getting in and out a bit easier too, while the Active makes lighter work of traffic-calming bumps than standard i20 models.
- The i20 for big miles: The days of superminis being mere second cars are long-gone, especially if your supermini is as big and accommodating as the i20. If you’re using it for longer journeys, make sure you seek out a diesel. The easier, low-rev flexibility thanks to their greater torque – particularly with the 1.4-litre model – make it a surprisingly capable and very economical choice if you’re winding big miles onto the odometer.
- The automatic – The manual gearbox in the i20 is light and crisp enough in its shift that it’s not really a chore, but if you’re city-bound and often stuck in stop-start traffic, the automatic is the one to have. Be sure to pick the post facelifted i20 automatic, though, because it’s a seven-speed DCT (that’s Dual Clutch Transmission), which is slicker than the pre-facelifted four-speed automatic. Post-facelift cars also gained stop-start technology, so you’ll not be sat with the engine running in stationary traffic, either.
