2009 Hyundai i10 1.25 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Worst decision I ever made

Faults:

Oil burning and leaking.

Bad clutch.

Loud engine.

Rough suspension.

General Comments:

Horrible, horrible car. The clutch is so squeaky and stiff, and when you’re at 3rpm it sounds like something's being shredded. The engine sounds like a blender and it leaks and burns so much oil, putting 2 litres a week in; don’t know how it hasn’t seized.

Fair enough it is a decent car for driving around town or whatever, but anything over 55mph going a distance and the car will be ready for a heart attack. Suspension also not great, when you go over a speed bump it’s as if the shocks are just bricks. Maybe if it was better looked after it would run fine, but you just never know.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 8th August, 2025

2018 Hyundai i10 SE 1.25 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

An excellent city car for those unconcerned with image and it's a hoot to drive

Faults:

The second 12v socket was not working. Fixed by my local Hyundai dealership under the original warranty. Turned out to be a burnt fuse.

General Comments:

The i10 is the smallest car made by Hyundai and I absolutely love driving this. It is so easy to drive and park.

I gel better with this car than the Nissan Almera I owned previously (also reviewed on this website). Simple things like lighter power steering, being able to switch the stereo on without the ignition key and the lever to recline the front seat instead of a rotary knob. Seat comfort is also better.

South Korean in origin, however this i10 was manufactured in Turkey. It feels incredibly well engineered for a small inexpensive car. I'm glad that it has a mechanical handbrake and a space saver spare wheel. This SE spec suits me fine. It is mid range which offers air conditioning, cruise control and four electric windows. The Premium spec i10s look smarter than the SE and have even more equipment.

One thing of note is that this 2018 i10 does not have a CD player, which is something that Hyundai phased out of their cars. However, you do get two 12v sockets and a USB port. There is also Bluetooth and a DAB stereo.

Most of my driving is around town so I get around 44 mpg. On a long run I achieved 50 mpg. I believe that better fuel economy could be achieved with the 1.0 litre engined version, but this 1.25 litre engined version offers a good compromise between performance and economy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th January, 2022

6th Jan 2022, 18:01

Nice honest review. They are good cars. Hyundai, like Kia, have come a long way in recent years. Much better cars than they used to be.

22nd Apr 2025, 17:48

Fantastic little cars, I had one as a hire car for a week a few summers ago on holiday, it was much better than I thought it would be.

2010 Hyundai i10 1.1 from South Africa

Summary:

Great little Korean

Faults:

A/C stopped working.

General Comments:

This small car is worth its money. Comes with most electric conveniences like 4 electric windows and mirrors. Sound system is adequate. It's a fun car to drive wildly around town, but with its very powerful 50kW/99Nm you will hardly get into any trouble with its sharp brakes and handling. It is however terrible on long distances. Overtaking requires you to put the car into sports mode, which is engaged by sticking the gear lever into 3rd and flooring the accelerator. That is the only thing I don't like about this car.

It is very well built and hasn't given a day's problem save for the A/C that packed up.

Changing a headlight light bulb requires you go to the dealer. I wanted to do it myself and did, but the car manual states (you won't believe this) that the front bumper has to be removed. I struggled for 2 hours to remove the headlight housing.

Overall it's a good city car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd March, 2016