Hyundai i30 Hatchback (07-11) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Last Updated: 20 July 2010
Thanks to the i30, Hyundai has moved away from the cheap-and-cheerful budget cars it used to be associated with. Aiming its sights on models like the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf, it looks modern and smart (if a little unexciting), comes with a generous amount of standard equipment and drives in a manner far superior to any previous Hyundai. There's also a good range of petrol and diesel engines. And when it comes to quality, Hyundai's willing to put its money where its mouth is - the i30 comes with a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty. In 2010 the i30 was given a mid-life facelift with a new grille and new bumpers. A stop and start system was also made available as a cost option making it even more economical, while a low-powered diesel engine was added to the line-up.
3.5 out of 5

Other Hyundai reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

Affordability is one of the reasons buyers are drawn to the Hyundai brand and the i30 is no different. The five-year warranty takes care of any nasty unexpected costs, while servicing at main dealers tends to be decent value. Higher mileage drivers should appreciate the 60mpg that's possible with the 1.6-litre diesel, though all the cars in the range are fairly economical.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,279 - £1,534 *

Diesel

£957 - £1,308 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

12,500 miles for petrol models and 20,000 miles of diesel versions

Warranty

Five-years/unlimited mileage.

Road tax (12 months)

£20.00 - £170.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

4 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
    110
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
    165
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The cleanest engine in the range is the 89bhp 1.6-litre diesel which emits 115g/km of CO2 and 110g/km with stop and start meaning an annual tax bill of £20 and £30 respectively. Elsewhere in the range it's pretty average - the petrols range from 145-165g/km. Improvements made in 2010 mean emissions on petrol models dropped by 3g/km.

Find the exact engine and CO2