• More space than an i20
• Not as big as some rivals
• Packed with safety kit

Since the Bayon is based on the Hyundai i20, it shares much of the same cabin layout, but it has a slightly larger body. As a result there’s plenty of room up front for a couple of tall adults, and a useful selection of handy cubbies for emptying your pockets into.

Move to the rear and you’ll find enough legroom for another couple of big adults and just enough headroom for them, too. It will be a bit tighter to sit three abreast in the back, but again, the extra space means it’ll be better than an i20.

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Boot space and storage

The Hyundai Bayon has a 334-litre boot, which is on the small side – class leaders such as the Renault Captur and Ford Puma offer in excess of 400 litres of space. Fold the 60:40 back seats flat, and there’s 1,205 litres to play with, which again is behind the class best by around 70-80 litres.

The Bayon comes with an ‘intelligent’ luggage cover that can be slid along the rear of the back seat to fully separate the passenger compartment from the boot area. There’s also a useful height-adjustable boot floor that can be used to either ease loading when it’s level with the load lip, or maximise cargo space in its lower setting.

This feature is very helpful, because the Bayon has a relatively high load lip that can make lifting heavy items in or out a bit tricky. On a positive note, the Bayon’s SUV styling means it has a black plastic rear bumper, which will be sturdier and more resistant to scratches than a painted item.

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Is it easy to park?

While the Bayon is marketed as a small SUV, the reality is that its driving position feels barely any taller than an i20’s. However, there are plenty of other small SUVs that this criticism can be levelled at, while the Hyundai still offers a decent view of your surroundings.

The main criticism we have of the Bayon is that rear visibility is severely limited by the thick C-pillars and relatively narrow back window. However, Hyundai mitigates this by including rear parking sensors and a reversing camera on all models. Combined with the large door mirrors, it means manoeuvring the Bayon should be straightforward enough.

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Safety

• Four-star Euro NCAP test
• Lacks most advanced kit
• Still a safe car, though

The Bayon earned a four-star Euro NCAP crash test rating in the second half of 2021. While that’s one short of a full house, the small Hyundai shouldn’t be written off as an unsafe car, it just means it doesn’t have the most advanced safety kit on offer.

There are still six airbags and two pairs of Isofix child seat attachments in the back, while automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection is fitted to all models to help reduce the risk of collisions. All cars also get Lane Keeping Assist, which beeps if it detects you are leaving your lane without indicating.

You need to go for a top-spec model for a full complement of safety kit. There’s a blind spot warning system fitted to this variant, while Lane Following Assist joins the lane keep system to help steer the Bayon back into its lane if the electronics detect the car straying.