• Big, albeit strangely shaped, boot
• Five-star Euro NCAP safety rating
• Lots of driver assistance technology

How much space is there?

About the same as you get in the Hyundai i30 hatchback, although headroom in the rear is restricted due to that sloping coupe roofline. With a tall driver ahead, rear-seat passengers will find their scalps brushing against the headlining.

However, space up front is the same as in the hatchback. Leg and elbow room is generous and there’s a good range of storage bins dotted around the cabin – including a tray in the centre console that’s ideally sized for a smartphone and drinks holders in the door pockets that are big enough for large water bottles.

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Boot space and storage

On paper, the i30 Fastback’s boot looks great. It’s sized at 450 litres, which is 55 litres more than you get in the standard i30 hatchback. It also trounces popular hatchback rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus, beating both by around 70 litres.

That headline figure doesn’t tell the full story, though. Because of its coupe-shaped rear end, the i30 Fastback’s boot is a strange shape. It’s long and low, which means you’ll struggle to load larger items without lowering the rear bench. Bulky items will make contact with the rear glass and prevent you from closing the tailgate.

You can get around this by dropping the boot board into its lower position, but then you have to deal with an awkwardly high loading lip. Think of it like this – the standard i30 hatch’s boot is shaped like a box, while the Fastback’s boot is more like a drawer. So its suitability to your lifestyle will be determined by the sort of stuff you need to carry regularly.

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Is it easy to park?

The i30 Fastback’s funky rear end certainly restricts your vision more than the conventional i30. The thicker C-pillars and narrow rear window make it harder to judge where the rear corners are. You need to be mindful of the extra bodywork beyond the hatch, too.

Hyundai gets around this issue by fitting the Fastback with front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera as standard. Both work well – the video feed is sharp and the parking sensors respond to even minor obstructions like hedges and grass.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP safety rating
• Lots of standard driver assistance tech
• Isofix anchor points in the rear

The i30 Fastback might not be the most practical way of transporting your family around, but it’s certainly one of the safest. Euro NCAP awarded the car a five-star safety rating – and the testers were particularly impressed with the strength of the car’s dashboard structure, which prevents any serious injuries to the passenger’s lower body.

Euro NCAP also praised the i30’s autonomous emergency braking system for its low-speed responsiveness – but that’s just one feature in the car’s extensive arsenal of safety equipment. Standard equipment includes lane-keeping assist, a speed limiter, hill-start assist, high beam assist and rear cross-traffic collision warning.

There’s a total of nine airbags dotted around the i30 Fastback’s interior, along with a pair of Isofix points for the rear seats. However, you can’t specify an Isofix point for the front seat, meaning the car isn’t ideal for transporting newborns.