Hyundai Kona vs Hyundai Inster

What's the difference?

The Hyundai Kona is the Korean car giant’s best-selling model in Australia, by a reasonably comfortable margin. And in 2025 it managed to battle its way to the top of the ludicrously competitive ‘Small SUV under $45K’ new-vehicle sales category.

Chery’s breakthrough Tiggo 4 Pro, GWM’s Haval Jolion, the MG ZS and close to 20 other well-credited segment rivals can all dream on because currently the Kona has their measure.

So, what’s all that about? Why are so many Aussie SUV buyers choosing to put a Kona in the driveway?

In an attempt to answer that question we slotted a Kona Hybrid into the CarsGuide garage, in this case a new mid-spec Elite version, to explore its relative strengths and weaknesses.

So, if you’re in the market for a compact SUV, with the Kona on your shortlist (and odds are it already is) stay with us for a detailed examination.

There are really only four things you need to know about the all-new Hyundai Inster. It's small outside, yet surprisingly big inside. It's all electric. It's cute as a button. And it's as practical as a Swiss army knife.

Actually, there's one more thing. It's cheap for an EV. But it's still not that cheap, given the wave of cut-price Chinese product now on our shores.

So, can the Hyundai Inster carve itself a slice of the entry-level EV market?