Hyundai turns on the style – just a little – for its third-generation Polo chaser
The previous generation of the Hyundai i20 proved that a meat-and-potatoes kind of supermini could sell well even in style-savvy Europe.But that was 10 years ago and this is now, and in that time Hyundai has become quite a different company. It has long moved away from bargain-basement cars, and that’s paying dividends. Its sales are flying at the moment, the firm posting year-on-year growth in sales and market share.As part of that evolution, the kinds of cars Hyundai sells has also changed: 75% of Hyundai Motor UK’s 2023 sales were SUVs. In other words, that means that the i10, i20, i30 and Ioniq 6 put together account for just 25%.So where does that leave the i20 hatchback? In Europe, at least, it’s no longer the important model that it once was. And to an extent, that’s reflected in how limited this update is, with some mild visual changes and a rationalised engine line-up.The i20 may no longer be the driver of sales that it once was, but superminis still have an important role to play in keeping people mobile and building brand loyalty. And with the Ford Fiesta consigned to history, there will surely be plenty of people looking for an alternative. And anyway, there’s often something joyful about a small, simple and relatively light car.The i20 line-up at a glanceOver the years, the i20 range has shifted, and quite simply thinned out. For 2026, every i20 comes with a 1.0-litre turbo triple. On three of the four trim levels, it has 89bhp and comes with a choice of a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch auto. Go for N Line S trim, and you get an extra 10bhp, but that version is manual-only. The excellent Hyundai i20 N hot hatch was dropped when the regular i20 was facelifted in 2024.
