Is the 2025 Hyundai Inster Safe? Euro NCAP Results Explained

Hyundai’s all-electric city-focused SUV, the 2025 Hyundai Inster, recently faced Euro NCAP’s latest safety testing. And while it passed the exam, it did not ace it. The numbers reveal a vehicle that is generally safe but still has areas that need attention. The Inster scored 70% for adult occupant protection, 81% for child protection, 70% for vulnerable road users, and 67% for safety assist systems.

Starting with adult protection, the results were a mix of solid engineering and a few weak spots. In the frontal offset crash test, the passenger compartment held its shape, which is a good sign. However, the driver’s head hit the airbag too hard, resulting in a penalty. Chest protection was marked as marginal for both the driver and rear passenger in full-width barrier tests. Side impact results were better, with mostly good or adequate protection, but the driver’s door came unlatched during the test. That door issue cost the Inster points, especially in far-side crash scenarios.

Child protection fared better. Using dummies modeled after 6 and 10-year-old children, the Inster delivered good safety in frontal collisions. However, in the side barrier test, the chest area of the 10-year-old dummy showed high levels of force, lowering its score in that area. On the upside, the vehicle supports all standard child restraint systems and even allows for rear-facing child seats in the front when the airbag is turned off. That kind of flexibility matters to families.

For pedestrians and cyclists, the Hyundai Inster offers fair protection. Head impact zones across the front of the vehicle scored well, but the windshield pillars and lower bumper zones did poorly, especially in pelvis protection. The vehicle includes a forward collision avoidance system that uses both camera and radar. In tests, it performed well with cyclists and motorcyclists but was only adequate with pedestrians. It also lacks cyclist dooring prevention, which is becoming more common in newer models.

The safety assist score of 67% tells a story of a car that has the right tools, just not the sharpest ones. It features intelligent speed assistance with camera and map integration, direct driver monitoring for fatigue or distraction, and lane-keeping assist that gently guides the vehicle back into its lane. There is automatic emergency braking that responds to slower cars, braking cars, and turning traffic, but its response speed could be better.

Overall, the 2025 Hyundai Inster delivers respectable performance for a city and supermini segment SUV. It is clearly designed with urban functionality in mind, balancing safety tech with affordability. If Hyundai can improve a few key elements—like door integrity and finer crash detection in certain scenarios—the Inster could easily score even higher in future updates.