2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid Review
Price & Equipment:8
Performance & Economy:8
Ride & Handling:8.5
Interior & Practicality:8.5
Service & Warranty:8
What we like:
  • Spacious cabin and big boot
  • DCT based hybrid transmission is more engaging to many
  • Excellent ride and handling balance
What we don't like:
  • Dual-clutch transmission can be indecisive and jerky at low speeds
  • Expensive to service
  • Not as efficient as a hybrid Corolla
8.2DiscoverAuto Rating:

The 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid is a rare breed indeed – not only is it a sedan, the once dominant body style which has fallen further and further out of favour with Australian buyers – even within the sedan category it is unusual being a small (bordering on medium) sedan. In fact, the i30 Hybrid Sedan is one of only two small hybrid sedans sold on the Australian market. Despite the Toyota hybrid success story, Hyundai is one of the few manufacturers who is following in their footsteps and pushing out competitive hybrids across its car range. 

2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid

In a world full of SUVs and utes, do small sedans still hold a place? We think there is still life left in the humble sedan, and the promise of excellent fuel economy courtesy of the hybrid drivetrain. So is the i30 Sedan Hybrid worth your money in 2024? Read on to find out. 

How much does the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid cost to buy?

Hyundai sells two hybrid variants of the i30 Sedan, starting at a drive away price of around $37,500, depending on location, topping out at at around $42,500 drive away for the upper-spec Elite Hybrid, depending on location. Our test vehicle was the base i30 Hybrid Sedan finished with premium paint, costing about $38,300 drive away, though Hyundai currently has a $1,500 bonus offer. 

Hyundai equips the i30 Sedan Hybrid with: 

  • Remote keyless entry 
  • 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system 
  • AM/FM Radio, Bluetooth and USB input
  • Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
  • 6 speaker sound system
  • Automatic rain-sensing wipers 
  • Leather steering wheel and gear shifter 
  • Cloth trimmed seats with six ways of manual adjustment for the driver’s seat
  • 4 USB charging points (1x USB A, 3x USB C)
  • Wireless phone charger
  • Heated side mirrors 
  • 4.2-inch driver’s display 
  • Dual-zone automatic climate control with rear air vents
  • LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs)
  • Dusk-sensing automatic LED headlights

The i30 Sedan is equipped with the following safety features:

  • 6 airbags (dual front, dual front side and front and rear curtains) 
  • Reversing camera 
  • Front and rear parking sensors 
  • AEB (Autonomous Automatic Braking) with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assistance
  • Adaptive cruise control 
  • Intelligent speed limit assist
  • Driver attention monitoring with leading vehicle departure alert
  • Tyre pressure monitoring
  • Lane following and keeping assistance
  • Auto high beam 
  • Burglar alarm
  • Rear occupant alert

The i30 Sedan was tested for safety by ANCAP in 2024 and given a three-star rating with scores of 71% for adult protection, 81% for child protection, 62% for vulnerable road user protection and 56% for safety assist.

The entry-level i30 Sedan Hybrid disappointingly isn’t equipped with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. To earn those, buyers must jump to the Elite and that further adds leather upholstery, safe exist assist, auto-folding mirrors, an auto-dimming rear mirror, keyless entry with push button start, remote start and a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen that removes wireless smartphone mirroring, but adds satellite navigation with live traffic and Hyundai’s Bluelink live services.

i30 Sedan Hybrid colour range:

  • Altas White (no cost)
  • Abyss Black (+$595)
  • Intense Blue (+$595) 
  • Ecotronic Grey (+$595)
  • Ultimate Red (+$595)

As mentioned previously, the i30 hybrid sedan only really has a single competitor: the Toyota Corolla Hybrid Sedan, which at around $36,300 drive-away for the entry-level Ascent Sport, costs a touch more than the i30. 

Compared to the Corolla, the i30 adds the following additional equipment: 

  • Front cross traffic alert and assistance
  • Front and rear parking sensors 
  • Tyre pressure monitoring 
  • Burglar alarm
  • Automatic windscreen wipers
  • Leather steering wheel and gear shifter
  • Wireless phone charger
  • Dual-zone climate control (single-zone in the Corolla) 
  • Rear seat air vents 
  • 3x extra USB points 

The Corolla on the other hand features this equipment missing from the i30: 

  • Projector LED headlights (reflector in the i30)
  • Rear LED fog light
  • A larger 7.0-inch driver’s display (4.2-inch in the i30)
  • Smart entry and push button start
  • Satelite navigation
  • DAB+ digital radio
  • Driver’s knee airbag
  • Connected services including safety/security, multimedia and convenience features

We think the i30 represents pretty good value – we would like to see smart entry/push button start, projector headlights, a larger driver display and blind spot monitoring to sharpen the value equation. 

How fuel efficient is the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid?

The i30 sports a hybrid drivetrain which combines a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated Atkinson cycle petrol engine mated to an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery, all of which drives the front wheels. Alone, the petrol engine produces a maximum of 77kW of power at 5,700rpm and 147Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, the electric motor alone produces a maximum of 32kW of power and 170Nm of torque and combined, the system puts out a maximum of 104kW of power and 265Nm of torque. 

The result is a competent drivetrain, which is by no means a performance car, but does well at getting the i30 up to speed and providing more than enough power around town and on the highway, where overtaking is more than possible. The instant torque of the electric motor helps to make the i30 feel faster than it actually is, and for the most part the i30 Sedan feels quicker than the Corolla Hybrid Sedan. The only time we were felt lacking for power was on the rare occasion when the battery was running low and thus not able to provide much assistance to the petrol engine, making the i30 sluggish. 

Unlike Toyota hybrids, which make use of ‘eCVT’ transmissions, Hyundai opts to use a six-speed dual clutch transmission in the i30, which has mixed results. Positively, during acceleration higher speeds, the i30 feels more natural and exhibits less drone than a Toyota hybrid, providing swift shifting through a sequence of gears. The downside is that sometimes at lower speeds, especially accelerating from a standstill through first and second gear, the less desirable characteristics of a DCT become evident with general confusion over which gear to be in. That being said, the electric motor often provides propulsion at lower speeds, which reduces the frequency that the transmission is problematic.  

Hyundai says the i30 Hybrid should use 3.9L/100km of fuel in mixed driving conditions – over a week of mixed suburban, traffic and highway driving, we achieved fuel usage of 4.8L/100kms, a bit above the published figure and as we’ve seen with other Hyundai (and Kia) Hybrids, the use of DCT transmissions is aimed at delivering a more engaging driving experience than using an eCVT. However it comes at the expense of fuel consumption. The i30 will happily sip on 91RON fuel, and achieving the same fuel usage we did, a full 42-litre tank should yield a respectable range of around 875kms. 

What is the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid like to drive?

The i30 sedan rides well, it is just firm enough, which is well suited to a small sedan. The suspension does a great job of soaking up most of what our – often terrible – roads can throw at it. No doubt the smaller 16-inch alloys and thick tyres contribute to this ability to absorb road imperfections. The i30 has good body control, and holds the road well when required – there is minimal body roll, though the extra weight of the Hybrid batteries is noticeable at times. 

The i30 features fairly direct steering, though with the weight of the hybrid batteries, some might find it on occasion to be a tad too heavy. Suppression of road and wind noise is good at lower speeds, at higher speeds speeds tyre roar and wind noise is louder than we’d like – sometimes though this is more obvious than it otherwise would be, as when driving in EV mode, there is no engine noise to mask road and wind noise. 

The most frustrating aspect of the driving experience is the speed sign recognition system – the system unfortunately too often misreads signs thus giving inaccurate and frustrating overspeed warnings – the system can be disabled, but it automatically switches on at the beginning of each drive.

How practical is the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid?

Stepping inside the i30 sedan reveals a capacious modern interior with some interesting design elements that add interest to the space. Most surfaces within the interior are hard plastic – there aren’t a huge number of soft touch materials, aside from the console box lid and upper door cards and armrest. The leather covered steering wheel and gear shifter are a pleasant surprise given this is a base model – given they are two of the most interacted with touch points for the driver, they help to lift the ambience and quality of the space. The quality of switchgear throughout the interior is reasonable, though some switchgear could use a bit more dampening. 

2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid

Up front, seat comfort is good, the seats are supportive and covered with a comfortable soft fabric. The driver’s seat features six ways of manual adjustment – combined with reach and rake adjustment for the wheel, make it fairly easy to find a comfortable driving position for most. The interior controls are simple to use with a logical layout – there are thankfully physical controls for climate control system, a simple to use ’T-bar’ shifter and the electronic parking brake switch is logically located next to the gear shifter. 

Ahead of the driver is a semi-digital instrument cluster – a 4.2-inch screen flanked either side by basic two digit displays, which cleverly gives the impression of being a fully-digital instrument cluster. The small screen which can display useful information, but only small amounts can be displayed at one time, leading to a lot of scrolling. We think Hyundai could better design the layout of these menus and information displays to show more information at the same time. We’d also like to see the additions of tools such as a hybrid coaching system to allow drivers to fine-tune their acceleration.

Infotainment is taken care of courtesy of an 8.0-inch touchscreen unit, which features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in addition to the standard USB/Bluetooth/AM/FM radio – the screen isn’t the most modern unit, but it works well, animations are fluid, menus load quickly and screen clarity is good. We appreciate the physical shortcut buttons which sit either side of the screen – they offer an easy way to interact with the system while driving without taking eyes off the road to delve into menus. 

The rear seat of the i30 Sedan is a roomy space and a comfortable place to spend time. Two tall adults will be quite comfortable, even despite the sloping roofline, the headroom is good and the legroom is excellent. It’s both more spacious and better equipped than a Corolla sedan with a central armrest with cupholders, air vents, two USB-C charging ports and bottle holders in the doors – though only one map pocket. There are also two ISOFIX points and three top-tether points for child seats and the doors open reasonably wide to help loading child seats.

The boot of the i30 Sedan Hybrid measures a healthy 474-litres – versus 470L for the Corolla – and it provides a large and flat space with a spare wheel underneath, though no hooks or side space. The rear seatbacks fold for extra space if needed, though no figure is given for that happening.

How much does the 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid cost to service?

The i30 Sedan Hybrid is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty with lifetime roadside assistance if serviced at a Hyundai dealership and the hybrid battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty as well. The i30 Sedan Hybrid needs servicing once-yearly/every 15,000km and the cost of servicing the i30 Sedan Hybrid over five years/75,000km costs $2,170 ($434 per service).

2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid

Toyota also covers the Corolla with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, though doesn’t include any roadside assistance. The drivetrain warranty can be extended up to seven years in total if serviced to manufacturer logbook requirements, while the battery is covered for 10 years in total if an annual battery check is performed. Five years/75,000km of servicing the Corolla costs $1,225.

Should I buy a 2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid?

In the current climate of sedans and small cars disappearing, we’re happy to see the segment get some love and for those after a small petrol electric vehicle, the i30 Sedan Hybrid represents a real challenge to Toyota’s hybrid dominance in the small car market – with a huge interior, a great ride/handling balance, a drivetrain that some will prefer over more traditional CVT based setups and for the most part, generous standard equipment.

2024 Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid

It’s not perfect – with expensive servicing, higher than expected fuel consumption and a transmission that can tends to get confused at lower speeds. That being said, those looking at a Corolla Hybrid Sedan, the i30 Sedan should definitely be on your comparison list.

About The Author

Like the other DA staff, David’s car obsession started at a young age and continues to this day. From every single Toyota model code to soft touch interior materials, no automotive frontier is unturned with him. When he’s not obsessing over XV10 Camrys or the model year differences in Corollas, he’s helping seniors with technology, ensuring your automotive needs are well fulfilled with David’s writing.

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