Hyundai recently revealed its smallest electric SUV in the form of Inster. A battery-powered version of Casper micro SUV, the Inster made its debut at the recently concluded 2024 Busan International Mobility Show in South Korea. From the looks of it, the Inster looks a very compelling EV for the Indian market.
If launched in India, it will go head-to-head with Tata Punch EV. Hyundai is yet to confirm whether it will launch Inster in India or not. Let us check out how it fares against the all-electric Punch.
Hyundai Inster Vs Tata Punch EV: Dimensions
| Specifications | Tata Punch EV | Hyundai Inster |
| Length | 3,857 mm | 3,825 mm |
| Width | 1,742 mm | 1,610 mm |
| Height | 1,633 mm | 1,575 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,445 mm | 2,580 mm |
| Boot space | 366 litres | 280 litres (up to 351 litres with sliding rear seats) |
The Inster is visibly smaller than the Punch.ev in terms of length, width, and height. That said, the Inster has a significantly longer wheelbase which should translate to better interior space, especially legroom and knee room for rear passengers. Punch EV, however, gets a far better boot space of 366 litres.
Hyundai Inster Vs Tata Punch EV: Powertrain specs
| Specifications | Tata Punch EV | Hyundai Inster | ||
| Standard | Long Range | Standard | Long Range | |
| Battery Pack | 25 kWh | 35 kWh | 42 kWh | 49 kWh |
| Peak Power | 79 PS | 119 bhp | 96 bhp | 114 bhp |
| Peak Torque | 114 Nm | 190 Nm | 147 Nm | 147 Nm |
| Claimed Range | 315 km (MIDC) | 421 km (MIDC) | Over 300 km (WLTP) | Up to 355 km (WLTP) |
Both Inster and Punch EV are available in two versions– Standard and Long Range. The Punch EV has smaller battery packs in both variants. Interestingly, the Punch EV offers a better range as compared to the Inster. When it comes to output, Hyundai Inster Standard variant has a more powerful electric motor, pushing out 96 bhp and 147 Nm of torque. In comparison, the Punch EV Standard model makes 79 bhp and 114 Nm of peak torque.
However, in case of long-range variants, Punch EV boasts higher output figures at 119 bhp and 190 Nm of torque. Inster long range variant develops 115 PS and 147 Nm.
Hyundai Inster Vs Tata Punch EV: Charging options
| Specifications | Tata Punch EV | Hyundai Inster | ||
| Standard | Long Range | Standard | Long Range | |
| Battery Pack | 25 kWh | 35 kWh | 42 kWh | 49 kWh |
| AC charger | 3.3 kW / 7.2 kW | 3.3 kW / 7.2 kW | 11 kW | 11 kW |
| AC charging time | 9 hrs 25 min (3.2 kW) / 3 hr 30 min (7.2 kW) | 13 hrs 30 mins (3.2 kW) / 5 hr (7.2 kW) | 4 hr | 4 hr 35 min |
| DC Fast Charger | 50 kW | 50 kW | 120 kW | 120 kW |
| DC Fast charging time | 56 mins | 56 mins | 30 mins | 30 mins |
Hyundai offers a more powerful 11kW standard AC charger as compared to 3.3kW and 7.2kW units offered in Punch EV. It takes the Inster Standard variant around 4 hours to charge fully, while it takes 3 hours and 30 minutes for the Punch.ev base variant with the 7.2kW charger. The Long Range variants of both Inster and Punch.ev take 4 hours 35 minutes and 5 hours, respectively.
Further, Inster comes with 120 kW DC fast charging support as opposed to Punch.ev which supports up to 50 kW DC fast charging. It takes the Inster 30 minutes to charge from 10-80 percent, while it takes 56 minutes for the Punch EV to replenish the battery.
Hyundai Inster Vs Tata Punch EV: Features
The Punch EV is very decently kitted with features like a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, and a host of connected car tech functionalities via Arcade.ev suite including video streaming.
On the other hand, Hyundai is yet to reveal the exact features on offer with Inster. However, it does offer novelties like vehicle-to-load support which can be used to charge external appliances. In addition, Inster also boasts of Level 2 ADAS which consists of features like Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist Rear (PCA-R), Blind-spot View Monitor (BVM), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, etc. That said, it is yet to be seen if the India-spec Inster will be loaded with the features mentioned above.
