Hyundai i30 Fastback Review 2024

Hyundai i30 Fastback At A Glance

4/5
Honest John Overall Rating
Few midsize hatchbacks are as stylish as the Hyundai i30 Fastback, but that doesn’t stop it being a thoroughly capable and sensible everyday car.

+Looks great. Sporty driving experience. Space for all the family and their luggage.

-Coupe-like roofline limits practicality to some extent. Ride is firm around town. Interior feels dark.

On average it achieves 79% of the official MPG figure

If conventional midsize hatchbacks aren’t stylish enough for your taste, the Hyundai i30 Fastback could be just what you’re looking for. It’s identical to a regular Hyundai i30 hatchback up to the front doors, but from there the roof swoops down like a coupe, not unlike a posh Mercedes-Benz CLA. The result is perhaps the most elegant five-door hatchback on sale.

The Hyundai i30 Fastback was launched in 2018, a year after the third-generation Hyundai i30 hatchback it is based on. It remained on sale in the UK until early 2023, having received a facelift the previous year (in line with the Hyundai i30 hatchback and Hyundai i30 Tourer estate, which you can read about elsewhere). Here, we are primarily looking at the Hyundai i30 Fastback as it was in 2022-2023.

There are two models to choose from. The Hyundai i30 Fastback N Line looks quite sporty, while Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance is really very fast indeed.

Both cars are generously equipped, with standard features including a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

The N Performance also has a few other useful items, including electrically-adjustable and heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a wireless phone charging pad. It also has bigger alloy wheels and a much more assertive bodykit.

The Hyundai i30 Fastback N Line has a 1.5T GDi petrol engine that produces 159PS. It feels pretty punchy, sprinting from 0-62mph in just over eight seconds. It’s smooth, quiet and usefully efficient.

The 2.0T GDi engine in the N Performance serves up 280PS and provides rampant performance. Sprinting from 0-62mph takes around five seconds, but the engine pulls really hard from any speed. It sounds really good when accelerating, but quiets down when you need it to. It’s even relatively efficient for a powerful engine, at least on paper.

Both engines are available with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

In any form, the Hyundai i30 Fastback is rewarding and enjoyable to drive. You feel engaged with it on a winding country road, particularly so in the N Performance. It’s also easy to potter around town in, and offers a smooth and comfortable ride on motorways. The ride isn’t so good at low speeds – again, particularly so in the N Performance – but that’s the compromise you make for such agile handling. Both models have fantastic seats, though.

The Hyundai i30 Fastback is usefully practical. There’s sufficient space for four average-sized adults to fit comfortably, so it will work well as a family car. The boot is huge, although the car’s steeply sloping roof ultimately limits the size of load that will fit.

The interior looks good and it’s really easy to figure everything out on the dashboard. The infotainment system is also impressive and you’ll quickly learn your way around it. The whole interior feels very solid, too. The design could be more interesting and a lighter colour scheme would be nice, but otherwise the Hyundai i30 Fastback’s interior is a perfectly pleasant place to be.

When it was available to buy new, the Hyundai i30 Fastback cost between £26,000 and £35,000 or so, which is fantastic value for money. We’ve seen some pre-registered examples still available with a discount of £1000 or so, while used examples cost less again. So it’s even better value now.

Buying a really stylish car is often a matter of heart over head, but the Hyundai i30 Fastback shows a car can appeal to both.

What does a Hyundai i30 Fastback cost?