Used Hyundai ix20 for sale: everything you need to know

The Hyundai ix20 is a good example of a car from what you might call the Korean maker’s previous era. By 2010 when the ix20 launched Hyundai had already discovered how to make talented and practical cars that offered good value for money, but not yet how to make desirable ones - and that neatly describes the ix20.

Taking the form of a supermini-sized MPV the ix20 won’t get your heart racing, but it’s spacious and well-equipped for its size, and its tall roof and raised seating position should find favour with parents, and drivers who don’t have the mobility to stoop into something lower. It’s light and easy to drive too.

The similar Kia Venga is another option from around the same time that may suit your needs, while other compact MPVs included the Vauxhall Meriva and Ford B-Max. Each is a little more novel than the ix20, the Ford getting sliding rear doors and the Vauxhall rear-hinged rear doors, each for easier access.

Should you buy a Hyundai ix20?

Dacia has become the default choice in the modern market if you prefer simple, common-sense cars to a flashy image, but Hyundai and its Korean counterpart Kia offered the same for the longest time before that. The Hyundai ix20 is very much a car in this mould: it’s not a car you’ll boast to all your friends about owning, but it is the kind of car that’ll slip quietly into everyday life, serving your needs without making a fuss about it.

The ix20 takes the form of a supermini-based MPV - it’s very similar to the regular Hyundai i20 underneath, but has a taller roof, for the benefit of passenger space and luggage space. The seats are mounted higher than in an i20, which is ideal if you have trouble dropping down into a regular car (or climbing up into an SUV), and similarly raised rear seats help when loading kids into child seats.

The 440-litre boot is bigger than several cars in the class above too, and while the interior design doesn’t have much colour or personality (and most models didn’t receive a touchscreen or satnav), Hyundai absolutely nailed usability in this generation of its cars - in fact, it puts some modern equivalents to shame.

What you don’t get is an exciting driving experience, but that hardly matters. Importantly, the ix20 rides well - it’s clearly been tuned for comfort - and the light controls and accurate steering make it a doddle to drive and keep your stress levels low. The small selection of petrol and diesel engines is frugal and generally refined whether you’re pottering around town or cruising on the motorway.

Small MPVs like this have basically gone extinct these days, replaced by crossovers, but they were quite popular for a while - the Kia Venga was the partner car to the ix20, while the Ford B-Max and Vauxhall Meriva did a similar job. Depending on your budget, there are a few premium options too: the BMW 2-Series Active Tourer launched in 2014, and the Mercedes B-Class available since 2005 combine class with practicality.

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What’s the best used Hyundai ix20 model to buy?

Hyundai made sure the basic level of equipment in the ix20 was as much as most buyers would need, so while the SE looks a little dated in terms of kit alongside some of the Hyundais that followed - the SE has no touchscreen system, and you’ll search in vain for LED daytime running lights - it’s not especially worth going out of your way to find an SE Nav or Premium Nav, particularly as the navigation system won’t be a match for your smartphone.

Like the ix20’s equipment list, the ix20’s engine lineup now looks a little old-hat - two non-turbo petrol models, and a diesel. If you’re mainly bouncing around town then even the 1.4 petrol should be enough, while the diesel’s 115g/km rating makes it cheap to tax, £35 at current rates, and while you may not match the official 64mpg figure, mid-50s should easily be achievable on longer trips.

Used Hyundai ix20 fuel economy and performance

• Hyundai ix20 1.4 Blue Drive: A 90PS 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine served as the entry point for most of the ix20’s time on sale. With a five-speed manual gearbox, 0-62mph took a claimed 12.8 seconds, while economy was 50.4mpg combined on the NEDC cycle.
• Hyundai ix20 1.6 MPi: The larger 1.6-litre petrol made 125PS, cutting the 0-62mph time down to 10.8 seconds with a manual gearbox and 11.5 seconds with a six-speed automatic. WLTP economy was 37.1mpg for the manual and 34.3mpg for the auto, though for comparison with the 1.4, the 1.6 auto was 43.5mpg on the older, less accurate NEDC test.
• Hyundai ix20 1.6 CRDi: Offered with a six-speed manual gearbox, the 1.6-litre turbodiesel was good for 115PS and an 11.4-second 0-62mph time. NEDC combined economy was quoted at 64.2mpg.

What used Hyundai ix20 trim levels are available?

The Hyundai ix20 got a fairly small range of trim levels, with SE serving as the entry point but also the model around which the other trim levels were based - upgrading to the SE Nav and Premium Nav added only a little equipment at each stage.

• The Hyundai ix20 SE was the well-equipped base model, with 16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, auto headlights, electric heated and folding door mirrors, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearknob, rear parking sensors, and an MP3-compatible stereo with USB and aux connections.
• The Hyundai ix20 SE Nav had all the same equipment as the SE but added a touchscreen navigation system, and a rear-view parking camera.
• The Hyundai ix20 Premium Nav only offered a couple more features again over the SE Nav, with privacy glass for the rear windows, and a tilting and sliding panoramic glass sunroof.

Used Hyundai ix20 dimensions and boot size

The Hyundai ix20’s dimensions are:

• Length: 4120mm
• Width: 1765mm (without mirrors)
• Height: 1600mm

The Hyundai ix20’s boot size is:

• 440 litres
• 1486 litres with the rear seats folded (to roof)

Used Hyundai ix20 road tax

The Hyundai ix20 went off sale in 2019, which means later models attract a flat rate of VED or ‘road tax’, currently £180 per year. Models registered prior to April 2017 instead have tax based on their CO2 emissions, making diesel models cheaper - the 1.6 CRDi currently costs only £35 per year, while the 1.6 petrol is most expensive, its 150g/km attracting a £200 bill.

How much is it to insure a Hyundai ix20?

As you’d imagine, a small and affordable mini-MPV isn’t the kind of car that attracts high insurance group ratings. The most basic 1.4-litre petrol models start in group 7, and this only rises as high as group 13 for a 1.6-litre diesel in top trim. This is very similar to the groups 8-12 of a Ford B-Max.

Read our full Hyundai ix20 review