Hyundai i20 hatchback (2009-2015) - Reliability & safety

The Hyundai i20 is a fairly simple, robustly built car, so there shouldn't be any big worries about poor reliability or hefty repair bills down the line. And even if it does go wrong, there's a five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty to provide peace of mind.

It's also very safe, with a good crash-protection rating and plenty of safety technology standard on even the most basic model.

Reliability

Hyundai has never recalled the i20 and there have been no reports of any major problems or faults. The model didn't feature in our most recent Driver Power 2014 owner satisfaction survey, but finished 59th in the 2012 edition – two places behind the Hyundai i10 city car and six places ahead of the Ford Fiesta. Hyundai finished an impressive seventh overall in the brand rankings that year.

In the 2013 edition of the survey, Hyundai fell seven places to 14th, while the i20 ranked a disappointing 120th. Long-term durability of the interior materials is also a worry and some owners have reported broken folding keys and earlier-than-expected clutch failures.

Safety

All models include at least six airbags, electronic stability control and active head restraints as standard. The front passenger airbag can be deactivated should you decide to use a child seat up front. Both rear seats have ISOFIX child-seat mounts.

The i20 also secured the maximum five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash safety test when it was evaluated by the organisation in 2009, scoring 88% for adult occupant protection and 83% for child occupant protection.

According to the testers: "The i20 scored maximum points for its protection of the one-and-a-half-year-old in the front and side impacts."

It also did well in the pedestrian safety stakes, with a mark of 64%.