A 2nd Gen Hyundai i10 (2014 to 2019) is the better buy, provided its rear brake calipers aren't seizing, while a 2008 to 2014 1.1 or 1.2 manual with a heavy or juddering clutch is the one to avoid.
6 known faults, 3 rated high severity in our database; owners report 44.5 mpg, 84% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Hyundai i10 advert (free) →A 2nd Gen i10 (2014 to 2019) is the safer buy, because the clutch fault on 1.1 and 1.2 petrol manuals, with juddering, stretched cables and outright failures between 25,000 and 83,000 miles, runs from 2008 to 2014, so only the first year of this generation is caught by it. It isn't trouble-free, though: its rear brake calipers seize, and they've done it by 15,000 to 18,000 miles, so the rear brakes are the thing to check.
A 1st Gen i10 (2008 to 2013) has the same seizing rear calipers, showing up between 28,000 and 35,000 miles, on top of the clutch fault on 1.1 and 1.2 manuals. If you're buying one, the 1.2 is a much better engine than the older 1.1, but its clutch cable still needs checking. The 4-speed automatic isn't part of the manual clutch fault, while 2011 facelift autos have been reported booming between 3,200 and 3,600 rpm.
The newest i10, from 2020, has an excellent 1.0 petrol engine, but its automated manual gearbox lacks refinement, so drive one before you settle on that version. The 2nd Gen's automatic isn't perfect either, as it feels strained on the motorway, so try one at speed before you buy.
On a 2008 to 2014 i10, the 1.1 and 1.2 petrol manuals are where the trouble lies: clutches judder, wear out early and fail between 25,000 and 83,000 miles, and cables stretch until the pedal's stiff or the cable snaps. On one 2009 car, the carrier for the clutch release bearing broke away from the gearbox casing at 83,000 miles, which meant a new gearbox, and its release bearing had chirped for a while first.
The 1.2 is the better engine of the two, but its clutch cable stretches between 30,000 and 60,000 miles until the pedal's extremely heavy, reverse or 1st is hard to find, or the cable snaps and leaves the pedal on the floor. Manuals from 2008 to 2010 can also jump out of 4th gear. The 4-speed automatic sidesteps the manual clutch faults and has a dipstick so its fluid level can be checked, though the rear calipers seize whatever gearbox is fitted.
The 1.0 three-cylinder petrol (Kappa) runs a timing chain that Hyundai calls maintenance free, with no set replacement, but a rattle on start-up from a car whose oil changes have been skipped is a warning about the chain. On a 2014 1.2, one owner's crankshaft pulley sheared at 75,000 miles, threw the alternator belt and dumped most of the oil, and the owner paid £383 once Hyundai and the dealer had chipped in.
The 2nd Gen automatic feels strained on the motorway, and owners have reported faults on it: a 2015 1.2 automatic at 13,000 miles slipped out of 4th at 2,000 rpm, and a 2015 1.25 automatic made odd noises on right-hand bends because a failed oil riser wasn't getting oil round the engine, which ended with a new engine. Don't treat the clutch as an old-car problem either, as one 2014 car's failed at 13,000 miles.
Get the rear brakes looked at first, since seizing calipers are a known fault on both generations. Listen for grinding or squealing from the back, feel whether it pulls to one side when you brake, and check the handbrake pads let go of the discs straight away rather than staying stuck until the car moves off. One owner's 2011 car needed a failed rear caliper sorting at 34,562 miles, and it cost them £1,000.
On a 1.1 or 1.2 manual from 2008 to 2014, work the clutch several times and pull away from rest: a stiff or heavy pedal, judder, slip or trouble finding reverse or 1st all point to a worn clutch or a stretched cable. Listen for a chirping release bearing as you press the pedal. On a 2011 facelift automatic, hold it between 3,200 and 3,600 rpm and listen for a booming noise.
On 2012 to 2014 cars, look over the doors and bonnet for rust spots, particularly around the window seals, as they've come back on some cars even after repair. Work the headlight beam height adjuster and listen for buzzing, and check the radio holds its presets. On a 2nd Gen car, feel the carpets for damp, as one 2018 automatic's bulkhead seal leaked and the leak came back after it was repaired.
Ask for receipts for any clutch or clutch cable work on a 2008 to 2014 manual, and for rear caliper work on any i10. If the instrument cluster's ever been replaced, get the invoice, because a new one can read zero miles. Make sure the airbag light goes out, too: it's an MOT failure, and on one 2008 car at 40,000 miles no garage could even communicate with the system to find the fault.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
A 1st Gen i10 is a good buy only once you've checked its clutch and rear brakes, because clutch failures on 1.1 and 1.2 manuals and seizing rear calipers are both known faults. Owners have reported clutches failing at 25,000 miles on an 18-month-old car, at 30,000 miles, and at 61,000 miles on a 2013 car, and the cables stretch and need adjusting now and then. Judder can be worse once a car's stood for a few weeks.
Rear calipers seize between 28,000 and 35,000 miles: one owner's 2010 car needed £844 of brake work at 28,000 miles, including a seized rear caliper, and another 2010 car's handbrake pads stuck to the discs until it was driven. On early cars, a brake switch screwed in too tightly set off the ABS, making the brakes bind and wearing the pads quickly. A 3-year-old car failed its first MOT on a dead brake light switch, which its owner had a garage change for £25.
Manuals from 2008 to 2010 can jump out of 4th gear. The 2011 facelift automatic has been reported booming between 3,200 and 3,600 rpm whatever gear it's in, and a rubber sleeve on the longer of its two driveshafts has cured it. Other one-off faults include a 2013 car's electric power steering failing at 20,000 miles, with a £1,473.50 bill that Hyundai offered to pay half of, a crankshaft oil seal failure at 20,000 miles and a 2012 car's gearbox failing at 35,000 miles.
One 2012 car's doors and bonnet grew rust spots 3 months after it was bought, and another car's door rusted through after 12 months, came back after repair and had to be replaced. Headlight beam height adjusters fail and buzz, radios lose their presets, and a 2009 1.2 stopped running when its camshaft sensor failed. A front hub nut that was never locked in place came loose on a 2-year-old car and wore its tyres badly. It's easy to deadlock the doors from inside and lock yourself out.
Real-world economy on this generation: Hyundai i10 42.8 mpg, Hyundai i10 47.1 mpg.
Rear brakes are the 2nd Gen's known fault: the calipers seize and the handbrake pads stick to the discs, and it's shown up between 15,000 and 18,000 miles. Owners have reported brakes wearing out or corroding early: one paid £312 for a full set of discs and pads on a 2014 car at 18,970 miles, another £322 for rear discs and pads on a 2016 car, and a third £276.10 for rear pads on a 2-year-old car at 6,628 miles.
The handbrake itself has given trouble: one 2015 car's was stiff and hard to apply, a 1.25 automatic's lever had to be pulled up hard before it would hold the car still in traffic, and an October 2017 car's cable snapped while it was parked on a gentle slope. A 2014 car's clutch failed at 13,000 miles, and on another 2014 car the gear selector problems weren't cured until the dealer fitted a new selector quadrant and cable.
A 2015 car's power steering gave off a constant high-pitched tone while the engine ran, a 2019 car developed a rattle behind the dash, and one 2018 automatic's bulkhead seal leaked and then leaked again after repair. Fold the rear seats and there's a step in the floor of the boot, because the boot floor sits low. The air conditioning on one 2014 car needed a regas at 2 years old, which cost its owner £210.
Real-world economy on this generation: Hyundai i10 47.1 mpg, Hyundai i10 49.3 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Hyundai i10 advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 44.5 mpg across the Hyundai i10 engines with data, about 84% of the official figure, from 1,280 submissions.
Hyundai i10 Real MPG by engine →For a car this small, the 2nd Gen i10's interior is a good-quality place to sit, and there's a generous amount of room. It's impressively refined too, so it doesn't feel cheap or noisy when you're driving it day to day.
The i10 from 2020 is comfortable at motorway speeds, so a longer trip isn't a chore, and it'll carry four adults easily. That makes it a lot more useful than its size suggests, and its 1.0 petrol engine is an excellent one.
A 2nd Gen Hyundai i10 (2014 to 2019) is the better buy, provided its rear brake calipers aren't seizing, while a 2008 to 2014 1.1 or 1.2 manual with a heavy or juddering clutch is the one to avoid. Our database holds 6 known Hyundai i10 faults, 3 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
A 2nd Gen i10 (2014 to 2019) is the safer buy, because the clutch fault on 1.1 and 1.2 petrol manuals, with juddering, stretched cables and outright failures between 25,000 and 83,000 miles, runs from 2008 to 2014, so only the first year of this generation is caught by it. On the fault record the 2nd Gen (2014 to 2019) carries 1 known fault against 5 on the 1st Gen (2008 to 2013). Each generation's section above gives the detail. Hyundai i10 faults by generation.
Get the rear brakes looked at first, since seizing calipers are a known fault on both generations. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Hyundai i10 fault before you travel.
Owners report 44.5 mpg on average, about 84% of the official figure, from 1,280 submissions. Chain (G3LA, 1.0 KAPPA): no fixed replacement interval, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Hyundai i10 Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Hyundai i10 buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 91 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
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The Hyundai i10 is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
Looking at a Hyundai i10 right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.