Comparison: Ground clearance Hyundai i30 vs. competitors 2025

In the great evolution of the i30, ground clearance has had all the consistency of British weather. The first and second generations of the i30 played their cards close to the chest, withholding clearance figures like a secret family recipe. But come the facelift in 2015, the wraps came off, and we were gifted with a respectable 135 mm – enough to clear that pebble you've been eyeing suspiciously every time you back out of your driveway. Fast forward to the third generation, starting from 2016 to the present, ground clearance leaped to a lofty 140 mm. It’s a gentle hike – just enough to notice, but not so much that you'd need an oxygen mask.

In the pantheon of Hyundai, the i30 is like the middle child in terms of ground clearance. Not quite scraping the sky like the SUV siblings – the Santa Fe boasting a strapping 176 mm or the rugged Tucson at 170 mm – but overtaking some of its hatchback brethren. The i30 Fastback and its N version tiptoe at 135 mm, a kindergarten step below the regular i30's 140 mm. Meanwhile, the i20 N, with its rallying aspirations, sits lower at 130 mm, which might just be enough to avoid a nasty scrape on those tight track corners. And for the city-dwelling Hyundai i10, 149 mm of ground clearance means it's ready to mount curbs in a single bound – or at least approach them with confidence.

Comparing the i30 to its classmates, it's quite the overachiever. The VW Polo and the Peugeot 207 might be nifty little numbers, but with clearances of a merely adequate 125 mm and 122 mm respectively, they're better suited for the smooth tarmac of suburbia than the uncharted wilderness of rural lanes. For the high-riding Fiat Panda and the Nissan Pixo, coming in at a beefy 165 mm and 150 mm, traversing a small hillock probably won't raise many eyebrows, but they lack the i30's urbane flair. The Honda Jazz stands shoulder to shoulder with the i30, both at a sensible yet spirited 140 mm, ready to tango over the world's road imperfections. Then there’s the SUV in disguise, the Infiniti Q30, which parades an impressive 210 mm clearance – ideal for the adventurous artistocrat with a penchant for the beaten track. And at the quaint end of the spectrum, there's the Peugeot 308, hovering just 100 mm off the ground, as if afraid to lose touch with the Earth's core. Nevertheless, the i30 maintains a golden middle, offering a ride height that's neither nosebleed-inducing nor spine-jarring.