Hyundai takes aim at Toyota Corolla with i30 Sedan Hybrid drive-away price

South Korean car-maker Hyundai has set its sights on continuing the i30’s lead on the passenger-car sales charts ahead of the Toyota Corolla with drive-away pricing for its new hybrid-powered sedan, undercutting its four-door Japanese rival in most Australian states.

In October 2023, Hyundai confirmed the i30 Sedan Hybrid would be priced from $33,000 plus on-road costs – $810 dearer than the cheapest hybrid Toyota Corolla sedan, the Ascent Sport.

Now the car-maker's local division has announced a nationwide drive-away price for the entry-level i30 Sedan Hybrid variant of $35,990 drive-away.

It undercuts the Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid sedan in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory – though not Queensland, Tasmania or the Australian Capital Territory.

Hyundai Australia says the initial batch of 200 i30 Sedan Hybrids is due to arrive in showrooms this month, followed by an additional 400 examples in February.

The better-equipped Elite and Premium grades aren’t due to launch until sometime between April and June 2024.

Using the prices of petrol Elite and Premium models – and the cost difference between petrol and hybrid entry-level variants – the i30 Sedan Hybrid Elite and Premium variants may be priced from $37,500 and $42,500 respectively, before on-road costs.

The Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor – developing 104kW/265Nm combined – which power the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Fuel consumption for both the Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid and Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport Hybrid are rated at 3.9L/100km in mixed driving, based on Australian laboratory testing standards.

A non-hybrid version of the base Hyundai i30 Sedan is on sale for $29,000 plus on-road costs, or $270 less than the cheapest Toyota Corolla sedan.

The Hyundai i30 hatchback is not available with hybrid power, unlike the Toyota Corolla hatchback.

Last year the Hyundai i30 outsold the Toyota Corolla to become the top-selling traditional passenger car – defined as hatchbacks, sedans, wagons, coupes, convertibles or people movers – dethroning the Japanese model from its perch for the first time in 10 years.

However, both nameplates fell out of the overall Top 10 in sales, marking the first time in recorded history that no traditional passenger cars cracked the opening 10 places at the end of a calendar year.