Chabak (차박) is a Korean term meaning, roughly, "car stay" -- sleeping in your vehicle as a form of camping. The trend took off during the pandemic because it let people get outside while maintaining distance, and it has kept going since. Motorpoint's Tim and Rebecca decide to test it properly, in February, in a cold and wet car park, using a Hyundai Ioniq 9 and a Hyundai Inster.
The Ioniq 9 is Hyundai's flagship electric SUV, measuring over 5 meters long. For camping purposes it brings a 111 kWh battery, 360 miles of range, dual motor all-wheel drive, 427 horsepower, vehicle-to-load capability for running external appliances, electrically folding rear seats that create a flat floor, and window blinds as standard in the top spec tested. Tim initially claims this one as his. Then there's a letter from Rebecca pointing out that Tim is 6'3" and the Inster is more his size actually. Swapsies happen.
The Hyundai Inster is a compact electric hatchback measuring 3.8 meters. The version tested here uses a 49 kWh battery and carries an official range of 223 miles. In winter conditions, the team was seeing around 4 miles per kilowatt hour, translating to roughly 195 miles of real-world range. It costs £26,745 plus £500 for a tech pack that includes, among other things, a useful interior 3-pin plug. The front and rear seats fold flat for sleeping.
Both vehicles use utility mode, which runs the climate system from the traction battery overnight while dimming interior lights. The Ioniq 9's utility mode can hold a chosen cabin temperature for the whole night on an estimated 5 to 10% of the battery over around ten hours. The Inster draws around 2% of battery per hour in the same mode. Tim started the night in the Inster at 76% and woke at 53%, which tracks with roughly ten hours of gentle heating.
The results are honest. Tim got in and slept surprisingly well, waking at 10am after going to bed at 10pm. The cabin stayed warmer than expected -- small cars apparently heat up fast with just one person's body heat -- and he ended up turning the heat off for stretches. Rebecca, with two children, also slept decently after dialing the temperature down to 17 degrees. Both agreed the car is more soundproof than a tent, that eliminating tent setup in the rain is a genuine quality-of-life gain, and that you still need all your camping gear.
The main complaints: no space for anything once your car becomes your bed, getting boots off at the door is awkward, and Tim's mattress was slightly too thick, leaving him about an inch of headroom when lying down. Neither is rushing to repeat this in February. Both would do it again in better weather.