If you want a small car that’s dependable and practical, the Toyota Yaris is well worth a look. It’s really easy to drive, with light steering and a good view out from the driver’s seat. The hybrid power version of the Yaris is particularly popular and could help reduce both your fuel bills and your carbon footprint. Petrol and diesel power are also available in an extensive model range that may well include the right car for you.
The latest Yaris has been sold new since 2020. You can buy one of two distinct versions – the standard car is a five-door, hybrid-only model that has petrol-electric power and an automatic gearbox. There’s also the GR Yaris, which is a three-door, high-performance car that looks quite different and is only available with a powerful petrol engine, manual gearbox and four-wheel drive.
An earlier Yaris was sold new from 2011 to 2020. You can easily spot the older car by its more square-shaped body. It’s available with three-door or five-door hatchback bodies and you can choose from petrol or diesel engines, as well as hybrid power. There’s also the choice of manual or automatic gearbox, with the automatic being a standard feature on all hybrid models.
On both these generations of the Yaris, the ‘Icon’ and ‘Design’ trim and equipment packages are the most popular. Both come equipped with many features as standard, but if you want as many bells and whistles as possible on your Yaris, look for the top-of-the-range Excel.
Every version of the latest Yaris comes with a lot of features as standard including a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, plus DAB radio and Bluetooth. You also get air con, adaptive cruise control and a reversing camera. Higher-spec models have largely the same features as well as plusher seats, different styling details and extra driver safety features.
It’s a similar story with the older version. Most models have air con, Bluetooth and front electric windows as standard, while higher-spec models have extras such as cruise control and a reversing camera.
According to official figures, the latest hybrid Yaris can give you an average fuel economy of 57-68mpg. The exact figure depends largely on the size of wheel fitted to a particular model – the bigger the wheel, the lower the fuel economy. The high-performance GR Yaris can give you an average fuel economy of up to 34mpg.
The older Yaris models can give you an average fuel economy of 37-65mpg with a petrol engine, up to 72mpg with a diesel engine and as much as 85mpg with hybrid power.
The Annual Vehicle Excise Duty (car tax) is low across the board – only £20 in many cases and even free in some others.
There are many small hatchback rivals to the Yaris including the Citroen C3, Honda Jazz and Mazda2. Compared to the Toyota, the Citroen is more comfortable, the Honda is more spacious and the Mazda feels better to drive. The Toyota, however, offers a great combination of space, an easy driving experience, and fuel efficiency.
In the latest version of the Yaris, there’s a good amount of space in the front seats, so you should be able to get comfortable whatever size you are. Five-door models also have a surprising amount of room in the back seats, and even tall adults shouldn’t feel cramped sitting there. The boot is on the small side for this type of car but there’s still space for your weekly food shopping or your weekend-away luggage. The three-door GR Yaris, however, while technically a four-seater, doesn’t have much back-seat or boot space at all. Fortunately, the back seats in all models fold down if you need more room to stash your goodies.
The older version of the Yaris has a similar amount of space in the front seats and boot but has noticeably less room in the back seats than you’ll find in the newest version.
The Yaris is Toyota’s second-smallest car model, slotting into the range above the smaller Aygo city car and below the larger Corolla and Auris. The biggest non-SUV cars that Toyota has sold in the UK in recent years are the Avensis and Camry saloons, which are larger than the Yaris. Toyota also builds an SUV version of the Yaris, called the Yaris Cross.
Both versions of the Yaris covered here were awarded a full five-star rating by the safety organisation Euro NCAP. Standard driver safety features fitted to the latest version include adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, road-sign recognition and an airbag between the front seats that keeps the driver and passenger separated in a crash.
Apart from the high-performance GR Yaris, all models of the latest Yaris have hybrid power – a petrol engine and an electric motor that can power the car separately or together. There’s only a couple of miles of zero-emissions electric-only range, but an average fuel economy of up to 65mpg is possible, according to official figures. The older version of the Yaris is also available with hybrid power, or with petrol or diesel engines.
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