Used Honda Jazz vs used Toyota Yaris

The contenders

Honda Jazz 1.5 i-MMD Hybrid Advance Sport

List price when new £28,145
Price today £21,000*

Available from 2020-present

The Jazz is one of the most practical small cars around, but how does this range-topping version stack up against the remarkably efficient Yaris? 

Toyota Yaris 1.5 Hybrid GR Sport

List price when new £25,805
Price today £16,000*

Available from 2020-present

This sportier Yaris trim looks to mix a dose of fun with one of the best True MPG results ever. It’s also very temptingly priced used 

*For a 2023 model with average mileage and full service history, correct at time of writing

Despite our famously patchy roads, car buyers in the UK have a real soft spot for sporty trim levels. Many of us often gravitate towards Audi’s S line, BMW’s M Sport and Mercedes’ AMG-Line, usually for the sharper styling, larger alloy wheels and stronger resale values they offer. 

This trend appears to have trickled down to other brands, as noted by the Honda Jazz and Toyota Yaris we’re looking at here. Indeed, these two cars are available in popular range-topping Advance Sport and GR Sport trims, which come with a generous helping of kit – and visual pizazz – as standard. 

However, there’s more to these two small cars than just sporty aesthetics and equipment, because they’re both exclusively available with hybrid power. This means the two cars should be very cheap to run, as noted by the Yaris being the second most economical car we’ve ever put through our Real MPG test (losing out only to its Toyota Yaris Cross sibling). But, is that enough to make the Yaris the winner of this test? After all, the Jazz is one of the most practical small cars money can buy. Let’s see.

Driving

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

Both our contenders wear Sport badges, but neither professes to be a hot hatch. In fact, both are powered by the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as you’ll find in other versions of these cars, bolstered by two electric motors apiece.

That electrical assistance gives a good amount of shove the moment you press the accelerator pedal, but it’s the more powerful Jazz that sprints from 0-60mph more than a second quicker than the Yaris (8.8sec versus 10.2sec). Admittedly, 0-60mph sprint times aren’t all that important in the real world, but the Jazz’s extra urgency is useful for overtaking or merging onto a motorway.

Being regular hybrids, both cars can run solely on electric power some of the time in town. The Jazz tends to do so more often, whereas the Yaris fires up its petrol engine more readily when pulling away. When it’s running, its engine can be quite vocal (more so than the Jazz’s), while the latter is also more refined when driving at higher speeds. 

Both cars have quite a firm ride by wider class standards, but while this Jazz has the same suspension as any other version, the Yaris GR Sport gets a firmer set-up that’s meant to give a sporty feel. To an extent, it does; it’s no hot hatch, but it leans less in corners than the Jazz, and its steering is more confidence-inspiring, making the Yaris more fun to drive.

The Jazz handles tidily enough, though, and its steering requires less effort. What’s more, the Jazz cushions you better as you drive over ruts and potholes, aided by its relatively small 16in wheels, while the 18in wheels fitted to the Yaris do less to shield occupants from lumps and bumps in the road. 

Behind the wheel

Driving position, visibility, build quality

When you hop into the driver’s seat, the Yaris feels similar to most other small cars, placing you relatively close to the road. The Jazz, on the other hand, feels more like an MPV, because you sit relatively high up.

That lofty driving position, combined with large cutouts in the windscreen pillars, a deep rear window and standard-fit parking sensors, gives the Jazz excellent all-round visibility. In contrast, while the Yaris has good forward visibility, the view to the rear is quite restricted, due to a small rear window and thick pillars. It doesn’t help that parking sensors are only available on cars with the optional City Pack. Like the Jazz, the Yaris comes with a rear-view camera. 

Regardless of which car you choose, getting settled is easy, because there’s lots of seat and steering wheel adjustment. Neither comes with adjustable lumbar support, and you can’t add it (which you might miss on a long drive). Both seats are comfortable enough on shorter drives.

Thankfully, both cars have proper physical knobs and buttons on the dashboard and steering wheel for controlling things like the air-con and cruise control. This makes their interiors very easy to use, but all things considered, it’s the Jazz that you’ll want to spend more time in. It hides its scratchy interior plastics with plusher materials in all the right places; for example, the steering wheel and armrest are far nicer to touch than their equivalents in the Yaris. 

As for infotainment, the Jazz has a larger 9.0in screen with sharper graphics than the Yaris, though quality still isn’t great. It has fewer physical buttons, but the large on-screen icons are easy to use. The system includes built-in sat-nav, wired Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay, but it can be slow to respond. 

The Yaris has handy physical shortcut buttons around its 8.0-inch screen, making key functions easy to access, but they’re small and the dated system can be slow to respond. Built-in sat-nav is available with the optional City Pack, though standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay let you bypass it.

Space and practicality

Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot

As mentioned earlier, the Jazz feels more like an MPV than a regular small hatchback inside, giving you loads of head and leg room in the front and back seats. It’s one of the most spacious cars in the class.

Of course, the question is: how much space do you really need in a small car? Chances are the dimensions of the Yaris will be enough for many buyers. After all, it still gives six-footers decent head and leg room up front, and you can just about squeeze three adults in the rear; they just won’t be as comfortable as in the Jazz.

It’s much the same story if you intend to carry any luggage. Boot space isn’t a strength of the Yaris, which can accept only four carry-on suitcases beneath its parcel shelf. The Jazz (and most other rivals) can swallow five cases, and that’s before you consider the versatile ‘magic’ rear seats, which allow you to flip up the seat bases to create a very handy space all the way across the rear compartment for carrying long or tall items, such as a bike.

What’s more, when you fold down the 60/40 split rear seatbacks, you’re left with a huge, flat extended load area that’s easy to access. In the Yaris, there’s a bigger lip at the boot entrance and a step in the floor when you’ve folded down the rear seatbacks (which also split 60/40).

Boot space

Honda Jazz

Boot 304-1205 litres Suitcases 5

Toyota Yaris

Boot 286-947 litres Suitcases 4

Buying and owning

Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security

This is where the Yaris wins back some points. With used prices starting from £16,000 in our selected GR Sport trim, it’s a lot cheaper to buy than the Jazz, which will set you back at least £21,000 in Advance Sport trim. Granted, you can buy both cars for less than that in lower trims, but there’s still a sizeable price gap.

When buying with PCP finance, the Yaris comes out cheaper once again. On a three-year deal with a 10% deposit and a 10,000-mile annual mileage limit, it costs £300.42 per month as opposed to £374.96 for the Jazz on the same terms.

Then there’s fuel economy. In our Real MPG testing, the Yaris averaged just under 60mpg and returned up to 80mpg in town driving, while the Jazz managed 56mpg on average and just under 69mpg around town. Both figures are good, but the Yaris is particularly impressive here.

Both cars come with adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and full LED headlights, but the Jazz fights back, because it gets features you can’t get on the Yaris, including a heated steering wheel, heated front seats and part-leather (man-made) seat upholstery. Blindspot monitors and a rear cross-traffic alert system are also standard on the Jazz; to get these items (along with the parking sensors we mentioned earlier) on the Yaris, you have to look out for cars with the optional City Pack.

Both cars were appraised for safety by Euro NCAP in 2020, with both receiving the full five-star rating. Looking deeper into the results, the Jazz was found to be slightly better at protecting adult occupants in the front and children sitting in the rear. 

As for reliability, the Yaris finished in a disappointing 20th place out of 26 small cars in the What Car? Reliability Survey, but with a decent score of 92.5%, suggesting good results among most of its peers. The Jazz, meanwhile, finished in a more reassuring 11th place, with a score of 96.9%.

In the overall brand league table, both brands did very well, but it’s Honda that comes out on top. It finished in first place out of 30 manufacturers, while Toyota finished not far behind in fourth place.

If those reliability results didn’t reassure you, the Yaris has one of the best warranties in the business, lasting for up to 10 years or 100,000 miles if you have the car serviced annually at a Toyota-approved dealer. The Jazz has a less impressive three-year warranty, but with a 90,000-mile limit. 

Verdict

There’s no questioning the all-round ability of the Honda Jazz. It outshines the Toyota Yaris in many key areas, offering superior comfort, greater practicality and a more generous level of standard equipment. Its slightly more upmarket interior makes it a pleasant car to spend time in, too. 

However, that polish comes at a price. The Jazz costs £5000 more than the Yaris and that’s a significant gap to bridge. It’s especially hard to ignore when the Yaris is such a strong contender in its own right – running the Jazz close for performance, while proving more efficient and more enjoyable to drive. The reassurance of a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty only strengthens its case.

As a result, it’s the Yaris that narrowly takes the honours here. But while both cars are very well equipped in their sporty trims, we’d recommend considering lower-spec versions of each, which offer even better value for money.

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1st – Toyota Yaris

For Significantly cheaper to buy; more agile handling; better fuel economy; longer warranty

Against Small boot; not as spacious in the rear; engine can be noisy; ride on the firm side

What Car? rating 4 stars out of 5

Toyota Yaris review >>

Used Toyota Yaris deals >>

2nd – Honda Jazz

For Very spacious and practical; smooth ride; stronger performance; lots of standard equipment 

Against Very expensive to buy; not as much fun to drive; infotainment system could be more responsive; not as efficient

What Car? rating 4 stars out of 5

Honda Jazz review >>

Used Honda Jazz deals >>

Specifications: Honda Jazz 1.5 i-MMD Hybrid Advance Sport

Engine 3cyl, 1498cc, turbo, petrol, plus two electric motors
Peak power 106bhp (petrol), 120bhp (electric)
Peak torque 96lb ft (petrol), 187lb ft (electric)
Gearbox 1-spd automatic
0-60mph 8.8sec
30-70mph 8.8sec
Top speed 108mph
30-0mph 9.2m
70-0mph 51.3m
Noise at 30mph 61.0dB
Noise at 70mph 68.3dB
Kerb weight 1242kg
Tyres (std) 185/55 R16
Fuel tank 40 litres
Test economy 56.0mpg
Official economy 61.4mpg
CO2 emissions 105g/km

Specifications: Toyota Yaris 1.5 Hybrid GR Sport

Engine 3cyl, 1490cc, petrol, plus electric motor
Peak power 114bhp (petrol), 79bhp (electric)
Peak torque 89lb ft (petrol), 104lb ft (electric)
Gearbox 1-spd automatic
0-60mph 10.2sec
30-70mph 14.7sec
Top speed 108mph
30-0mph 8.4m
70-0mph 46.9m
Noise at 30mph 62.2dB
Noise at 70mph 69.2dB
Kerb weight 1130kg
Tyres (std) 215/40 R18
Fuel tank 36 litres
Test economy 59.9mpg
Official economy 64.2mpg
CO2 emissions 99g/km

Weather conditions Dry

Cars pictured

Honda Jazz 1.5 i-MMD Hybrid Advance Sport with Crystal Black Pearl paint 

Toyota Yaris 1.5 Hybrid GR Sport with Scarlet Flare pearlescent paint

Cars we’ve found

2023 Honda Jazz 1.5 i-MMD Hybrid Advance Sport, 30,846 miles, £21,998

2023 Toyota Yaris 1.5 Hybrid GR Sport, 24,094 miles, £17,249