Used test: Renault Zoe vs Toyota Yaris Hybrid

What are they like inside?

Neither interior is particularly futuristic in design. In fact, to be frank, both are a bit drab. The Toyota Yaris is particularly guilty of this, with hard, cheap-feeling plastics on its dashboard, flimsy buttons and a gear selector that looks like a relic from the 1990s. At least in the Renault Zoe there’s some gloss black plastic around the infotainment screen that goes some way to lifting the perceived quality of the interior.

These cars have very different driving positions. In the Zoe, you sit surprisingly high up, giving it an almost MPV like feel and good visibility in every direction. However, the seat isn’t height adjustable, even as an option.

The Yaris’s seat moves up and down as standard, so not only is its driving position better suited to especially short or tall drivers, but you also have the option to sit lower in the car if you prefer. That said, the Yaris is let down by its minimal range of steering wheel adjustment.

The fact that both cars need to lug around a battery inevitably has some impact on interior space. This is most noticeable in the back of the Zoe, because its hefty pack sits under the rear seats. A pair of six-footers will still fit easily, but there’s quite a bit more room in the Yaris, due to its lower-set seats.

The Zoe has a much bigger boot, though – so much so that we got twice as many carry-on suitcases beneath its parcel shelf – and there was still space left for the car’s charging cable. The Zoe’s boot remains bigger when you fold down the rear seats, although the rear seats fold down in one big, inconvenient lump, whereas the Yaris’s split 60/40.

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