Toyota Aygo review

It’s often said that good things come in small packages, and while that's not always the case — think wasps and Napoleon — the current crop of city cars, which includes our featured Toyota Aygo, are generally getting better and better. 

Why do we say that? Well, there was a time when buying a city car meant serving upon yourself a sentence of misery in automotive purgatory: threadbare equipment levels, wheezy engines, iffy handling and a dubious safety record were just a few of the drawbacks. Now, we're not pretending that the city cars of today are akin to limousines, but some come with toys that were previously available only on the most expensive cars, a decent Euro NCAP rating, and levels of ride and refinement that were hitherto unheard of. 

Is the Aygo one of the better city cars to go for? There is certainly nothing complicated about choosing which engine to buy — only a 71bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol is available. But once you’ve decided whether you want the entry-level three-door Aygo or the five-door body offered by the rest of the range, there are five trim levels and a wealth of colour combinations to choose from.

Although the Aygo's dramatic styling may set it apart from the rest of the city car class, it is, in fact, closely related to the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 108. If you're looking for something different to those siblings, then there is also the VW Up (and its near-identical siblings the Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii), the Hyundai i10 or the Kia Picanto to add to your shopping list.

Read on over the next few pages for our in-depth impressions on how the Aygo compares, along with our recommendations for which trim to choose. If you decide you want to buy one, make sure you check out our New Car Buying pages to see how big a discount you could get on the brochure price.