Item: Used Toyota Aygo 2014-present
Rating: 3
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/citigo/hatchback/used-review/n836">Skoda Citigo</a> is even better value than its sister car, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/used-review/n794">Volkswagen Up</a>. It’s great to drive, with a comfy ride and agile handling, and its interior is very well thought out. Only its limited driving position counts against it.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/hyundai/i10/hatchback/used-review/n820">Hyundai i10</a> has been our favourite city car for the past three years. It’s comfortable and refined, the interior is surprisingly roomy and its 1.2 engine is fine for motorway use. It has a grown-up feel to it, too, even if it’s not as well equipped as some of its rivals.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/picanto/hatchback/used-review/n926">Kia Picanto</a> handles well, has a smart interior with comfortable seats and comes from new with a transferable seven-year warranty, and some of that cover should remain in place&nbsp;if you buy one now. Countered against that, the engine can be noisy at high revs and the ride is a little unsettled in town.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter&nbsp;<a href="http://pages.haymarket.com/whatcar/wcar-form.html">here</a>

Page 5 of 5

What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

<h3>Fuel tank leak</h3>

A very small number of Aygos&nbsp;made&nbsp;on 23 February 2015 and&nbsp;30 June 2016 could have a tiny pin-sized hole in the fuel tank due to a manufacturing problem. Find out if your car is affected by this recall; it'll need to have a new fuel tank fitted to solve the problem.

<h3>Steering column may fail</h3>

A component in the steering column of examples manufactured from 9 September 2014 to 15 October 2014&nbsp;may fail, leaving you with a loss of steering. Find out from a Toyota dealer if your car is affected by this since a new steering column will need to be fitted by a technician to prevent future issues.

The Aygo shares the top spot with the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/citigo/hatchback/used-review/n836">Skoda Citigo</a>&nbsp;in the value and small car category of&nbsp;our&nbsp;reliability survey.&nbsp;It&nbsp;scored a perfect 100%, with owners reporting no faults at all in cars up to three years old.

Toyota as a brand always finishes highly in reliability and customer satisfaction surveys. In our most recent reliability survey, Toyota finished in third&nbsp;place out of 31 car manufacturers, with an impressive overall score of&nbsp;97.7%.

If you'd like to see the full reliability list, head to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2020-what-car-reliability-survey/n20042">What Car? Reliability Survey</a> pages for more information.

Page 3 of 5

Hatchback

Toyota is a company undergoing a quiet revolution, as it works hard to replace its sensible but somewhat bland reputation with one for being a bit more daring, in areas such as the styling of its cars and its enthusiastic leadership of cutting-edge technology, such as hybrid systems.

That process seems to be working for buyers, with the hugely popular and striking-looking C-HR SUV in particular attracting a great deal of interest. The latest version of the hybrid Prius is also rated highly by What Car?; it’s the first Prius to go on sale that our testers have felt can truly compete all round with existing petrol or diesel rivals.

However, it’s worth noting that this period of transition is also a work in progress, and that many of the firm’s cars are still rated as being no more than average among class rivals by our testers.

TOYOTA

AYGO

A used Toyota Aygo is certainly a stylish option, but some rivals are usefully roomier, better to drive and more practical

Used Toyota Aygo 2014-present

<h3>MPG and CO2 emissions</h3>

There is only one engine option and claimed average fuel economy is 68.9mpg&nbsp;as measured under the&nbsp;older NEDC test, dropping to 57.3mpg under the newer WLTP tests, with CO2 emissions of 95g/km.

<h3>Tax</h3>

Cars registered before 1 April 2017 will pay no road tax (VED) since CO2 emissions are so low. However,&nbsp;those registered after that will pay the current flat rate fee.&nbsp;You can find out more about <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/car-tax-changes-in-2019-%E2%80%93-what-do-i-need-to-know/n1153">road tax costs here</a>.

<h3>Insurance</h3>

Insurance groupings range from 5 to 7, depending on trim.

<h3>Servicing</h3>

Servicing is due every year or 10,000 miles, with&nbsp;an intermediate service currently costs £145 and a full service £260. You can save some money if your Toyota is outside of its manufacturer's warranty by joining the Toyota 5+ Club for free online, doing so&nbsp;entitles you to a 20% discount of servicing and MOT costs at a Toyota dealer.

Page 2 of 5

A used Toyota Aygo is certainly a stylish option, but some rivals are usefully roomier, better to drive and more practical



Shop around and you can get the second-generation Aygo for less than £4000, but some of these examples will be high-mileage or Cat D cars. It is possible to find a clean 2014/15 car with an average mileage and a full history, bought privately, for around this figure, although upping the wedge to between £5000 and £7000 buys you a potentially superior 2016 or 2017 car with an average mileage, bought from a dealer. Step up to £7000-£9000 and you can net a 2018 or 2019 car from an independent dealer or&nbsp;a franchised dealer.

Check the value of a used Toyota Aygo&nbsp;with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-valuation/">What Car? Valuations</a>

<h3>Engines</h3>

Only one engine is offered with the Aygo: a three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol. Later 2018 examples are marginally more powerful, but the difference isn't that significant. Avoid the automatic&nbsp;and stick with a manual.

<h3>Trims</h3>

Our pick, x-Play, is worth&nbsp;spending a little extra on because it gets a&nbsp;touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone connectivity.

Our favourite Toyota Aygo: 1.0 x-play

Page 4 of 5

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Clever interior space </li> <li>Quiet and comfortable ride </li> <li>Good visibility </li> <li>Plenty of safety tech </li> <li>Low running costs </li> <li>Outstanding value for money</li></ul>

City cars are all about diminutive size and manoeuvrability because they invariably spend most of their time on our increasingly crowded urban streets.

They do need to be big enough for a couple of adults, with back seats that’ll suffice for occasional use by people – or as a dumping ground for a couple of large shopping bags – but they must also be small enough to nip in and out of traffic, and squeeze into tight parking spaces.

Out-and-out acceleration isn’t crucial, but there must be enough oomph in the lower gears to scoot into gaps that appear in the traffic. Running costs should be low, too.

Fortunately there’s never been a better line-up of city cars on offer. Kia's Picanto mixes a neat, functional interior with tidy handling and a surprisingly big boot, while the Skoda Citigo and Suzuki Celerio are cheaper and even more frugal.

City

The Aygo will have been used predominantly in town, so it’s worth just checking the bodywork for scuffs and the wheels for kerb damage. Check the operation of the folding seats, too, and the trim for tears.

The first-generation <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/toyota/aygo/hatchback/used-review/n853">Toyota Aygo</a> was a sharply styled and well-screwed-together city car that soon gained a reputation for offering thrifty and economical motoring. It wasn’t a great car to drive, though, or even a particularly practical one to use, and lost its way a little when a rash of younger rivals from the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/volkswagen">VW Group</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/kia">Kia</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/hyundai">Hyundai</a> stole its thunder.

The answer to these challenges came in this second-generation model – a more mature and yet even more rakishly styled car that's better armed to compete in this burgeoning class of likeable tiny tots.

Just like the previous version, however, there’s only one engine available: a mildly updated version of the 68bhp (later increased to 71bhp after the 2018 facelift) 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol unit. If you want something faster, you'll have to go for either of its siblings (the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/c1/hatchback/used-review/n871">Citroën&nbsp;C1</a> or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/peugeot/108/hatchback/used-review/n946">Peugeot 108</a>) because these come with a bigger&nbsp;1.2-litre engine&nbsp;with 81bhp.

A five-speed manual can be found in most examples, but&nbsp;a five-speed <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/which-type-of-automatic-gearbox-should-i-buy/n17022#3">automated manual</a>&nbsp;is available. It isn't particularly smooth when changing gear, though, and it tends to be slow to respond when you want to accelerate.&nbsp;

Seven trim levels have been offered: x, x-play, x-press, x-style, x-cite, x-clusiv and x-claim. Entry-level models get 14in steel wheels, LED day-running lights, front electric windows and USB connectivity as standard, while upgrading to x-play fits 15in steels, heated door mirrors, air conditioning, a DAB radio and Bluetooth to the package. Mid-range x-press trimmed cars are adorned with 15in alloy wheels, climate control, front foglights, and a 7.0in touchscreen infotainment system complete with a reversing camera, while x-style adds a sporty looking bodykit to the Aygo.

The range-topping trims start with the x-cite, which comes with a red paint job, a black roof and alloys, and tinted rear windows, while x-clusiv&nbsp;will find automatic projector headlights, climate control and keyless entry and go. Completing the Aygo line-up is the limited edition x-claim model, which adds plenty of fresh air through its retractable burgundy-coloured roof. Later models tidied up the range a little and offered an x-trend trim.

On the road, the engine has to be worked hard for the Aygo to make decent progress, though, as with the older model, and it makes a noticeable thrum while going about its business, so refinement isn’t its strongest point. Pull away from a standstill and it suffers a prolonged flat spot and absence of power until 4000rpm, after which it is more eager. As a result, it has to be worked hard to make decent progress and you'll often need to change down a gear – especially on steep hills – to avoid losing speed.

But for such a small car, the Aygo rides and handles well. Its steering is light and fairly direct, and its turning circle is, as you'd imagine, tight, which is useful in city centres.&nbsp;It can get caught out by poor road surfaces and sharp imperfections, though; these&nbsp;can thwack through the small car's body. It has to be said that one or two of its rivals ride a little better.

The only major issue is one of passenger space, especially in the rear. Up front, two taller people should be comfortable, but it's a different story in the rear. Taller passengers will find it very cramped and its rivals, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/used-review/n794">VW Up</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/citigo/hatchback/used-review/n836">Skoda Citigo</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/picanto/hatchback/used-review/n926">Kia Picanto</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/hyundai/i10/hatchback/used-review/n820">Hyundai i10</a>, all have more room, as well as having noticeably bigger boots.

If you're interested in finding a used Aygo, or any of the other city&nbsp;cars&nbsp;mentioned here, head over to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a>&nbsp;pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

Page 1 of 5

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Used Toyota Aygo 2014-present review

Our recommendations

Which used Toyota Aygo hatchback should I buy?

Engines