Toyota C-HR review

The C-HR is pretty pricey compared with similarly sized rivals, including the Seat Ateca. For instance, the C-HR 1.2 petrol version will cost you several thousands of pounds more than an Ateca 1.0 TSI to buy.

To make matters worse, the C-HR 1.2 isn’t as fuel efficient as its Spanish rival and isn’t predicted to hold onto its value as well, either. Insurance and servicing costs are nothing to write home about, while CO2 emissions are also disappointingly high.

The hybrid version of the C-HR makes far more financial sense. If you’re a company car driver, it’ll cost you less in benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax than any of its diesel rivals, courtesy of seriously low CO2 emissions. A promise of nearly 75mpg is also appealing, although based on our experience with the Toyota Prius (which uses exactly the same hybrid powertrain) 50mpg in the real world is more realistic.

Use our True MPG calculator and see what your car really does to the gallon

We’d stick with entry-level Icon trim. That’s partly because the posher trims get quite pricey, but mainly because you get all of the must-haves as standard, including dual-zone climate control, 17in alloys, automatic lights and wipers and even adaptive cruise control. You also get the 7.0in touchscreen discussed in the infotainment section.

Upgrading to mid-level Excel trim adds sat-nav, bigger wheels, heated front seats and part-leather seats, so is worth considering if you love life’s luxuries. However, range-topping Dynamic is too pricey to recommend.

See how we'd spec a C-HR

Headline grabbing recalls aside, Toyota actually has a stellar reliability record. The Japanese brand finished third (out of 37 manufacturers) in our most recent reliability survey, and the C-HR comes with a five-year/100,000-miles warranty as standard, which is only bettered by the seven-year warranty offered by Kia on the rival Sportage.

The complex batteries and electric motors on the hybrid version may ring alarms bells in your head, but Toyota has been perfecting the technology for more than a decade in the Prius, so there’s no reason to expect any glitches.

The C-HR has yet to be appraised by the safety experts at Euro NCAP, so we can’t tell you how well it’s likely to protect you in an accident compared with rival small SUVs.

However, all versions of the C-HR come with lots of safety kit, including a pre-collision system that can automatically apply the brakes to stop you running into the car in front. It can even recognise pedestrians.

You also get lane departure warning and automatic high-beam assist for the headlights, and the speed limit of the road you’re driving down is conveniently displayed on the touchscreen. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert – the latter warns you of approaching cars when you’re backing out of a driveway onto a road – is also standard on Excel and Dynamic trims, and optional on entry-level Icon.

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