Toyota Yaris review

Neither of the Yaris’s conventional petrol engines is especially economical; our preferred engine 1.5-litre engine emits 116g/km of CO2 with the manual gearbox, and, although the 1.0 is cleaner at 107g/km, that’s still nothing special in this class.

On the other hand, the lower emissions of the Yaris Hybrid make it one of the cheapest company cars you can choose, with a very low rate of benefit-in-kind tax. It also returned very impressive urban fuel economy in our True MPG real-world testing, clocking up a staggering 80.0mpg during city driving, and, including motorway driving, its overall fuel economy is a decent 49.2mpg.

Private buyers are better off sticking with the petrol version, though, which has lower list prices and cheaper PCP finance deals than the hybrid. Relatively low servicing costs and a low insurance group rating, thanks to plenty of safety equipment, make the Yaris an affordable choice compared with rivals.

The Yaris is well equipped, even in entry-level Icon trim; as well as Toyota’s Safety Sense package, you also get rain-sensing windscreen wipers and powered front windows. The 7.0in infotainment system with Bluetooth and a six-speaker audio system are also fitted across the range. Hybrid models additionally feature automatic air conditioning and projector headlights.

Y-20 and Y-20 Bi-tone (with an upgraded interior) trims were created to celebrate 20 years of the Yaris, and features larger 16in alloys, a honeycomb mesh grille, piano-black side mouldings, rear privacy glass and a rear spoiler. Excel adds even more luxury with dual-zone climate control and keyless entry, while GR Sport adds 17in wheels and a bit more, well, sportiness to the look.

Toyota ranked an extremely impressive second place out of 31 manufacturers in the 2019 What Car? Reliability Survey; only its sister brand Lexus could beat it. The Yaris itself also performed well, finishing sixth out of the 25 cars assessed, ahead of the Skoda Fabia and Ford Fiesta.

A five-year/100,000-mile warranty is standard – this is better than what most of the Yaris’s rivals come with. All the engines are tried and tested, too, with very few mechanical issues reported.

Toyota’s Safety Sense package is standard on all Yaris versions and brings automatic city braking technology (AEB), lane departure alert, road sign recognition and automatic headlight high beam. 

There are no fewer than seven airbags to help you and everyone on board avoid injury, and stability control and sophisticated braking systems help you avoid a crash in the first place. The Yaris was awarded the maximum five-star rating in its Euro NCAP crash test. However, the Seat Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo both scored much higher for adult occupant protection.

Deadlocks and an engine immobiliser are on hand to deter thieves, rounding off one of the most impressive standard safety and security offerings in this class.

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