Toyota Yaris review

The Yaris is one of the cheapest non-electric small cars to run, particularly for company car drivers. That's because they can take advantage of the the low rate of benefit-in-kind tax that comes from the car's low CO2 emissions (from as little as 92g/km).

What's more, the Yaris is the most efficient car we've ever put through our scientific True MPG test, averaging a whisker under 60mpg and managing an astonishing 80mpg around town. That makes even a Honda Jazz look thirsty.

The Yaris is pricier to buy than many other mainstream rivals, including the Volkswagen Polo. However, depreciation is predicted to be slow and Toyota's PCP finance offers are usually competitive.

The Yaris is well equipped, even in entry-level Icon trim; you get climate control, electric front windows, 16in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control and the aforementioned reversing camera and 7.0in touchscreen infotainment system. It's our pick of the range.

Design is the next rung up the trim ladder and is also worth a look. For a reasonable fee it adds electric windows in the back, rear privacy glass and the larger 8.0in touchscreen system (see infotainment).

Dynamic and Excel trims bundle in even more kit, but also have sports suspension and 17in wheels that contribute to the firm ride around town that we mentioned earlier. For more information on what each trim comes with, take a look at our versions and specs page.

The latest Yaris was too new to have featured in the 2020 What Car? Reliability Survey, but there’s reason to be optimistic: Toyota finished in third place (out of 31 brands) in the overall manufacturer league table. For some context, Honda finished eighth and Volkswagen 20th.

A five-year/100,000-mile warranty comes as standard – this is longer than most of the Yaris’s rivals come with, although the Kia Rio gets seven years of cover (capped at 100,000 miles).

Toyota’s Safety Sense package is standard on all versions of the Yaris and brings automatic city braking technology (AEB), lane-keeping assistance and road sign display. Meanwhile, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert are optional on Dynamic trim (part of the City Pack) and standard on range-topping Excel.

Euro NCAP awarded the Yaris five stars (out of five) for overall safety, although the organisation did highlight that adult crash protection in a frontal impact could be better. The Honda Jazz hybrid scored slightly higher marks in this part of the test.

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