Toyota Yaris Hybrid Review & Prices

The Toyota Yaris Hybrid is a small hybrid hatchback that's easy to drive and very economical. However, unlike older versions, the latest Yaris also has a sporty design and comes with lots of modern tech.

Think of the latest Yaris as being a bit like a high definition remaster of a classic video game - it retains all the bits that made the original popular with its fans, yet updates the looks and features to make it more appealing to a modern audience.

It’s fair to say if you’re looking at a Yaris you’ll also consider a Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208 and Volkswagen Polo, but remember that none of these offer a fuel-sipping petrol-electric hybrid powertrain (though there is the fully-electric Peugeot e-208).

The front of the Yaris Hybrid is genuinely aggressive-looking and gives you the impression it’s the spawn of the Toyota Supra sports car – especially versions further up the range, which sit on larger-diameter alloy wheels. And as for the fizzy Toyota GR Yaris, the company has gone all Popeye and fed the Yaris a tin of spinach.

The interior isn’t as stylish as the exterior, although it isn’t what you’d call dull. Mind you, a Peugeot 208 is much funkier in this regard. A VW Polo shades the Yaris for interior quality, too. Still, at least Toyota has had the good sense to keep the climate controls separate from the touchscreen; it makes the system much easier to work out.

Every Yaris Hybrid gets a touchscreen; it’s a 7.0-inch unit in the entry-level model and an 8.0-inch from Design trim and up. Either system caters for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is what most people will use most of the time, at least partly because the native Toyota system is a bit complex and tricky to use. The optional Tech pack does bring a brilliant head-up display, mind you.

Space-wise, the Toyota Yaris is pretty decent by supermini standards, though it lags behind the class leaders quite a bit when it comes to roominess. There's enough rear space here for sub six-footers to sit comfortably in the back on shorter trips, and the boot feels roomier than its modest 286-litre capacity suggests, though anyone who needs loads of cabin and boot space may want to instead look at a VW Polo or Skoda Fabia.

The sole engine choice is a 116hp petrol-electric hybrid system made up of a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor. Official figures claim the Yaris can return up to 68mpg, and emits as little as 92g/km of CO2.

In town is where the Yaris excels. It has a good turning circle and although its rear screen is relatively small, it’s easy to park thanks to a reversing camera coming as standard across the range.

Out of town, the Yaris Hybrid is a bit of a hoot. Its engine does get a bit noisy when pushed hard due to the nature of its CVT automatic gearbox, which holds onto revs rather than swapping physical gears, but it also steers sweetly and does a tidy job of cornering. If you want a slightly nimbler drive, the Design and GR Sport models are a little bit sharper than Excel and Design cars thanks to their slightly bigger alloy wheels, though those larger wheels do make the ride a bit firmer.

The Yaris’s motorway ride is pretty bouncy, too, but otherwise the Yaris cruises along well; it’s punchy enough not to feel overwhelmed, and there’s not too much wind or road noise.

So, a Ford Fiesta is still the more fun car to drive, but this Yaris puts on a very impressive showing. A Polo is more spacious, too, but if that’s not your primary concern, then the Yaris Hybrid offers lower running costs, higher levels of standard equipment and Toyota’s legendary reliability record.

If this little hybrid hatch sounds like the car for you, then head on over to our Toyota Yaris deals page to see how much you can save when you buy through carwow, or browse used examples from a network of trusted dealers. You can also check out deals on other new Toyotas and if you need to sell your car before buying another, you can do that through carwow.

Compared with alternatives such as the Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208 and Volkswagen Polo, the Toyota Yaris is the more expensive option. Entry-level versions of those cars are a few thousand pounds less than the most basic Yaris, but this difference will largely be down to the Toyota’s more complex and fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain.

It’s worth pointing out that the entry-level Yaris is also comparatively very well-equipped. As standard it gets handy features such as a reversing camera and adaptive cruise control, a proper climate control system and snazzy 16-inch alloy wheels. Often you’ll have to pay extra for features such as these on other small hatchbacks, so they help to justify the higher starting price too.

The Toyota Yaris is comfortable and economical in town but feels less at home on faster roads

In town

Toyota’s gone all ‘take it or leave it’ with the engine choice, because there’s only one. It’s a hybrid powertrain with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol unit linked to an electric motor, and together they produce 116hp.

It drives the front wheels through a CVT automatic transmission and will do an average of 68.8mpg, too. In town, that’s good news as it means that it’s comfortable and economical to drive. There is an EV mode, but it’s usually best just to let the car decide the most economical way of travelling for you.

In town is where the Yaris is most at home, because it has a good turning circle and the suspension does a decent job of soaking up bumps. Be aware that the GR Sport model gets larger 18-inch alloy wheels and sportier suspension, so will be firmer.

The Yaris is easy to park though thanks to the reversing camera that’s standard across the range.

On the motorway

The Yaris’s motorway ride is pretty bouncy, but otherwise it cruises along well. It’s punchy enough not to feel overwhelmed, and there’s not too much wind or road noise. Overall though, rivals such as the VW Polo and Seat Ibiza have more of a grown-up and quieter feel.

Lane Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control also come as standard on every model in the range which is pretty unusual at this level. Respectively, these systems will help to automatically position your car within its lane, and maintain a set speed and distance between you and the car in front of you when you’re cruising on the motorway.

On a twisty road

On faster roads, the Yaris performs well but it can be a bit noisy because of the way the CVT gearbox makes the engine rev hard. Still, it steers sweetly and does a tidy job of cornering. If you're after the smoothest possible drive, steer clear of the Excel and GR Sport models: the larger alloys wheels on these trims (17-inch on Excel, 18-inch for GR Sport) may suit the car well, but they also make the ride noticeably firmer.

Grip is perhaps better than you might imagine and so is the level of driver enjoyment. It’s not quite as fun as a Ford Fiesta, but it’s certainly one of the more amusing small cars to drive on a properly twisty section of road.

The Yaris's boot is surprisingly spacious given its relatively small capacity, but the interior isn't particularly fancy to look at and the rear seats are cramped

The Toyota Yaris’s interior isn’t that fancy to look at, but it feels good and everything’s where you need it to be. Highlights include gloss black trim on the centre console and classy-feeling fabric on the doors, and everything feels nicely built, but cars such as the Peugeot 208 feel far funkier inside.

The main focus of the dashboard is the large touchscreen, which looks a bit ‘plonked on’, but Toyota has had the good sense to keep the climate controls separate. There’s a decent-sized storage area ahead of the gear lever where all but the biggest mobile phones will fit.

The door pockets, meanwhile, are big enough to take a 1.5-litre bottle, and if you’re extra thirsty, one of those will fit in the glovebox, too. There’s also a tray to store your phone under the central armrest, and ahead of that there’s a couple of cupholders that will take a coffee cup or small bottle of water. Space up front for passengers is pretty good as well, and the driving position is adjustable enough for people of all shapes and sizes to get comfortable.

Icon and Design cars come with standard seats in cloth, but Excel models get figure-hugging sports seats in fabric and synthetic leather, which helps lift the cabin. The GR Sport version gets the option of suede-effect seats with seat heating. All cars get a leather steering wheel and gear lever, though.

Space in the back seats

Whether the Yaris will be roomy enough in the back will depend on how tall your passengers will be. For children, there's more than enough space on offer, though taller teens and adults may be left wanting for a bit more space on longer trips. Those in the two outer seats will likely find their knees rubbing the backs of the front seats, and anyone forced to sit in the middle will feel like no one likes them, because they’ll be cramped and uncomfortable, such is the shortage of both legroom and headroom.

There’s also space for a rear-facing child seat in the back, although you’ll need to slide the front seat forward as much as possible to get it in there. You’re also guaranteed to lose the covers for the Isofix mounting points.

Boot space

Iceberg ahead. On paper, the Yaris has the smallest boot of any city-based hatchback, at just 286 litres. For reference, the Volkswagen Polo and Skoda Fabia dwarf this with their respective boot sizes of 351 litres and 380 litres, and the Honda Jazz (which, like the Yaris, is hybrid-only) has 304 litres of boot space.

But wait! Strange things are afoot. You see, we managed to get five carry-on suitcases into the boot of the Yaris, which is exactly the same as the number we got into the Polo. Toyota has clearly learned how to bend physics.

The Yaris also comes with a height-adjustable boot floor, which means there’s no load lip to speak of, and when you fold down the rear seats they lie flush with the boot floor. There are also two handy shopping bag hooks to stop your take-away from sliding around on the way home.

You don't get built-in sat-nav on the Yaris, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, so this shouldn't be too much of a problem

All models have a central touchscreen. On Icon models it’s a 7.0-inch set-up with Bluetooth, DAB radio and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, we’d recommend upgrading to at least the second-rung Design trim, because this comes with an 8.0-inch touchscreen with all the same goodies.

Both systems use the same software and graphics package, which isn’t quite as easy to use as a VW Polo’s system, but is still pretty good. Each screen has some shortcut buttons on the side, and there are a couple of rotary dials in each bottom corner.

Neither system features built-in sat-nav, but that’s no problem at all, because both come with smartphone mirroring and therefore app-based navigation. These apps are far superior to built-in systems anyway.

Fully digital dials aren’t available, but you can add a Tech Pack which brings with it a 10.0-inch head-up display. It’s clear, crisp and comes in very useful in day-to-day driving, but is only available on range-topping models.

Automatic air conditioning is standard across the range, with dual zone air con on the Excel and GR Sport models, while there are also auto lights and auto wipers. GR Sport versions also get plenty of 'GR Sport' badges to remind you you bought the sportier-looking one.

Every Yaris Hybrid model gets the same 1.5-litre petrol-hybrid engine that meets the latest Euro 6 emissions standards and should return around 60mpg between trips to the pumps, depending on which model you buy.

However, while you might at first think that all models having the same engine would have the same effect on their emissions and therefore road tax, you’d be wrong. The Icon and Design both have 92g/km emissions, while the Excel comes in slightly higher at 98g/km and the GR Sport at 110g/km. This means the first year road tax is £155 for the Icon, Design and Excel and then £175 for the GR Sport. Following that first year, the standard VED rate is £165 on all models.

Those small differences in emissions make a difference on Benefit-in-Kind tax rates for company car users too. Again, the Icon and Design fall into the 23 per cent bracket, while the Excel is at 24 per cent and the GR Sport is at 27 per cent.

Toyota doesn’t beat around the bush with the Yaris Hybrid saying that it was engineered to be the world’s safest compact car with a host of safety systems as standard.

Lane Assist and Emergency Steering Assist are standard while the functionality of the Pre-Collision System can now detect pedestrians by day and night and cyclists in daytime. There is also something Toyota calls Intersection Turn Assistance, which can recognise collision risks when making turns at a junction. It’s also the first Toyota to be fitted with centre airbags between the driver and passenger to prevent them hitting each other in a side impact.

This version of the Yaris has yet to be put through the Euro NCAP crash test, although the previous generation returned a five star rating in 2017 with an 83 per cent adult occupant rating and an 80 per cent child occupant rating. On the security side, an alarm and immobiliser are standard and there are remote central double locking doors.

The Yaris Hybrid wears a Toyota badge, so you’ve come to the wrong place to ask about reliability – it runs through the car like a stick of seaside rock.

The Yaris Hybrid has a five year/100,000 mile warranty with a service schedule of every 10,000 miles or annually, whichever comes first. Toyota also offers service plans for 24 or 36 months depending on which you prefer.

This generation of Yaris Hybrid is still a little young for regular faults to be reported, although there was a recall in November 2021 for the emergency calling system (eCall), which required a software update and affected 26,575 cars.