Toyota Aygo X review

At a time when many brands are walking away from the city car segment, the Toyota Aygo X has put a new spin on the established formula. Its funky pseudo-SUV looks and sense of fun give the tiny Toyota a certain appeal, and set it apart from the more grown-up contenders in this class. 

However, the Aygo X simply isn’t as refined, practical or cheap as its closest city car rivals – in fact, the Aygo X falls into the same price range as larger, more spacious and more powerful superminis – making it a bit of a heart-over-head choice.  

About the Toyota Aygo X

The Toyota Aygo was one of the original sub-supermini-sized city cars, packing perky three-cylinder power, lots of scope for personalisation and just enough space for four people. The first iteration of Toyota’s dinky urban runabout was produced from 2005 to 2014, with its follow-up lasting up until 2021. Many other brands stepped away from the city car segment in that time, but Toyota clearly wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet, launching the Aygo X in 2022.

The first two generations of Aygo were mechanically identical sister cars to the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 108, with all three being built in the same factory in the Czech Republic. But with the Aygo X, Toyota decided to make the most of its in-house knowhow, and use a shortened version of the platform that underpins its Yaris supermini.

However, its big brother’s frugal hybrid powertrain wasn’t carried over in an effort to keep the price down. Instead, the Aygo X features a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, offered with a choice of five-speed manual or CVT automatic gearbox. 

While its predecessors had to fend off dozens of contenders in the city car class, the field has thinned in the time of the Aygo X. The entry-level Toyota’s main rivals are the Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10 twins, the now decade-old Volkswagen up! and the chic Fiat 500 – both the latest all-electric model and older mild-hybrid version. The price of the top-spec Aygo X also puts it in the same price bracket as superminis like the Renault Clio and Vauxhall Corsa, which are more refined, more spacious and more powerful, making it dangerous territory for the little wannabe SUV.

Starting from nearly £16,000, the entry-level Pure trim gets 17-inch wheels, a seven-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, adaptive cruise control and a reversing camera as standard. Edge spec adds larger 18-inch rims, automatic air-con, an eight-inch touchscreen and front foglights for an extra £1,100, while the Exclusive trim we tested gains LED headlights, parking sensors all round, an even larger nine-inch touchscreen and wireless phone charging, but brings the price up to roughly £19,000. 

The top-of-the-range Undercover model features a unique grey and black two-tone exterior, a solid black finish to the standard-fit 18-inch wheels and coral-coloured decals and detailing to the interior, plus heated front seats. There are plenty of customisation options, including bi-tone paint schemes, sticker sets, chrome and Tokyo Red styling packs, and an opening canvas roof, though the latter is only available on Edge and Exclusive trim cars.

Engines, performance and drive

Rather than using a hybrid powertrain like the Yaris supermini which uses the same platform, the Aygo X relies on a simple 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine paired with either a five-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). That engine produces just 71bhp and 93Nm of torque, though considering the size and weight of the dinky city car (under one tonne), it’s ample.

On the road, the Aygo X doesn’t quite live up to the promise that we’d hoped for given its close relationship with the Yaris. There’s no denying the Aygo X feels light and agile, as a small city car should, and it’s quite fun to drive in the crowded areas it was designed for. We like the well-weighted steering which is light enough to make the car easy to park, but not light enough for it to feel nervous at higher speeds.

However, those funky-looking wheels harm the ride comfort. The Aygo X is offered with 17 and 18-inch alloys, which are large for a car in this segment, and make the car feel quite bouncy and unsettled across surfaces where rivals like the Hyundai i10 or Volkswagen up! do a more impressive job of smoothing bumps out.

Then there’s the openable canvas roof option. We experienced it when we drove the Aygo X Air Edition, and found it allowed too exterior noise to infiltrate the cabin when closed. You get used to it after a while, but at first, we found ourselves double-checking a window wasn’t open or a door ajar. With the roof electronically rolled back (this takes just under 10 seconds) you won’t notice too much buffeting, although the two forward-facing air vents did very little to keep the cabin warm on the frosty December day when we drove the car. 

0-62mph acceleration and top speed 

The Aygo X takes 14.9 seconds to ‘sprint’ from 0-62mph, while its top speed is 98mph. Other than battery-electric models, we wouldn’t expect a small city car to deliver breathtaking straight-line speed, but even so the Aygo X feels particularly lethargic as a result of its long gearing. It can hit 60mph in second gear, and first feels long, too, so you need lots of revs and to slip the clutch to move off without stalling. However, fifth gear is quite short, so the engine is busier and noisier than its rivals on the motorway.

When it’s idling, the Aygo X’s 1.0-litre three-pot motor produces a pronounced vibration that shakes through the cabin. This calms down with more revs, but there are smoother, more refined options in this segment.

MPG, CO2 and running costs

The Aygo X might share its platform with the Yaris, but sadly it hasn’t inherited the hybrid supermini’s frugal powertrain. Instead, the single engine option is the same compact 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol as the previous Aygo. 

When equipped with the standard five-speed manual, Toyota says the combo will return up to 58.9mpg and emits 109-110g/km of CO2. But if you go for the automatic transmission, fuel economy takes a slight dip to 56.5mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and emissions increase to 113-114g/km. When we tested the manual Aygo X against a similarly powerful Hyundai i10, it was pipped by the i10, averaging 51.9mpg to the Hyundai’s 53.1mpg.

Despite its status as Toyota’s entry-level model, the dinky Aygo X’s nearly £16,000 starting price is considerably higher than those of its chief rivals the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto and Volkswagen up!, while top-spec models fall into the same price bracket as the Renault Clio and Vauxhall Corsa. 

Insurance groups

The Aygo X should be pretty cheap to insure, as the entry-level Pure trim model sits in group 5 (out of 50) and mid-range Edge cars fall into group 6. Premiums for the top-spec Undercover version with the optional automatic gearbox should also be relatively inexpensive as it’s only in group 6.

Interior, design and technology

While the first two generations of the Toyota Aygo were relatively simple-looking city cars, the Aygo X has much more presence thanks to its funky, pseudo-SUV styling. It has a jacked-up ride height, blunt front end, cartoonishly large wheelarch trims, and 17 or 18-inch alloy wheels depending on spec – quite big for a car of this size. Throw in the two-tone paint finish and the option of an opening canvas roof, and there’s no denying Toyota has injected a new sense of fun to its dinky urban runabout.

The feeling continues inside, where you’ll find body-coloured flashes on the doors, around the gear lever and on the dash that contrast with the rest of the dark materials. It also helps to make the cabin feel cheerful if you go for a bolder paint colour like Chili Red and Juniper Blue. The old dash has also been tossed out, and replaced by a rounded, sweeping design that houses an integrated touchscreen and blends into the instrument panel. 

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The Aygo X either features a seven, eight or nine-inch central touchscreen depending on which trim level you go for. None of the set-ups feature built-in navigation, but you do get both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard which makes up for it. Whichever smartphone system you use it fills the screen nicely, while the bright nine-inch display in the model we tested responds quickly to inputs. 

The built-in infotainment system uses the same so-so interface that Toyota has used for some time. There aren’t many features – just access to media functions, trip info and not much else. The physical buttons on either side of the display make it simple to switch between menus, but the buttons themselves are small and fiddly to use. We do at least like that it uses white characters on a dark background so the large screen isn’t too distracting at night.

The climate controls sit in a separate panel below the main screen, and the simple knobs and switches are as intuitive as you’d hope. The instrument panel is also very simple; an LCD display, presenting trip and safety information, sits below a large speedometer and to the right of a much smaller rev counter.

24

Practicality, comfort and boot space

Rather than using its predecessor’s underpinnings, the Aygo X sits on a shortened version of the platform used by the Yaris supermini’s and has a bigger footprint on the road than the old Aygo. That’s good news when it comes to everyday usability, as it’s allowed the Aygo X to be much more spacious inside while increasing its luggage capacity. However, despite Toyota’s best efforts, we found during our testing that rivals like the Hyundai i10 offer more space inside.

Storage is okay, with a couple of cup-holders located in front of the gear lever and a cubby that’s deep and wide enough for a smartphone.

Dimensions and size

The Aygo X measures exactly 3,700mm long with a wheelbase of 2,430mm, is 1,740mm wide and stands at 1,525mm tall. So it might have adopted some SUV-esque design cues over the old Aygo, and grown in size, but the Aygo X is still one of the smallest cars on sale in the UK. 

Leg room, head room & passenger space

It’s clear that Toyota prioritised boot space over rear cabin space when designing the Aygo X. The rear bench is strictly for two people, quite flat and not as comfortable as its rivals like the i10 or Fiat 500. We also found it was a bit of a squeeze getting into the back because the rear doors are cut around the large wheelarches and are very short – this could also be a problem if you plan to fit a bulky child seat. Once inside, both head and kneeroom are lacking, although there is a decent amount of foot space underneath the front seats. Ultimately, however, the rear seats are only really suitable for small children because of how cramped it is.  

24

Boot space

The Aygo X’s 231-litre boot is more than 60 litres up on the second-generation Aygo, but still a little short of the 252 litres offered by the Hyundai i10, as well as the 251-litre boot capacity in the VW up!. The rear seats fold down in a 50:50 split, while the parcel shelf is made from thin fabric and is very light, so it’s easy to move out of the way when it isn’t needed.

Reliability and safety

The Aygo X is a bit too new to appear in the 2022 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, but the old Toyota Aygo managed a 48th place finish on our best cars to own list, alongside the Corolla (38th), Yaris (22nd) and C-HR (8th). Meanwhile, Toyota itself came 10th in the best car manufacturers rankings, ahead of Hyundai, Citroen and Nissan.

Euro NCAP crash tested the Aygo X in 2022 and gave it a four out of five star rating for its performance. It scored 78 per cent in the adult occupant protection category, 78 per cent for child occupant protection and 81 per cent for safety assistance systems. 

Every model is equipped with a Pre-Collision System with day and night Pedestrian detection, and daytime cyclist detection, intelligent adaptive cruise control (iACC), driver attention alert, road sign assist, reversing camera and six airbags. Top-spec models also come with a Parking Pack that includes front and rear parking sensors.

Warranty

Every Toyota comes as standard with a three-year/60,000-mile factory warranty, but you get an additional one-year/10,000-mile warranty every time you take your car in for a qualifying service. If you go to an authorised Toyota centre for every service, you can get up to 10 years or 100,000 miles of coverage at no extra cost.

Servicing

The Aygo X should follow the same service schedule as the Yaris and old Aygo, which means it’ll need to be looked at once a year or after 10,000 miles, whichever comes first. 

Toyota offers inflation-proof pricing for its service plans, with the option of monthly or one-off payment plans which give you one less thing to worry about. Toyota’s three-year Service Plan Plus costs £27 a month for small cars like the Aygo X and includes three scheduled services, one MOT test and two years of additional roadside assistance (on top of the 12 months you get with every new Toyota).