In-depth reviews

Toyota Yaris - Engines, performance and drive

Toyota is confident the efficient petrol-hybrid engine in the Yaris will prove to be a winner with customers

Overall Auto Express Rating

4.0 out of 5

Engines, performance and drive Rating

3.9 out of 5

Find your next car here
Offers from our trusted partners on this car and its predecessors...
Leasing deals
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Advertisement

The Toyota Yaris is a competent all-rounder, offering a reasonable drive on a variety of roads. But, it’s around town where the hybrid supermini shows off the best of its talents. The steering feels precise and the Yaris is easily manoeuvered around the tightest of turns, while parking-up in narrow spaces should prove equally straightforward.

Although largely untroubled by higher speeds, the Yaris feels a little strained when on the motorway, and the CVT transmission isn’t the most involving when pressing on through twisty B-roads – becoming quite noisy under hard acceleration. The set-up is better suited to more measured inputs, which makes for a relaxing drive.

The Yaris suspension arrangement comprises MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear. It’s pretty agreeable, but it does crash through the worst of potholes, and becomes unsettled over uneven, broken surfaces.

Like its Honda Jazz and Renault Clio E-Tech rivals, the Yaris can drive on electric power alone when on shorter, urban runs. A key advantage is that you don’t have to stop to plug-in and recharge, instead the Yaris’s battery pack is topped-up by a regenerative-braking function, which produces electricity when you brake or coast. Excess power from the engine is also used to charge the battery.

0-62mph acceleration and top speed

The Yaris’s hybrid system delivers a total of 114bhp and, combined with a relatively low kerb weight of 1,085kg, the 0-62mph sprint is taken care of in a reasonable 9.7 seconds. Top speed is 108mph, but these aren’t figures that many Yaris customers will be actively seeking out. It’s not that kind of car.

Most Popular

‘Forget leasing a car, a cut-price van should be your next everyday vehicle’
Opinion - Fiat Scudo
Opinion

‘Forget leasing a car, a cut-price van should be your next everyday vehicle’

With some huge savings to be had, Mike Rutherford thinks a van could be the perfect vehicle
3 Dec 2023
New Renault 5: price, specs, launch and on sale dates
Renault 5 EV concept at 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed
News

New Renault 5: price, specs, launch and on sale dates

Renault’s reborn Renault 5 will start from €25,000 in Europe, suggesting a circa-£30k price in the UK. It's due on sale in the summer of 2024. Here's …
1 Dec 2023
Deal of the Day: Vauxhall Grandland is an ideal family SUV for £210 per month
Vauxhall Grandland front cornering
News

Deal of the Day: Vauxhall Grandland is an ideal family SUV for £210 per month

Vauxhall’s largest SUV can be had for the same price as most superminis, making it our Deal of the Day for 1 December
1 Dec 2023