2025 Toyota Yaris review

How much does the Toyota Yaris cost?

Pricing of the Toyota Yaris hasn’t moved in over a year, despite the arrival of new competitors and a cooling car market.

To see how the Toyota Yaris lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Toyota Yaris like on the inside?

⁃    All feels very familiar and user-friendly, even though I’ve never driven one

Interior     ⁃    build quality feels excellent – no play in any of the components or panels 

    ⁃    No creaks or rattles, everything feels very solid Material feel     ⁃    Mostly hard, textured black plastics     ⁃    Suede finishes on door cards     ⁃    Red piping and stitching to add splash of colour     ⁃    Soft dash too, same appearance as other plastics     ⁃    Piano black shifter surround     ⁃    Firmly padded leather steering wheel     ⁃    Indicators, buttons, switches all feel solid and have a satisfying click or turn to them Seating comfort     ⁃    Greg cloth seats with red stitching     ⁃    Sculpted side support and some low bolstering     ⁃    Well cushioned, very comfortable over long journeys     ⁃    Manual adjustment     ⁃    Wide range of seating positions, easy to get comfortable despite smallness of the car Ease of use/layout over the long term     ⁃    Excellent ergonomics – everything is in reach despite my unconventional seating position     ⁃    Steering wheel tilts and telescopes     ⁃    Access to storage of various sizes Technology – Ease of use     ⁃    No physical buttons, just shortcut icons locked to right of the screen     ⁃    Shortcuts for CarPlay, nav, audio, phone, settings     ⁃    Each icon is self explanatory     ⁃    ADAS and vehicle settings in cluster, would prefer the option to adjust in infotainment menus – Features     ⁃    Large digital instrument cluster     ⁃    Small infotainment touchscreen with a single volume dial     ⁃    Native navigation is detailed and easy to use with voice control     ⁃    Head up display showing speed, adaptive cruise and revs     ⁃    Digital climate control display with rotary dials and buttons     ⁃    No toys like heated seats, steering wheel, wireless charging etc     ⁃    Effective sound system with crisp audio and powerful speakers – Polish/looks     ⁃    Clean design and sharp graphics     ⁃    Centre screen is uncluttered by physical buttons     ⁃    Digital instrument cluster is a little pixelated, although the layout is clean     ⁃    Cluster displays engine use – charge, eco, or power     ⁃    Steering wheel controls cycle through customisable read outs for audio, fuel economy, compass etc     ⁃    Temperature and fuel gauge permanently displayed on either side of the instrument display     ⁃    – Reliability     ⁃    Responsive to touch inputs     ⁃    Slightly laggy at times, but generally quick processing     ⁃    No CarPlay dropouts Storage     ⁃    clever range of storage solutions for a light car     ⁃    Thin, deep door bins     ⁃    Dual centre cupholders     ⁃    Small central tray, no console      ⁃    Phone tray under infotainment screen, second tray under centre stack     ⁃    Shallow tray above glovebox     ⁃    Average glovebox     ⁃    Shallow cubby underneath door handles USB connectivity/wireless mirroring     ⁃    2 x USB-C under climate controls     ⁃    12V at back of phone tray     ⁃    Wireless mirroring Second row     ⁃    spartan second row     ⁃    Legroom     ⁃    Six-two limit, my knees pressed against soft cloth seat back     ⁃    Rear seats sit an slight recline, positive for comfort     ⁃    Plush cushion and backrest     ⁃    Middle seat essentially useless     ⁃    Two adults or three small children max Headroom     ⁃    Six-one limit, I couldn’t sit fully upright Room for toes under the seats     ⁃    Plenty of toe room Big/small windows     ⁃    Big windows let plenty of light in     ⁃    Dark headlining makes it feel a little cave like Cupholders, USB, vents     ⁃    Map pockets     ⁃    Round, bottle shaped door bins     ⁃    Shared centre storage tray     ⁃    No armrest or dedicated cupholders     ⁃    No rear USB      ⁃    No vents  Does the bench slide, does it fold 60/40 or 40/20/40     ⁃    Rear bench folds 60/40     ⁃    Flat bench storage with no step Boot – claim vs how usable it actually is     ⁃    Deep boot with option of twin tier storage via removable shelf      ⁃    No load lip with shelf in place     ⁃    Halogen lighting     ⁃    Manual boot lid     ⁃    Small aperture, but boot lid opens high

To see how the Toyota Yaris lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

All Toyota Yaris models feature a 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid powertrain producing 67kW of power and 120Nm of torque, mated with a 59kW/141Nm electric motor, a small lithium-ion battery, and a continuously variable transmission.

To see how the Toyota Yaris lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Toyota Yaris drive?

Keyless entry and exit     ⁃    Old fashioned physical handbrake     ⁃    Silent start up     ⁃    All the best attributes of a small car – light, tossable, manoeuvrable and responsive     ⁃    Razor sharp steering is ultra responsive, although there’s little feel     ⁃    Agile and easy to dart in and out of traffic     ⁃    Feels settled on the road despite its diminutive size     ⁃    Minimal road noise around town     ⁃    Quiet on the highway – well insulated from wind noise and no tyre roar     ⁃    Powertrain is ultra quiet, almost like an EV. When you give the throttle a boot-full the engine has a three cylinder rumble but it never vibrates or screams     ⁃    More than adequate acceleration in urban areas, although there’s not much pull at highway speeds     ⁃    Yaris feels more composed than vehicles twice its size     ⁃    Could comfortably complete multi-hour road trips without growing tired     ⁃    4.0L/100km     ⁃    ADAS adjustments through instrument cluster – lane departure, blind spot, rear cross traffic, safe exit, speed sign recognition     ⁃    Adaptive cruise control with active lane centring     ⁃    Eco and power drive modes     ⁃    EV mode     ⁃    Cruises on EV power alone, shown by an icon that pops up on the digital cluster     ⁃    Low resolution reversing camera with guide lines     ⁃    Adaptive cruise is incredibly easy to operate and works flawlessly. Keeps up with traffic and maintains a central lane position     ⁃    ADAS is unobtrusive – speed limit warnings show on the dash but no audible chime, DMS was never overreaching.     ⁃    Lane keep system will sometimes fight steering inputs     ⁃    One of the easiest cars to park – reversing camera, sensors, small size     ⁃    Plenty of front, side and rear visibility with no obvious blind spots + blind spot monitoring assistance     ⁃    Ride is ultra compliant, suspension smooths out coarse surfaces and Yaris straddles speed humps like a mountain goat     ⁃    No bouncing, and only the occasional bobble over particularly challenging terrain     ⁃    Just as the interior feels solid, the mechanical elements of the Yaris feel expertly developed, sturdy and appropriate for the car     ⁃    CVT operates seamlessly, always finds the right balance between efficiency and performance     ⁃    Little car that’s happy to play with the big boys

Exterior & Practicality One of the easiest cars to park – reversing camera, sensors, small size

Plenty of front, side and rear visibility with no obvious blind spots + blind spot monitoring assistance

Performance & Driving Experience All the best attributes of a small car – light, tossable, manoeuvrable and responsive

Razor sharp steering is ultra responsive, although there’s little feel

Agile and easy to dart in and out of traffic

Feels settled on the road despite its diminutive size

More than adequate acceleration in urban areas, although there’s not much pull at highway speeds

Yaris feels more composed than vehicles twice its size

Little car that’s happy to play with the big boys

Ride is ultra compliant, suspension smooths out coarse surfaces and Yaris straddles speed humps like a mountain goat

No bouncing, and only the occasional bobble over particularly challenging terrain

Refinement & NVH Silent start up

Minimal road noise around town

Quiet on the highway – well insulated from wind noise and no tyre roar

Powertrain is ultra quiet, almost like an EV. When you give the throttle a boot-full the engine has a three-cylinder rumble but it never vibrates or screams

CVT operates seamlessly, always finds the right balance between efficiency and performance

Fuel Economy 4.0L/100km

Cruises on EV power alone, shown by an icon that pops up on the digital cluster

EV mode

Eco and power drive modes

Technology & Safety (ADAS) ADAS adjustments through instrument cluster – lane departure, blind spot, rear cross traffic, safe exit, speed sign recognition

Adaptive cruise control with active lane centring

Adaptive cruise is incredibly easy to operate and works flawlessly. Keeps up with traffic and maintains a central lane position

ADAS is unobtrusive – speed limit warnings show on the dash but no audible chime, DMS was never overreaching

Lane keep system will sometimes fight steering inputs

Low resolution reversing camera with guide lines

Blind spot monitoring assistance

To see how the Toyota Yaris lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

There are three members of the Yaris range.

The base Ascent Sport comes standard with the following equipment:

• 15-inch steel wheels in 185/60R15 tyres
• Space-saver spare
• Halogen headlights with LED daytime running lights
• Automatic high-beam
• Cloth upholstery
• 60/40 split/fold rear seats
• Urethane steering wheel
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• 4.2-inch instrument cluster screen
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• DAB+ digital radio
• Six-speaker sound system
• 2 x USB-C outlets
• Climate control
• Keyless entry and start

The SX adds:

• 15-inch alloy wheels in 185/60R15 tyres
• LED headlights and tail lights
• Rear privacy glass
• Embedded, cloud-based satellite navigation
• 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster
• Satin silver interior trim
• Soft-touch instrument panel
• Leather-accented steering wheel and shifter

The ZR adds:

• 16-inch alloy wheels in 185/55R16 tyres
• Rear spoiler
• Dark chrome grille
• Black mirror caps
• Head-up display
• Front sports seats
• Front centre console box with light
• Piano black trim
• Red dash and door inserts

To see how the Toyota Yaris lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Toyota Yaris safe?

The Toyota Yaris has a five-star rating from ANCAP, based on testing conducted in 2020.

The following safety equipment is standard across the range:

• Autonomous emergency braking
  • Pedestrian
  • Cyclist (daylight only)
  • Motorcyclist
  • Oncoming vehicle
  • Intersection collision avoidance support
  • Emergency steering assist
  • Low-speed acceleration suppression
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane trace assist
• Speed sign recognition
• Reversing camera
• 8 x airbags

The SX gains front and rear parking support brake with parking sensors, while the ZR gains:

• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Safe exit assist

To see how the Toyota Yaris lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Toyota Yaris cost to run?

To see how the Toyota Yaris lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Toyota Yaris

Interested in buying a Toyota Yaris? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

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MORE: Everything Toyota Yaris