They’re everywhere, but you don’t really see them. That, really, is part of the charm of the Toyota Yaris hatchback, a small car that goes about its business innocuously, blending into its owners’ lives without fuss or hassle, and delivering dependable if unremarkable service.
It’s about the same size as the Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo or Vauxhall Corsa, and comes as a three-door or a five-door (though later models are largely five-door only). While the Yaris isn’t exactly exciting, it does have one outstanding attribute for which it’s earned a small but devoted group of followers: reliability.
The Yaris has consistently been one of the most dependable cars on Britain’s roads, ever since the first generation was released in 1999, finishing high up in repeated reliability surveys and gaining the trust of owners.
It’s for that reason that the Yaris has become popular among retirees, who appreciate its easy-going, hassle-free nature, as well as buyers who aren’t all that interested in fancy trimmings and simply want to get around cheaply, with a minimum of fuss.
Toyota Yaris Generations
- Toyota Yaris mk4 (2020-present)
- Toyota Yaris mk3 (2011-2020)
- Toyota Yaris mk2 (2005-2011)
- Toyota Yaris mk1 (1999-2005)
Toyota Yaris mk4 (2020-present)
Bodystyles:
- Three-door hatchback
- Five-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Toyota Yaris mk4:
- Standard car only available as a hybrid, with no pure petrol or diesel alternative
- Pumped-up styling was a departure from the more bland previous generations
- Crowned European Car of the Year in 2021
- Rally-bred GR Yaris sat at the top of the range, widely regarded as one of the finest hot hatches
When the new Toyota Yaris supermini was first revealed at the end of 2019, it was clear that it was a departure from its predecessors. The third generation’s bland, innocuous styling was replaced by an in-your-face scowl, bulging wheel arches and a pert tail end. The Yaris, for the first time ever, had gained an attitude.
Things were different under the skin, too. The new model Yaris had gone hybrid-only; there was no longer a petrol or diesel option on offer. The petrol-electric hybrid powertrain had been upgraded, to make it smoother and quieter, and thus the new Yaris was easier and more pleasant to drive than ever while still being very easy on the MPG.
The interior had rediscovered its sense of fun, too, with its binocular-like gauges and swooping design. High-quality materials meant the Yaris felt more upmarket than ever before, even if the monotone grey finish was a little drab, while Android Auto and Apple Carplay connectivity were available for the first time on the touchscreen infotainment system.
A range of specs are offered - Icon, Design, Excel and GR Sport - each with a generous level of equipment. Even the entry-level car gives you alloy wheels, automatic air conditioning, adaptive cruise control, Bluetooth, a reversing camera and a 9.0-inch Toyota Touch multimedia screen. Higher-spec cars get a bigger screen with nav.
So good was the new car that a panel of motoring journalists voted it the European Car of the Year for 2021. But that wasn’t the most exciting news of all, for Toyota had one more trick up its sleeve, with a new flagship car to top the line-up: the GR Yaris.
On first acquaintance, you might assume the GR Yaris was nothing more than another performance version, picking up where the previous generation Yaris GRMN had left off. But it was a completely different kettle of fish. The GR Yaris was developed to satisfy the requirements of World Rally Championship homologation rules, with a bespoke three-door bodyshell (the standard cars were now five-door-only), motorsport-specification underpinnings and a 257bhp 1.6-litre turbo engine. As you might expect, it's a deeply exciting and dynamic car to drive, with tremendous grip and traction and immense power.
Toyota Yaris mk4 Review
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Toyota Yaris mk3 (2011-2020)
Bodystyles:
- Three-door hatchback
- Five-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Toyota Yaris mk3:
- Yaris Hybrid made available for the first time, with 1.5-litre petrol engine offering 79g/km CO2 and 80.7mpg
- Limited-edition Yaris GRMN with supercharged engine proved great fun
- Facelifts in 2014 and 2017 refreshed the styling and added technology
- First Yaris available with five-year warranty from launch
For the first time, the Yaris was available with Toyota’s shiny new five-year warranty from the day it was launched. The new warranty had been launched a year beforehand, in June 2010, so the last of the previous generation models also had this feature, which is worth knowing if you're shopping for a used car.
It was an additional benefit that only burnished the Yaris’s hard-won reputation for dependability and hassle-free motoring, and won over many buyers who’d been stung by less reliable rivals.
But more was yet to come, because in 2012, Toyota revealed the first Yaris with hybrid power. It was the cheapest new hybrid on sale in the UK at the time, and meant buyers looking for the most fuel-efficient small car now had an alternative option to the unpopular diesel versions of rival cars – not to mention the Yaris’s own diesel option, which was soon retired.
Journalists were not universal in their praise, citing the Hybrid’s leisurely performance, its uninspiring handling and its engine noise under moderate acceleration, caused by the CVT gearbox. Buyers, however, didn’t really care; the hybrid powertrain’s excellent urban fuel economy, low emissions and undemanding driving experience suited the Yaris’s target audience perfectly. It was soon the UK’s best-selling hybrid car, over and above its more established stablemates, the Corolla and the Prius.
Toward the end of its life, Toyota revealed a very special version of the mk3 Yaris: the GRMN. This high-performance model was specially engineered with a stiffer body and upgraded suspension components, and strictly limited to just 600 examples, just 100 of which came to the UK. At the GRMN’s heart was a supercharged 1.8-litre engine with 209bhp, which enabled it to hit 62mph from rest in just 6.4 seconds.
Toyota Yaris mk3 Review
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Toyota Yaris mk2 (2005-2011)
Bodystyles:
- Three-door hatchback
- Five-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Toyota Yaris mk2
- New design was more conservative but also more modern
- Clever rear seats improved practicality
- T-Sport version axed in favour of 1.8 SR
Some of the Yaris’s individuality was lost in the transition from first generation to second, but what replaced it was a sleeker, slicker look that moved the car slightly upmarket.
Inside, the new Yaris was still just as characterful as it ever was, with door handles that flowed up into the top of the dashboard and vertically-stacked heater controls. The signature central instrument pod was still there, too.
There were bigger changes in the rear of the mk2 Yaris, where Toyota had installed some very clever rear seats. A complex system of cantilevers meant that when you folded them down, the bases moved down into the footwells, allowing the seats to fold flat, a rare feature in a small car.
What was more, the seats didn’t just fold in 60/40 formation; they also slid forward and backward that way, too, resulting in a very flexible layout that meant you could prioritise legroom for one or two rear passengers, while still adding more boot space by sliding the redundant seat(s) forward. Who needs a big Toyota RAV4 or Hilux to haul things around?
Features like these meant the Yaris was still popular with buyers, even though it wasn’t quite as sparkling to drive as the old model. Toyota also opted to drop the T-Sport trim level in favour of a 1.8-litre version of the SR which, while it looked sporty on paper, ultimately lacked the sort of involvement to make it feel special.
Toyota Yaris mk2 Review
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Toyota Yaris mk1 (1999-2005)
Bodystyles:
- Three-door hatchback
- Five-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Toyota Yaris mk1:
- Vastly more characterful and interesting than the also-ran Starlet it replaced, which meant a huge increase in sales
- High-tech engines were some of the most advanced in the class, delivering smoothness and fuel economy some rivals could only dream of
- 1.5-litre T-Sport model was an engaging warm hatch with a strengthened bodyshell and a zingy engine
- Facelifted in 2003 with minor visual tweaks and an upgraded engine
To understand the significance of the first-generation Yaris, it’s important to remember the world into which it was born. It replaced the Starlet, a car of such towering dullness even its owners could barely remember what it was, and went head-to-head with the Ford Fiesta, whose basic design was 10 years old, and whose engines in some cases were even older.
The Yaris, by contrast, was fresh-faced and unerringly modern, with efficient engines even on the entry-level model that featured up-to-the-minute technology, while the car’s eye-catching styling set it apart from the crowd.
Inside it was even more outlandish, with a swooping cockpit design that felt like something from a sci-fi film, complete with an ovoid instrument binnacle mounted in the centre of the dashboard, from which green digits loomed forth to tell you your speed, and vast cubbies that protruded from each side of the centre console like hamster’s cheeks.
But the Yaris was more than just a pretty face. Reviewers praised its generous practicality and sharp handling, although they were less enamoured with the slightly firm ride. And thanks to those economical engines, the Yaris had excellent fuel consumption; combined with its reliability and affordable servicing, that made for cheap running costs. No wonder Toyota sold so many of them. In fact, at one point the Yaris accounted for a quarter of the manufacturer’s total car sales in Europe.
For those who wanted something a little more special, a performance-tuned T-Sport was launched in 2001. With its 105bhp 1.5-litre engine, it was hardly a rival to the top hot hatches of the time, but it punched above its weight and its responsive chassis made it more entertaining than that power figure would have you believe.
A facelift in 2003 brought very minor cosmetic alterations to the Yaris, but beneath the surface, the 1.3-litre petrol engine was upgraded, and a rather jerky automated manual gearbox was made available on the 1.0-litre petrol.