Toyota Yaris 2024 Review | First Drive

The Toyota Yaris has received a sizable update for 2024, and while many of its contemporaries in the supermini market have been culled or replaced by a crossover, Toyota's focus on delivering the best car in the sector remains unabated. It's not difficult to see why the brand continues to work so hard on this car, the Yaris has sold more than ten million units worldwide since it first arrived in 1999, and in the UK alone more than 22,000 were sold in 2023.

Despite the market trending away from smaller hatchbacks, the Yaris is still a hugely popular car. Its affordability is surely a huge part of that, and this updated version maintains an eye-catching starting price of £22,630. The GR Sport trim we've sampled will set you back £28,805, but it's an additional £6,000 that feels very much worthwhile.

Among the headlines for the new Yaris line-up are an additional 130PS (96kW) hybrid engine, a new customisable instrument display and wholesale upgrades to the safety and driver assistance tech. The transmission has also received plenty of attention, Toyota really does mean business with this car doesn't it?

Starting from the outside you can tell Toyota has put its attention elsewhere because this updated Yaris looks exactly the same as the old one. It hasn't even got a new face, the headlights and bodywork have all been retained.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. We happen to think the Yaris is one of the best-looking hatchbacks you can buy, and there is enough of a connection to the WRC rally car to make it feel incredibly cool.

Let's move onto the interesting stuff, though, because all of the hard work has been going on under the bonnet. New to the Yaris in 2024 is an additional 130PS (96kW) hybrid powertrain. It slots in above the 116PS (85kW) unit that was available previously and opens the door to some more potent performance in the GR Sport version that we tested. It's also available in the Premier Edition model.

It's the same 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, and all the added performance has been harnessed from an upgraded electric hybrid system that now delivers 62kW. Perhaps more significant is the increase in torque from the electric motor. It's up from 141Nm (104lb ft) to 185Nm (136lb ft) in the new 130PS unit, and because it's coming from the motor rather than the engine, it's available throughout the rev range which makes for a substantial difference in throttle response. The headline numbers are perhaps less alarming than you might think from the peppier engine. Top speed remains at 109mph, while the dash from 0-62mph is only half a second quicker at 9.2 seconds.

Translating those numbers from paper to the road delivers some pretty enthusing results. This is all of course relative, but the Yaris has managed to draw the distinction between excitement and enjoyment. It's not an exciting car to drive, acceleration feels soggy and underwhelming even from the more capable 130PS motor in the GR Sport, but it comes into its own once you are up to speed. The power delivery feels attentive and reactive, it responds pretty much instantly to inputs from your right foot. You do need to put some effort and thought into your work with the throttle pedal, but it's worthwhile because the way the Yaris can maintain speed is satisfying and hugely enjoyable. It's here that you can truly appreciate the additional performance from the hybrid system, because it can dig you out of a hole at a moment's notice when you do require a bit of extra poke.

Perhaps even more enjoyable is the way the Yaris rides. It's quite honestly hilarious. If this were a sportscar you'd say it was awful, but it's not, it's a cheap and lightweight supermini, so we're willing to cut some slack. You'll find yourself bouncing around on undulating roads, and that can get a touch chaotic if you're at the national speed limit. Find a nice flat section though and the stiffness of the chassis does come good, there's no doubting the engineering here, the car settles into a nice balance which inspires plenty of confidence. 

When you do arrive at a corner the steering is a touch spongy, but not devoid of feel. There's a nice weight to the wheel, and turn in is consistent. Brake feel is also good, the pedal is progressive and there's generally a nice connection between car and driver when it comes to navigating a twisty B-road.

One final word for the CVT, which is a huge improvement over the previous version. It's much better suited to the more torquey 130PS powertrain, and reacts far more naturally to your throttle inputs. Once you're up to speed it's easier to stay there than it used to be, which suits the Yaris, with its sluggish acceleration, down to the ground.

Some of the main identifiers for the GR Sport spec are found inside. While the extra performance of the engine is quite the giveaway, there's plenty inside to showcase that you've opted for the sportier version of the Yaris.

The front sports seats are supportive and comfortable, and do a good job of hugging you in. They are only manually adjustable, though, with limited adjustability at that. You also get sports pedals, and sports steering wheel and red stitching across the upholstery. There are also several GR badges located on the wheel, seats and start button.

It's not a bad place to be in the slightest, in fact we rather enjoyed the layout of the cabin. There's a good mix of buttons to avoid too much of a reliance on the touchscreen, and all of the touchpoints feel well thought out and of decent quality.The rear seats are cramped, as to be expected in what is a pretty compact supermini, but boot space is usable at 286 litres.

There have been some upgrades inside the new Yaris. The GR Sport model makes use of the new 12.3-inch digital instrument display taken from the Corolla which is customisable to show different graphics depending on your preference. You can pick from 'Casual', 'Smart', 'Tough', and 'Sporty' themes which will present different information in increasingly more radical ways.

A second 10.5-inch infotainment touchscreen sits in the centre of the dash. It has voice control capability, which worked OK during our test, you can say things like “Hey Toyota, I'm cold” and the car will turn up the climate control for you. Snazzy, but not really something we considered using an awful lot.

Connectivity is pretty good here, too. There's wireless connection for both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while over-the-air updates for the infotainment system are also in the pipeline.

In terms of safety tech, all the usuals are present. Among the headlines are several systems designed to help you avoid collisions, a head-on sensor can now better identify a wider range of hazards, from cars to pedestrians and even motorcycles. An additional acceleration suppression system stops you from accelerating hard if the car thinks there's an obstacle ahead.

One system we did have some trouble with was the new steering assist. It's designed to aid with turn in to give you a more consistent feel, and while for the most part it went unnoticed, there were two or three occasions where we found the wheel tugging far more than we wanted to, even once we'd come out of a corner. A little unnerving if we're honest.

It's easy to see why the Toyota Yaris remains such a popular car, even in a dying segment of compact hatchbacks. In GR Sport spec it's far more enjoyable to drive than it has any right to be. It doesn't bring anything like the thrill of the full fat GR Yaris, but for fun factor under £30,000, it’s up there.

With a quality interior and an excellent portfolio of tech and convenience features, it's easy to see where the appeal lies for drivers of all generations. There's a comforting familiarity about driving this car, but at the same time it can keep up with your cutting edge tech needs should you so wish.

Opting for the 130PS engine is a no-brainer in our eyes if you value driving enjoyment. The additional power makes such a difference to the overall experience, although there is nothing really to complain about with the cheaper engine.

As so many of its competitors, including the Ford Fiesta, begin to fall by the wayside, the Yaris has quickly become the very best in its class. If Toyota continues to chuck in updates like this there's no danger of that changing any time soon.