Summary: Proof that not everybody needs to buy an EV.

2025 Toyota ZR Yaris hybrid small hatchback

Pricing:  $32,390 (Yaris ZR, plus on road costs)

Options: premium paint $500, two-tone paint $450

Warranty: Five-years, unlimited kilometre, extended to seven-year engine/driveline warranty if serviced by a Toyota dealer

Safety: five-star ANCAP (2020)

Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with mild hybrid technology

Service intervals: 12 months or 15,000km

Power: 67kW, 59kW (electric motor). 85kW combined

Torque: 120Nm, 141Nm (electric motor). Combined torque not stated

Transmission: CVT-style continuously variable automatic, front-wheel drive

Body: 3950mm (long); 1695mm (wide); 1495mm (high)

Build country: Japan

Kerb weight: 1130kg

Towing capacity: not specified

Luggage storage: 270L (all seats upright)

Wheels: 16-inch alloy

Tyres: 185/55 R16

Spare wheel: space saver

Ground clearance: 150mm

Turning circle: 10.2m

Fuel tank capacity: 36 litres

Claimed fuel consumption: 3.3L/100km (91 RON unleaded)

Fuel consumption on test: 4.0L/100km (800km)

seniordriveraus consumption on test: not tested

[review]

Toyota’s small but practical Yaris is often overlooked in the rush to buy larger more powerful models.

But for environmentally conscious buyers the hybrid-powered pocket rocket offers a very real alternative to fully electric vehicles.

The three-cylinder hybrid powertrain offers super low fuel consumption and with it incredibly low engine emissions.

In many ways, you could say it is the perfect city car.

What’s it cost?

Yaris has come a long way since the debacle over its name when introduced as the Toyota Echo back in 1999.

It is now one of the most popular cars on the road with more than 360,000 sales over four generations.

There are three grades to choose from: Ascent Sport, SX and ZR – priced from $28,990.

SX takes the price to $32,390 while the sporty ZR enters the ledger at $34,590 – all prices before on-road costs.

The high performance, three-door GR Yaris is priced from $55,490.

Premium paint adds $500 and two-tone paint (black roof) is $450.

Yaris Cross is based on the same platform and starts from $31,790 plus on-roads in front-drive form.

These days, all grades apart from the GR are powered by the same three-cylinder hybrid powertrain.

The new 1.5-litre three-cylinder powertrain develops more power than its four-cylinder predecessor, while using substantially less fuel and cutting emissions.

In fact, it offers the best fuel economy of any Toyota, using just 3.3 litres of fuel per 100km and producing just 76 grams of CO₂ per kilometre.

Standard kit includes cloth trim and manual aircon, 15-inch steel wheels, analogue speedo, built-in navigation, active cruise control, automatic high beam and speed sign recognition.

There are also LED daytime, tail and stop lights, auto-fold mirrors with LED turn signals, and rear privacy glass.

SX adds 16-inch alloys, climate air, premium steering wheel and shift knob, LED headlights, indicators and rear combination lights, keyless smart entry, smart-start ignition button and soft-touch instrument panel.

Top-of-the-line ZR gains 16-inch alloys, sports front seats, rear spoiler, head-up display, sports front seats as well as Nanoe-X air filtering technology.

SX and ZR feature a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster.

Auto lights are standard, but the wipers are manual and so is the rear-view mirror – as we discovered.

Toyota seems to have adopted the approach: if it’s not present then best not to mention it.

Infotainment comes in the form of an 8.0-inch touchscreen, with Bluetooth, voice recognition, built-in navigation, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with generic six-speaker audio.

What it doesn’t get is a wireless charge pad.

There are two USB-C ports in the front but none for rear seat passengers.

All grades come with 12 months of access to Toyota Connected Services, including Safety and Security features, Multimedia Connect and Driving Insights – all accessible through the myToyota Connect app.

Yaris gets a five-star rating for safety with eight airbags including a centre airbag for the front.

It has a reversing camera plus sensors that can detect vehicles or pedestrians at intersections when making turns, active cornering assist and a secondary collision braking.

Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car and Vulnerable Road User) as well as lane keep assist (LKA) with lane departure warning (LDW), emergency lane keeping (ELK) and an advanced speed assistance system (SAS) are fitted as standard on all variants.

There are also front and rear parking sensors and a parking support brake system that can warn the driver of objects around the vehicle and even apply the brakes if necessary.

ZR variants gain Blind Spot Monitor, Safe Exit Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

The Yaris is covered by a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty.

What’s it go like?

The all-new Yaris is shorter and sits lower than its predecessor, with a longer wheelbase for maximum interior space and stability.

Unlike its predecessor it is available only in five-door hatchback form; the three-door model is reserved for the performance-flagship GR model.

During development of the car, Mr Toyota himself, Akio Toyoda, stepped in to delay the launch of the car for 12 months.

The first draft was initially larger and heavier, which would have made it more expensive, and he wanted the fat trimmed.

A sporty exterior design comprises a prominent cascading grille, longer bonnet, sculpted door panels, dynamic character lines and a shorter rear overhang.

The interior offers an open, spacious and comfortable cabin with ample headroom, a wider centre console and an up-market ambience with combination cloth and pseudo suede trim.

Ascent Sport has an all-black interior; SX gains silver highlights while ZR is distinguished by sporty red inserts.

Stepping from the massive Tundra directly into the diminutive Yaris was a professional challenge.

The new platform permits the driver’s seat to be set lower and further back, creating a more engaging driving position and helping to lower the centre of gravity by around 15mm.

The steering wheel is set closer to the driver, with wider tilt and reach adjustment.

It’s reasonably comfortable in front, however there’s virtually no legroom in the back, making Yaris more of a 2+2 proposition.

Electric steering assistance is tuned for a light touch at low speed and a responsive feeling at high speed.

A 270-litre cargo area incorporates a two-level boot floor, while larger items can be accommodated with a 60:40 split-fold rear seat.

A space saver spare is provided in the event of a puncture.

The 1.5-litre three-cylinder powertrain drives the front wheels through a CVT-style, continuously variable automatic transmission.

Operating on the Atkinson Cycle, the petrol engine’s 67kW and 120Nm are supplemented by 59kW and 141Nm electric motor-generator and a compact lithium-ion battery. Combined system output is 85kW (combined torque is not stated).

The Yaris hybrid can be operated in a fuel-saving Eco mode or more responsive Power mode.

As a full hybrid, it can also operate on electric power alone, which contributes noticeably to its urban-cycle fuel consumption of just 2.8L/100km.

The hybrid transaxle adopts a compact dual-axis structure with the power-control unit installed directly above it, resulting in a small, lightweight system.

The chassis has been engineered to improve dynamic qualities, reduce body roll and improve braking stability and stopping distances.

The revised front MacPherson struts and rear torsion-beam layout includes reduced friction, softer springs and an increase in rear roll stiffness.

The regenerative brakes feature ventilated discs at the front and drums at the rear.

The thrummy three-cylinder engine in combination with the electric motor is surprisingly responsive, but a bit raucous under hard acceleration.

There’s just the one gear, but the B position provides additional engine braking when travelling downhill.

Drive mode select offers a choice of three modes: Standard, Power and Eco. EV mode can also be selected with a different switch. Power mode is the one you want when there’s someone up your clacker.

Because of its size elbow room is at a premium. This becomes obvious with a drink bottle in the centre cupholder between the front seats, which makes for an awkward combination with the hand brake and driver’s elbow.

Believe it or not, ZR even gets head-up display, but of course you can’t see it with polarised sunglasses. We discovered this by chance when we happened to tilt our head sideways. Until then it had remained invisible.

With a 36-litre tank, Yaris takes standard 91 RON unleaded, with fuel consumption a claimed 3.3L/100km.

We didn’t quite achieve this figure, but 800km at a rate of 4.0L/100km is fairly impressive.

No range anxiety here.

What we like

• Attractive
• Compact dimensions
• Hardly uses any fuel

What we don’t like

• Elbow bumps
• No charge pad
• Head-up display invisible

What over-50s need to know

The Yaris ZR certainly packs a lot into its tiny frame.

It’s attractive, well equipped, does not use much fuel and doesn’t cost much to buy.

But to be frank, older folks could find it a little low and maybe a bit squeezy, for those who are frequent Maccas too often.

If you’re a fit and you’re just looking for something to run around town in, what more could you need?

seniordriver comments

The Toyota Yarus proves that not everyone needs an EV. Fuel consumption is highly competitive, and even the emissions are notably low.

With pricing starting from $28,990 (Ascent Sport, plus on roads), it comfortably undercuts almost all EVs, and is arguably a better proposition for many people. The electric BYD Dolphin comes in at $29,990, but that’s the bare-bones basic model.

It’s worth noting that the five-star ANCAP rating was issued in 2020, so it expires in December 2025.

Chris Riley has been a journalist for 40 years and is the managing editor of cars4starters. He has spent half his career as a writer, editor and production editor in newspapers, the rest of the time driving and writing about cars, both in print and online. His love affair with cars began as a teenager with the purchase of an old VW Beetle, followed by another Beetle and a string of other cars on which he has wasted far too much time and money. A self-confessed geek, he’s not afraid to ask the hard questions, even at the risk of sounding silly.