Toyota Yaris Cross Review 2024

Set to compete with the Nissan Juke, Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq, the Toyota Yaris Cross is a new addition to the firm's range. It's closely related to the latest Yaris, with stylish looks and an efficient petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain. Read our full Toyota Yaris Cross review to find out if this small SUV should be on your shortlist.

It's the Toyota Yaris Cross's hybrid power which sets it apart from rivals. It combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor, resulting in impressive around-town refinement and incredible fuel economy. Officially, you should be able to see up to 64.2mpg from the Yaris Cross, which might be impressive enough to make you think twice about electric alternatives like the Hyundai Kona Electric.

It's easy and fun to drive, with the hybrid setup providing whizzy acceleration around town. Rivals are more suited to motorway driving, though, and the Yaris Cross's relatively firm suspension means we'd suggest treading carefully when the salesperson suggests one of the higher-spec trim levels.

Prices start from around £22,500 for the entry-level Toyota Yaris Cross Icon, but most buyers are expected to stretch to the Yaris Cross Design. This retails from around £24,000 and brings with it 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, interior ambient lighting and rear privacy glass.

Higher-spec models include the Excel, Dynamic and – for a limited time – the Premiere Edition. The latter two are available with four-wheel drive; not necessarily something we'd recommend unless you live somewhere particularly remote.

While the exterior of the Yaris Cross is just as stylish as the most attractive of rivals (we're looking at the Peugeot 2008 and Volkswagen T-Roc here), its interior isn't quite so fancy. It's functional, though, with everything laid out neatly and a choice of two very good infotainment displays (depending on trim level).

You sit higher up than in a Skoda Kamiq, so you feel noticeably off-the-ground compared to a standard Toyota Yaris. It's a comfortable choice – or at least, it is for front-seat passengers. The rear's a bit claustrophobic, but you'd probably be better looking for a bigger SUV anyway if you regularly carry people in the back.

Ultimately, the Toyota Yaris Cross is almost perfectly judged. There are rivals that are more affordable, while some are a little more fun to drive. But the Yaris Cross is a great small hybrid car that will be reliable and cheap to run, while its also a lot more stylish than you might expect for a Toyota.

As small SUVs go, the Toyota Yaris Cross isn't the most versatile choice. The boot can carry 397 litres of luggage which, while adequate for a couple of suticases, isn't particularly impressive among alternatives. There's quite a big boot lip, too, which makes loading items tricky. Fortunately, higher spec Excel, Dynamic and Premiere Edition models come with a false floor to reduce this.

Getting into the back feels a bit awkward due to the oddly-shaped rear doors and, once there, it's not the most pleasant place to sit. It feels a bit claustrophobic but there are Isofix child seat mounting points on the outer seats.

The front is fine for a pair of adults, although the door bins aren't particularly big and neither is the glove box.

In typical Toyota fashion, the interior of the Yaris Cross feels robust if not particularly cosseting. There are some fairly scratchy plastics low down in the cabin, while you'll know about it if you accidentally bang your leg on the centre console.

Still, it feels classier than a Toyota cabin from just a few years ago, while we have no doubt that it'll stand up well to family life.

There are two infotainment systems available in the Yaris Cross: an eight-inch display on Icon and Design models, or a nine-inch system on Excel, Dynamic and Premiere Edition models. Both come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but, if you want built-in navigation, you'll need the bigger system.

We've only tried the smaller unit and actually quite like it. It works well, with quick responses, and there are physical shortcut buttons to useful features. These are missing on the bigger display, which is reliant on touchscreen operation.

There's a seven-inch digital instrument cluster fitted as standard to most Yaris Cross models, while the Premiere Edition is available with a 10-inch head-up display.

You'll pay upwards of £22,500 for a Toyota Yaris Cross in entry-level Icon trim, while the popular Design trim level retails at around £24,000. That sounds a bit on the expensive side when you can pick up a Skoda Kamiq or Nissan Juke for around £19,000 – but you do get a hybrid drivetrain and fairly comprehensive equipment levels for the money.

If you want a slightly plusher Yaris Cross, the Dynamic model starts from around £26,500, while the desirable Premiere Edition model is a smidgen over £28,000.

As it's such a new model, Toyota dealers are unlikely to be offering huge savings on the Yaris Cross. Give it six months, though, and we reckon there'll be a few good nearly-new or pre-reg deals about.

As a self-charging hybrid, the Toyota Yaris Cross will be very efficient with minimal effort. Officially, Toyota quotes up to 64.2mpg (depending on the trim level) for the standard two-wheel-drive Yaris Cross, dropping to 55.4mpg from the four-wheel-drive AWD-i.

Despite a hilly test route and unsympathetic driving, we saw mid-50s mpg from our two-wheel-drive Yaris Cross. That's pretty impressive, while Toyota always performs well in the real world according to our Real MPG data.

Toyota has an unfallable reliability record, too, so you needn't be worried if you're planning to keep your Yaris Cross for the long-term (and you can extend the warranty for free if you have the car serviced at Toyota dealers).

The Toyota Yaris Cross is 25mm higher than the standard Yaris, which doesn't sound like a lot. You do, however, get that desirable SUV seating position and a good view of the road ahead. That means it's easy to drive around town, although rear visibility isn't quite so good – fortunately, a reversing camera is standard across the range.

Its relatively compact dimensions and light steering means you can duck and dive out of spaces easily. It can hold its own out of the city, too, although a Ford Puma is ultimately more fun to drive on the open road.

While we've only sampled the Yaris Cross on 17-inch alloy wheels, it is a bit firmer than rivals like the Skoda Kamiq or Citroen C3 Aircross. We reckon it's probably worth avoiding higher-spec models with their bigger alloys if you're looking for a comfortable small SUV.

The Toyota Yaris Cross combines a small three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor to produce 116PS and 120Nm of torque. It's not that quick, taking 11.2 seconds to reach 62mph, but that doesn't really reflect how the Yaris Cross drives. It feels much more eager than that around town, with the hybrid setup filling any gaps in the rev range.

It can run on electric power alone at speeds of up to 81mph. Not for any great distance, though (look at the plug-in hybrid Renault Captur E-Tech or electric alternatives like the Hyundai Kona Electric if you want zero-emissions driving). It's good for refinement, only creating a din when you really mash the accelerator.

While the majority of Toyota Yaris Cross buyers are expected to opt for the two-wheel-drive model, there is a four-wheel-drive version on offer. Badged the AWD-i, this uses an extra electric motor on the rear axle to provide a little more grip when required.

Toyota offers a range of safety and driver-assistance tech as standard, helping you avoid a crash (or at least make it less severe). Standard equipment includes a Pre-Collision System which can detect other vehicles, pedestrians (during the day or night) and cyclists. There's also a Lane Departure Alert system, Automatic High Beam and Adaptive Cruise Control. On Excel, Dynamic and Premiere Edition models, the Yaris Cross also comes with Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert systems.

The Toyota Yaris Cross is expected to achieve the same five-star Euro NCAP safety rating as the standard Yaris.

The Toyota Yaris Cross has a braked towing capacity of 750kg. If you're looking to tow a caravan or a hefty trailer, we'd recommend looking at the bigger RAV4 or Highlander.

Standard equipment on the entry-level Toyota Yaris Cross Icon includes 16-inch alloy wheels, an eight-inch media system (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), and a reversing camera. Intelligent adaptive cruise control is standard, as well as a pre-collision system with pedestrian and cyclist detection.

Around half of Toyota Yaris Cross sales are expected to be the Design trim level, which builds on the Icon with 17-inch bi-tone alloy wheels, LED headlights, aluminium roof rails and privacy glass. Inside, you get a seven-inch digital information display, blue ambient lighting and 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats.

The Toyota Yaris Cross Excel adds 18-inch alloy wheels, a kick-activated power tailgate and a heated steering wheel. There's a slightly bigger (nine-inch) media system, heated front seats and intelligent front/rear parking sensors.

Highlights of the Dynamic model include a black bi-tone roof, power-adjustable lumbar support (on driver's seat), 18-inch dark grey alloy wheels and the nine-inch media system.

The Toyota Yaris Cross Premiere Edition features 18-inch bi-tone alloy wheels, black leather seats, a JBL premium sound system, 10-inch coloured head-up display and heated front seats.