Toyota Yaris Cross Review 2026: Prices, specs & verdict

What is the Toyota Yaris Cross?

The Toyota Yaris Cross is a small, efficient hybrid SUV that is based on the popular Yaris hatchback.

Designed to appeal to drivers who are looking to downsize, the Yaris Cross combines the tall body and raised driving position of an SUV with the compact dimensions of a small car.

Toyota’s “Big-Small” approach to car design has made the Yaris Cross a huge hit in Europe with over 200,000 yearly sales – making it more popular than the more established Corolla and CH-R.

In the UK, Toyota has its work cut out with the Ford Puma reigning supreme. The Renault Captur and Nissan Juke are also huge sellers, adding to the competition.

Can the Toyota Yaris Cross beat the best small SUVs? Read our in-depth review to find out.

Verdict: is the Toyota Yaris Cross a good car?

If you are looking for a small SUV that is affordable, practical and super easy to drive, the Toyota Yaris Cross should be near the top of your shopping list. It is a comprehensive small SUV that holds its own against the competition.

We admit, it isn’t as much fun to drive as the Ford Puma, but the Yaris Cross is spacious and comfortable. Its petrol hybrid powertrain is also excellent, and means the Yaris Cross is among the cheapest SUVs to run.

Pricing, specs & rivals

At the time of writing, you’ll pay £27,245 for the entry-level Toyota Yaris Cross in Icon trim, which is £845 more than you’ll pay for the cheapest version of the Ford Puma and around £2,000 more than the Renault Captur E-Tech Hybrid.  

The Yaris Cross Design starts from £29,725, while Excel trim is available from £33,130. The GR Sport model sits at the top of the range, at £33,045.

The higher spec versions of the Yaris Cross compete with the Volkswagen T-Roc which starts from £31,620 for the Life model and goes all the way up to £38,920 for the sporty R-Line trim.

Standard equipment is generous across the Yaris Cross range, with the cheapest Icon version getting 9in touchscreen infotainment, adaptive cruise control, reversing camera, a leather steering wheel, automatic windscreen wipers and an armrest for the driver’s seat.

We recommend spending extra on the Yaris Cross in Design trim - it offers the best value and includes electric lumbar adjustment for the driver’s seat, ambient interior lighting, LED headlights, rear privacy glass and roof rails.

Design spec also uses the larger 10.5in infotainment screen, with built-in navigation, which is also standard on Excel and GR Sport models.

If you want to inject some hot hatch flair into your Yaris Cross experience then the GR Sport model includes 18in alloy wheels, bi-tone metallic paint, black rear bumper with a rear diffuser and sports seats with suede upholstery.

Rivals

The Toyota Yaris Cross competes with some of the UK’s best-selling cars. These includes the Ford Puma, Nissan Juke, Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008.

The Skoda Kamiq is also worth considering, along with the more upmarket Volvo XC40 and Volkswagen T-Roc. Don’t forget the Lexus LBX, which is basically a Yaris Cross that’s posher inside and a bit nicer to drive.

Toyota Yaris Cross: Interior comfort, quality & technology

The interior of the Yaris Cross is spacious and comfortable. It does feature a lot of hard and scratchy plastics in the cabin, but these are at least hardwearing and easy to clean.

The driving position is excellent, with a commanding view of the road with the low positioned dashboard freeing up lots of windscreen space.

All versions get height-adjustment for the driver’s seat, while the steering wheel has a good range of adjustment which makes it easy to get comfortable.

The Yaris Cross has lots of physical buttons and dials, which is something we really like. The quality of the switchgear is also particularly good, which means you get a reassuring ‘click’ when you press a button or turn a dial.

While the plastics are hard in most areas, the interior is well made. This means the Yaris Cross feels like it is built to survive everything you can throw at it.

If you want luxuries, such as heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charging and a heated steering wheel, you’ll need to spec the Yaris Cross in Excel trim.

Infotainment, sat-nav, stereo and connectivity

All versions of the Yaris Cross get touchscreen infotainment as standard, with full Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Icon trim gets a 9in Toyota Touch 3 multimedia system, but we recommend spending extra to get the Yaris Cross in Design trim - this includes the Toyota Smart Connect 10.5in system with built-in navigation.

Compared to its rivals, from Volkswagen and Renault, the infotainment system in the Yaris Cross does look a little simple and utilitarian. But it is easy to use, with responsive touch controls and fast screen loading times.

Icon and Design models get a 7in digital driver’s display behind the steering wheel, while GR Sport and Excel versions get a customisable 12.3in screen with digital dials and sharper graphics. 

One aspect of the Yaris Cross we really like is the abundance of physical buttons and dials, which allows you to adjust the audio volume or air conditioning without using the touchscreen.

A 4-speaker system is standard on Icon and Design trim, but if you want a more enriching audio experience then we’d suggest the 6-speaker set-up which is standard on GR Sport and Excel spec.

No matter which version of the Yaris Cross you choose, you only get two USB sockets. So, charging multiple mobile devices might be a challenge if you do not spec the wireless charging pad.

How practical is the Toyota Yaris Cross?

The Toyota Yaris Cross is just 4,172mm long and 1,765mm wide, but it packs an impressive amount of space into its compact dimensions.

The high roofline provides lots of headroom, and Toyota’s clever design also ensures everyone gets decent levels of leg and knee space.

You can easily fit two large adults in the front, plus another two in the back. The high roofline provides plenty of head and shoulder space.

There is also sufficient legroom for adults in the back, but the rear seats don’t slide forwards or backwards like they do in the Renault Captur.  

You do get two ISOFIX fixing points on the outer rear seats, although the narrow doors can make it awkward to lift a bulky child seat in/out.

Storage and boot space

The Toyota Yaris Cross offers 350 litres of boot space, up to the fabric load space cover. If you load up to the roof line, storage increases to 450 litres.

In comparison, the Ford Puma provides 456 litres, while the Renault Captur has 536 litres (thanks to its sliding rear bench).

All versions of the Yaris Cross get an adjustable boot floor, which is useful for creating a flat load space that allows you to slide heavy items in/out of the storage space.

The fabric load cover also sits flat on the boot floor, which means you don't need to store it separately if you plan to use the boot's full capacity.

You get rear seats with a 60:40 split, while higher grades feature a more practical 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats.

There are a pair of cupholders in the front, and a storage space under dashboard for keys and loose items. The door pockets are quite narrow but will carry a small bottle of water.

Performance & drive: What is the Toyota Yaris Cross like on the road?

The Toyota Yaris Cross is good to drive, with decent levels of feedback from the steering wheel and pedals. The hybrid powertrain is also quiet, which means you whirr along at urban speeds in near silence.

There is only one engine choice – a 1.5-litre petrol hybrid – offered with 112hp or 127hp. Neither version is particularly quick, but we doubt Yaris Cross buyers will really care about this.

The Yaris Cross is available with front-wheel or four-wheel drive. In both cases, the wheels are driven by an electric motor which automatically switches from battery to engine power.

At low speeds, the Yaris Cross runs on pure electricity until you reach 30mph or the battery charge is depleted.

There are no gears to change – the Yaris Cross hybrid is a CVT automatic – which makes driving relaxing and enjoyable in and around town.

The petrol engine does become audible as you press for power to join a motorway or busy A road, but it quickly settles to a low hum at around 60mph.

Power, 0-62mph times 

• Toyota Yaris Cross 1.5-litre Hybrid FWD 112hp / 11.2 seconds
• Toyota Yaris Cross 1.5-litre Hybrid AWD 112hp / 11.8 seconds
• Toyota Yaris Cross 1.5-litre Hybrid FWD 127hp / 10.7 seconds
• Toyota Yaris Cross 1.5-litre Hybrid AWD 127hp / 11.3 seconds

Ride and handling

Smooth and easy to use, the Yaris Cross is a very likeably small SUV. We rate it as one of the best for ride comfort, thanks to its supple suspension set-up.

Road handling is impressive, with progressive steering that firms up as you build your speed. This means you always feel like you have a meaningful connection with the front-wheels while carrying speed through a challenging bend.

The Yaris Cross also feels composed on the motorway, which is impressive given its short wheelbase and tall body shape.

Noise and refinement

The Yaris Cross is quiet most of the time. The powertrain runs on pure electricity wherever possible, which means town driving is a smooth and relaxing experience.

There is some wind noise on the motorway, but it isn’t high enough to be particularly intrusive.

Euro NCAP: is the Toyota Yaris Cross a safe car?

The Toyota Yaris Cross is a safe car, scoring a maximum five star Euro NCAP rating when it was tested in 2021.

The Yaris Cross received an 86% adult protection rating and 84% for child occupant protection.

All models get Toyota Safety Sense fitted as standard, which includes a range of adaptive safety tech with lane departure alert, adaptive cruise control and an automatic high beam system.

Fuel economy and running costs

The Toyota Yaris Cross should return excellent fuel economy, with the 112hp version advertised with an official 62.7mpg. 

In comparison, the most efficient version of the Ford Puma 1.0 EcoBoost Hybrid is advertised with up to 52mpg, while the Renault Captur 1.6 E-Tech Hybrid will provide an official 60mpg.

The more powerful 127hp version of the 1.5 petrol hybrid uses more fuel, but even then you’ll still get up to 59mpg based on Toyota’s official figures.

How much does the Toyota Yaris Cross cost to insure?

Insurance for the Toyota Yaris Cross should be affordable, with the 112hp version starting in group 12 and rising to group 14 for the 127hp engine.

The Ford Puma also starts in group 12, but that is for the 1.0 EcoBoost petrol version. Hybrid models range from group 13 to 17, depending on spec.