Toyota IQ (09 on) - Review

Review by Matthew Proud on
Last Updated: 21 February 2011
Toyota’s stylish iQ is a low-cost, high-quality city car with a difference: it’s the smallest four seater in the UK. But despite being less than three metres long, it’s brimming with space-saving tricks and the cabin is deceptively roomy – particularly for front passengers. This is a real alternative to the Fiat 500 and Ford Ka, matching both for quirky looks and compactness, and offers Smart Fortwo buyers something more versatile to consider. Most will find the rear a bit cramped and the iQ’s peculiar seating arrangement renders the seat behind the driver unusable for all but the smallest of kids. This makes the Toyota best suited to couples or used as the runabout in two-car households.
4 out of 5

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3 out of 5

Buying new

The standard iQ is well-equipped with plenty of attention grabbing features, such as alloy wheels, air conditioning and MP3 connectivity. So there seems little reason to pay the £1,000 premium for the iQ2 for the sake of a few more convenient features such as rain sensitive wipers and keyless start. Toyota dealers rarely budge on prices, but still go for a small discount or push for a free option pack. If you want the 1.33-litre engine, it's only available in top iQ3 trim.

4 out of 5

Buying used

The iQ will be a fairly rare sight in the UK, so residual values should hold up reasonably well. We'd estimate a three-year old base-spec model costing around £5000 at trade-in. Try Toyota approved used dealers for the best examples.

  • Boot/Load Space Toyota IQ (09 on)
  • Interior Toyota IQ (09 on)

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See 265 used Toyota IQs for sale, starting at £5,795

4.5 out of 5

Selling

The iQ ticks a lot of important boxes for potential buyers: it's frugal, free to tax and still looks stylish. So emphasise just how affordable yours has been to run along with its excellent city ability and a buyer should snap it up in no time.