• Boot the size of a supermini
• Rear visibility not great
• Small windows makes rear feel claustrophobic

How much space is there?

You only need to look at the roofline of the C-HR to see that it won’t be as practical as most small crossovers. Interior storage ranges from a generous glovebox and deep cupholders for front-seat passengers to strangely shallow front door pockets that can result in items escaping during vigorous cornering.

Thanks to a relatively low seating position (for a coupe-SUV) there is still a reasonable amount of headroom in the rear, and four average-sized adults should fit inside without too much complaint.

The rear middle seat is surprisingly big for a car of this size, although foot room for this seat isn’t brilliant because of the seat runners of the front seat. Overall though, the rear just feels smaller inside than it really is – access is limited because of the low roofline, and once you’re in, the windows are small, the headlining dark and the roof almost at eye level.

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Boot space and storage

With the rear seats in place, the C-HR’s boot comes in at 377 litres – that’s not a whole lot more than a regular supermini that’s significantly cheaper, but it’s unlikely buyers will be purchasing this car with practicality as their main priority. With the seats folded, total space is 1,160 litres. 

The C-HR’s rear seats do fold. But if you’re planning on taking it to Ikea, you should be aware that the resulting load area isn’t flat as there’s a considerable lip between the boot floor and the back of the seats, so you can’t push heavy items directly into place. Plus the loading lip itself is quite high. 

Is it easy to park?

Its footprint is small but the C-HR can be difficult to see out of the back of. Thankfully, all models come with reversing cameras.

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Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP rating
• Suite of safety kit as standard
• More available higher up the range

A Toyota Safety Sense package is included as standard on all versions of the C-HR. This means every example sold features:

• Pre-collision system with autonomous emergency braking and pedestrian recognition
• Lane-departure warning (easily switched off via a button on the steering wheel if you find the beeping annoying)
• Traffic Sign Recognition – displays signs and speed limits in the instrument cluster
• Automatic high-beam operation
• Adaptive cruise control

Higher-spec Excel and GR Sport trims add the following safety items:

• Blindspot Monitors – looks for vehicles in your blindspots
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert – detects approaching traffic when you’re reversing to make it easier to get out of parking spaces
• Lane Change Assist – nudges the steering wheel if you attempt to change lane without indicating; again this is easily switched off if you don’t like it (we don’t)

There are also no fewer than eight airbags on every C-HR – the two more unusual items being a driver’s knee airbag and a seat cushion airbag for the front passenger – plus the obligatory electronic stability control.

All of the above are the reason Euro NCAP scored the C-HR its highest award for crash test performance. 

WATCH: Toyota C-HR SUV Euro NCAP crash test video