• Passenger space is good upfront but tight in the rear
• Bootspace disappointing
• Generally well put together

How much space is there?

Slide yourself into the driver’s seat and you’ll see that most people will have plenty of room, both in terms of height and width.

The door bins up front are tiny, allowing you to fit little more than a bottle in them, while a smaller cubby situated higher up right by the door pull will fit a phone. There are also two storage trays stretching across the dash. The depth of these trays are about the width of a large smartphone, but the shallowness means some phones will slide out in corners.

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The glovebox isn’t the deepest, but it’s certainly wider than a Peugeot 208 or Vauxhall Corsa. Under the armrest you’ll find two cupholders, but once you fold the armrest down it’ll probably hit the tops of any bottles you place in here.

In the back, legroom is average for a car of this size. Average-size adults should be able to travel without being in too much discomfort but you certainly won’t be able to stretch out. A Skoda Fabia or Honda Jazz absolutely destroys the Yaris for rear space.

Toyota Yaris boot space and storage

There’s 286 litres worth of boot space, which is disappointing. It’s low down in the supermini space race as it’s a touch smaller than the Vauxhall Corsa’s boot (309 litres) and considerably less spacious than the Renault Clio’s 391-litre boot. Folding the seats (which have a 60:40 split) increases the room on offer to 947 litres, but this still isn’t a large space.

Those in the back gain phone storage pockets on the front seat backs and there are a raft of other comfort options including the sleep package (two larger headrests and a blanket), retractable sun blinds and child safety locks that can be operated electrically from the driver’s seat.

Is it easy to park?

It is easy to park. It’s a supermini, so perfectly sized for car parks in the UK and the A-pillars aren’t too thick, so front visibility is good. But the rear view out isn’t great because of the small rear window.

All models come with front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, while the fairly small dimensions and light steering means you can fit the Yaris more easily into a gap where a larger supermini, such as the Honda Jazz might struggle to get in.

Safety

• Toyota claims it’s one of the safest superminis
• LED lights on all but entry-level model
• Plenty of driver assistance software

There are airbags aplenty, with the standard-fit system incorporating an inflatable curtain bag between the front occupants, preventing them from colliding with each other during an impact. They certainly helped the Yaris obtain a five star Euro NCAP safety rating in 2020, although a Volkswagen Polo is even safer offering higher scores in pedestrian and occupant safety.

LED headlamps and tail lights are fitted on all but the entry-level Yaris, while all examples make use of a camera and laser scanner on the front windscreen, along with a radar sensor below the front badge to form Toyota Safety Sense, software designed to prevent collisions. The autonomous emergency braking system can detect pedestrians within the speeds of 6-50mph, while cyclists can be detected during daylight only.

Adaptive cruise control is also fitted to all models, with high-spec versions getting a more advanced setup that can travel at higher speeds, and is also able to slow the car down for corners or if the speed limit changes, though this can be disabled.

Watch: Toyota Yaris Euro NCAP crash test