Toyota Aygo X Review 2024

The Toyota Aygo has become the Toyota Aygo X, with a sprinking of SUV flavour. No, it won't go off-road, but it's better looking than most rivals, generously equipped and decent fun to drive. With affordable city cars becoming an endangered species, the Aygo X is a worthy addition to the market.

The Toyota Aygo X is the first Aygo ever that's an entirely solo effort for the Japanese brand. Its former partners in this area, Peugeot and Citroen, have decided not to follow up the closely related 108 and C1 with direct replacements.

And they're not the only ones. In the last few years, Ford, Vauxhall, Renault, Skoda and SEAT have pulled their affordable, petrol-powered city cars from the market. Others that used to make one have long since left it, too.

Why? Well as safety and technology standards have increased, and emission regulations tightened, car makers faced a tough choice: sell the cars at an affordable price and barely make a dime on them, or raise the price to the point where buyers are better off buying a larger supermini. Some brands, such as Smart, have gone all-electric instead with comparatively expensive models. 

Still, that's left plenty of market share for the remaining brands to feast on. The new Toyota Aygo X's main rivals are the Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10, Suzuki Ignis, Volkswagen Up and, well, that's about it. There's the Fiat Panda and 500, too, but both are over a decade old now. 

To help mark out the Aygo X (the X stands for cross), Toyota has looked to the ever-growing small SUV crowd for inspiration. It gets chunky, rugged looks, bigger wheels and a seating position raised by 5cm over the old car, which Toyota claims makes it easier to spot and interact with pedestrians and cyclists in city streets. 

It's certainly a striking bit of design - a bit like the old Aygo on steroids. But to our eyes it works. Inside, you'll find a modern-looking, well-equipped cabin with typical Toyota solidity, although it's a lot less practical than the similarly micro SUV Ignis. 

The Toyota Aygo X is powered by a simple 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine which can be mated to a five-speed manual gearbox or a CVT automatic. The latter is best suited to town use, with the former being more fun to drive out of it. Unlike every other Toyota there's no hybrid power here: it simply couldn't be done without the price going up.

Speaking of price, the Aygo X is one of the more expensive city cars on paper, with high-spec models (equipped with an electric canvas roof) coming in at more than £20k. You don't need to spend that, though - even the entry level car gets an impressive amount of standard kit, including adaptive cruise control, 17in alloys, a touchscreen and a vast suite of active safety aids, which should make the Aygo one of (if not the) safest cars in its class. 

Looking for a second opinion? Why not read heycar's Toyota Aygo X review.

Toyota has given the new Aygo X a significantly wider track and longer wheelbase than the outgoing Aygo. It uses a shortened version of the platform used by the latest Yaris. This has multiple benefits on the move. 

For starters, the Aygo X's ride around town is improved, feeling less bouncy and upset by large potholes despite the substantial wheel size. It should also be more settled when straddling British speed bumps, although as we've only driven the car in Spain so far we'll reserve full judgement on ride compliance until we've got one in the UK. 

Despite being bigger, the Aygo X is a doddle to drive around town. That raised seating position means visibility is very good, while the turning circle is among the lightest in its class. The clutch is light and progressive, too, while the light steering and standard reversing camera means it's a cinch to slip it into a parking space. 

Out on the open road, the extra stability of the new platform is clear to see. Whereas the old Aygo was upset by crosswinds and felt out of its depth at motorway speeds, the new car is more planted and confidence-inspiring. Road noise is pretty well isolated for a city car, although you might find yourself longing for a sixth gear if you do a lot of motorway driving.

This maturity doesn't mean the Aygo X is no longer fun to drive. As well as being great for zipping about town, its precise, well-weighted steering and reduced body lean mean there's enjoyment to be had on twisty roads as long as you're prepared to work the engine for everything it's got. You'll have to be trying really hard to find the Aygo X's limits of grip, too. 

The sole engine option for the Toyota Aygo X at launch is a 72PS 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol unit, without a turbocharger. At its heart it's a carryover from the old Aygo, but Toyota claims there's been lots of internal modifications and tuning. 

It feels pretty familiar from behind the wheel, though. Taken at face value it's pretty noisy and buzzy, and is a frequent presence in the cabin because the lack of power and torque (95Nm at a peaky 4400rpm) means you'll be working it hard. Even when you do, performance is best described as leisurely -– 0-60mph takes nearly 15 seconds. 

Having said that, it's actually quite entertaining. The willing little motor makes a rorty sound when you rev it out, and combined with a slick manual gearbox you'll enjoy rowing it along. It's hardly relaxing - get to a hill and forget to downshift and you'll lose momentum - but it does settle down at a motorway cruise once you're up to speed. 

The same can't be said for the CVT automatic transmission. It's great in town, with no physical gearshifts making for smooth progress. But out of town and even the slightest throttle input sends revs soaring, while getting up to speed from a motorway slip road sees the engine screaming for mercy. There are paddleshifters, but they don't have much of an effect. Throttle response is less sharp, too, because the 'box takes a bit of time to work out how many revs you'll need. 

Overall, the Aygo X makes a great town car, but a bigger, more powerful engine (or perhaps the same engine with a turbocharger) would make it more relaxing and useable out of town. 

Here the Toyota Aygo X really excels. When the Yaris came out, we were impressed with the brand's decision to throw in basically every safety and assist feature available, and that's even more commendable in the cheaper Aygo X. 

The Toyota Safety Sense package (standard on every model) brings autonomous emergency braking that, unlike some rivals, operates at higher speeds, and can also detect pedestrians and cyclists. 

There's also lane departure warning with lane trace assist (which helps guide you to the centre of your lane), a driver drowsiness monitor and traffic sign recognition. Every Aygo X even gets adaptive cruise control and automatic high beam. Up the spend to the two highest trim levels, and the front and rear parking sensors have an auto brake function which slams on the anchors if you're about to bump into the car in front or behind. 

We're awaiting Euro NCAP to crash test the Aygo X. But with six airbags, rear seat Isofix points for child seats and that extensive safety assist kit, we'd be surprised if it didn't receive top marks and become one (if not the) safest city cars around. 

Toyota doesn't quote a towing capacity for the Aygo X, which shouldn't come as a huge surprise. Given it can only just about pull itself up a hill, we certainly wouldn't recommend towing anything. The bigger Toyota Yaris will tow up to 450kg, which is enough for a small trailer. 

The Toyota Aygo X is one of the largest cars in its class in terms of external footprint. It's a full 235mm longer than the old Aygo, with 90mm of that injected into the wheelbase and the rest of it giving the car a chunky front-end look and a bigger boot. 

Does that mean the Aygo X is the most practical car in its class? No, to be frank. Space is good up front (our 6ft 3in tester had no issue getting comfortable), although the steering wheel only adjusts for reach, not rake. The car's extra width also means taller adults won't be bumping shoulders.

The rear isn't so generous, however. Six footers will find legroom is at a real premium if they try to sit behind a similarly sized adult, needing to wrap their knees around the front seat.

Shoulder room is fine and headroom is decent enough - that is, unless you go for the (standard on top-spec) electric canvas roof option. Do that, and six footers won't just find their head brushing the roof; they won't be able to sit up straight at all.  The relatively narrow, pop-out windows do make the rear a little claustrophobic on all models, too. 

Still, the boot is a welcome 60 litres larger than the old Aygo, up to 231 litres. While that's not quite the biggest in the city car sector, it's ample enough for the weekly food shop. The seats fold easily, too, although because of the single piece glass tailgate (an Aygo trademark) there is a fairly high load lip. 

City cars of the past felt like they would disassemble themselves over a big pothole. Not so these days, and the Toyota Aygo X is up there with the best in terms of fit and finish. 

Most versions of the Aygo X get contrasting trim elements on the dash, while the metal areas of the doors are painted in the body colour for an extra splash of colour. The attractive dash design also feels solid and built to last.

No, there aren't really any soft-touch plastics to be found, but neither is there on any of the Toyota's rivals. And even where hard plastics can pose a problem, such as the elbow rest area on the door card, it's sculpted in such a way that it still remains comfortable. 

No Toyota Aygo X comes without a touchscreen. The entry-level Pure model gets a seven-inch screen without built-in sat-nav, but it does get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, so you can use Waze or Google Maps from your phone. There's even a reversing camera on this basic version, which is impressive. 

Step up to mid-spec Edge trim and, while the screen's features don't change, the size of the display grows to eight inches. That grows again to nine inches on Exclusive and Limited Edition models, becoming a high-definition display and adding various connected services, alongside wireless phone charging. 

We've tried the highest spec screen and it's pretty good - certainly better than the fiddly touchscreen in the Fiat 500 or the non-existent touchcreen in the VW Up. The display is crisp and clear, the menus are reasonably easy to navigate and it's fairly responsive. The standard sound system isn't too tinny either, but you have the option of upgrading to a punchier JBL sound system. 

We'd understand if you'd bought the old Toyota Aygo and were a bit shocked by the price difference of the new car. However, it's larger, safer and much more comprehensively equipped as standard, and while prices are on the high end of the class, it's only the top models that go well beyond similar rivals.

Entry-level Pure trim starts from £14,795 and gets a seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 17-inch alloys, auto headlights with auto high beam, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera and Toyota's Safety Sense package, bringing an extensive array of safety assist features.

Step up to Edge trim (from £16,495) and you'll get 18-inch alloy wheels, two-tone paint, the larger touchscreen with connected services, climate control, privacy glass and front foglights. That's expected to be the most popular trim level, and it really has all you'll need. 

Exclusive trim starts at £17,795, bringing part synthetic leather trim, LED headlights, a nine-inch touchscreen, a wireless phone charger, keyless entry and start and parking sensors front and rear. Meanwhile the flagship Limited Edition model (from £19,640) changes the alloys to matt black, brings real leather with heated front seats, and makes the otherwise optional electric canvas roof standard. 

On all versions, the CVT automatic gearbox adds another £1100, meaning it's possible to spec a £20k-plus Aygo X. Gulp. Still, the finance and PCP offerings are more relevant to the vast majority, and initial impressions are that these will be competitive because of the Aygo X's strong predicted residual values. 

The Aygo X's single engine option should prove to be a pretty frugal one. Official WLTP fuel economy figures indicate 60mpg is possible with the five-speed manual version, with around 58mpg claimed for the CVT automatic. That's among the best in the class. 

Insurance groups have yet to be detailed for the Aygo X. Given the safety equipment as standard, the low-power engine and what we know from the previous Aygo, it should be one of the cheapest new cars on sale to insure.

Road tax costs are in line with rivals, and while it's only recently gone on sale, Toyota's reputation for reliability is excellent. We have no reason to think the Aygo X would be any less dependable to own than its predecessors.

Entry-level Pure trim gets a seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 17-inch alloys, auto headlights with auto high beam, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera and Toyota's Safety Sense package. The latter includes autonomous emergency braking that can detect pedestrians and cyclists, lane departure warning and lane trace assist, a driver fatigue monitor and road sign assist. 

Step up to Edge trim and you'll get 18-inch alloy wheels, two-tone paint, the larger touchscreen with connected services, climate control, privacy glass and front foglights. That's expected to be the most popular trim level, and it really has all you'll need. 

Exclusive trim brings part synthetic leather trim, LED headlights, a nine-inch touchscreen, a wireless phone charger, keyless entry and start and parking sensors front and rear.

The flagship Limited Edition model changes the alloys to matt black, brings real leather with heated front seats, and makes the otherwise optional electric canvas roof standard.