1.5 Hybrid Blue CVT 5dr

Used, these are worth a second look...

We bought this car due to a new arrival in the family. We wanted something super reliable, safe, with a low total cost of ownership. I wanted to own the car outright as we were working to reduce monthly commitments in anticipation of maternity leave / reduced household income, so we decided to go for a used car this time.

Reliability:
I've driven the 1L (998cc) petrol version of the Yaris from London to Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) twice and its never let me down. I've crossed rivers and smashed the undercarriage on massive rocks in the desert. Any bits that fall off probably aren't important. Most mechanical issues on the Yaris can be resolved by ignoring them for a few days. I'm pretty sure the 1.5L Hybrid will be same - and so far so good.

Cost of ownership:
We picked ours up for £6K, but that was with low milage and all the optional extras. I don't know why anybody would spend extra to get the leather interior on this car but somebody did, and now it's mine. The 2012 hybrid benefits from £0 road tax, and the insurance group is 10/50. I can get 500 miles out of a full tank, but my wife is significantly less economical with the gas peddle.

Safety:
I think the Yaris is relatively safe, but I've never crashed one (or been crashed into, touch wood). The key thing for me was that we avoided the little 1L city run arounds like the Aygo or the 108 where the back seats are actually the crumple zone. That's probably fine if you don't routinely carry passengers, but not if you want to put a baby back there. I think any Yaris could take one from behind and still be alright is all I'm saying.

I probably wouldn't buy one new though:
They are boring cars. The interior looks like it was designed by the council, there is nothing fun about the way they drive. Everything about them is meh. It just about holds its own in the company car park (where I am the boss) surrounded by A3s and Golfs. I hire a Tesla for the weekend if I want some fun.

The value equation is totally different once they've done a few miles, just because they are so reliable. The hybrids are even better because you get that free road tax and pretty decent MPG. I know some petrol only cars can do even better now but trust me, a brand new Fiat 500 will be on the sc*** heap long before my 2012 Yaris. I'd actually trust my 2012 Yaris with 60K on the clock more than a lot of brand new cars. You can pick them up cheaply and they just go and go.

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