Best for: Daily economy
Toyota is now well advanced with normalising hybrid power, and no car on sale does it better than the Toyota Corolla.
Ushered in to replace the highly forgettable Auris in 2019, the Corolla was a game-changer for Toyota in what remains one of the most important market segments of them all.
It continues to combine a healthy dose of visual style with strong perceived cabin quality and has been dynamically developed and tuned – quite successfully – for distinguishing ride and handling sophistication.
In its range-topping 2.0-litre hybrid form, it even performs with a bit of sporting edge. Alternatively, the more humble 1.8-litre hybrid (which even comes in Corolla Commercial van-like model grade, for those who need it) will routinely return a day-to-day 70mpg if you drive with one eye on efficiency.
That the Corolla is also one of Toyota’s self-proclaimed ‘self-charging’ hybrids that will appeal to people who prefer their motoring lives to be kept simple and who want a frugal car that they needn’t plug in.
But the all-round ownership credentials of a car that they can feel equally as good about owning and driving as they do about their outgoings at the pump should help keep them satisfied.
