Toyota Aygo (2014-2021) Review

Standing out a mile thanks to the big cross on its bonnet, the Toyota Aygo ticks plenty of boxes as a decent city car

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Distinctive design
  • Feels nippy in town
  • Cheap to insure
  • Cramped in the back
  • Small boot
  • Steering is not very accurate

Toyota Aygo prices from £7,470   Finance from £142.96 per month

The Toyota Aygo is an eye-catching city car with a distinctive ‘x’ design on its nose. Mechanically, it’s very closely related to the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1 but of the three, it looks the most youthful.

It had an overhaul in June 2018, which included a big re-working of that distinct nose, with LED headlights now incorporated onto it. It also received some minor suspension updates to make it slightly more comfortable, and the engine was also modified to give it more power and better mpg. 

While the Peugeot and Citroen offer a choice of two petrol engines, the Aygo offers only one small, nippy and economical engine that suits its youthful, budget-conscious image. There is a three-door version but it’s confined to the most basic version and the next trim up; otherwise it’s five doors all the way. The five-door models are clearly more convenient for rear seat passengers who are saved the trouble of clambering past the three-door’s front seats.

The Aygo isn’t exactly what you’d call spacious in the back. Cosy is a more accurate description. It’s fine for short journeys but longer ones can be a real chore.

It faces many excellent competitors including the Volkswagen up!, which feels better made, the Hyundai i10 which is a great all-rounder and the Renault Twingo which is just about the most manoeuvrable city car you can buy.

The Aygo is small and light and can nip along city streets with vigour. The automatic version is quick off the line but the manual is actually faster from 0-62mph. Being so light, it doesn't cope with potholes very well. Its soft suspension helps but also means it leans quite heavily in corners.

No city car has a big boot but some are better shaped than others. Unfortunately, the Aygo’s isn't one of them. A deep sill and a low floor make loading and unloading difficult. You can create more space by folding the back seats; it’s just a shame they don't lie flat.

With its reasonable price and equipment levels, the second trim in the range, called x-play, makes good sense. The next ones, x-press and x-style, are around £1,500 more expensive but bring some welcome touches such as air conditioning and alloy wheels. In the latest Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, the Aygo ranked higher than its rivals. Euro NCAP, the independent crash test organisation, awarded it four out of five stars for crash safety.

 

Key facts

Warranty Five years/unlimited mileage
Boot size 168 litres
Width 1615mm
Length 3455mm
Height 1460mm
Tax £140 from second year

Best Toyota Aygo for...

Best for Economy – Toyota Aygo x 3dr manual

There’s one engine but two transmissions to choose from, with the manual being slightly more economical than the x-shift automatic – 68.9mpg versus 67.3mpg. The Aygo X three-door is the cheapest model, saving even more money.

Best for Families – Toyota Aygo x-play 5dr

The Aygo is happiest nipping around town with two people on board but if you must carry four, buy the five-door for its easier rear access. Both versions have Isofix child seat mountings on the back seats. The x-play has simple steel wheels but does have a few welcome convenience and comfort features including electric mirrors, and a digital radio and air-conditioning.

Best for Performance – Toyota Aygo x-cite

Manual versions are faster than automatics so really, if performance is important to you, it’s down to which Aygo just looks faster. Take a bow, the x-cite.

One to Avoid – Toyota Aygo x-claim (limited edition)

Without question, the most expensive – fabric roofed x-claim with x-shift automatic transmission. All together, they push the model’s on-the-road price to almost £15,000.

History

  • 2014:Model launched in July in three core trim levels (x, x-play and x-pression) and two special editions called x-cite and x-clusiv. There’s an optional x-nav sat nav pack but all versions have LED daytime running lights, tyre pressure monitoring and electric front windows.
  • 2015: Electric folding canvas roof version, called x-wave and based on x-pression 5dr, launched in January; costs £895 more. 
  • 2015: Euro NCAP awards Aygo four out of five stars for crash safety
  • 2015: Model updates in June bring new colours, special editions and new equipment including x-touch multimedia system featuring a reversing camera on x-cite trim. 
  • 2015: Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) option pack launched in August. Costs £395 and is available on all trims bar basic x version. Features a laser-controlled pre-collision system with pre-crash brake assist, autonomous braking and forward collision warning. Also includes Lane departure warning. 
  • 2016 (Feb): High-spec Aygo x-clusive announced with folding roof and leather trim. 
  • 2016 (Apr): Stylish x-cite launched with two-tone bodywork 
  • 2016 (Dec): Five-door-only x-press and x-style models launched
  • 2017 (Feb): Revised x-clusiv launched now with optional folding roof
  • 2017 (May): Limited-edition x-claim with leather trim and folding roof launched. Is the most expensive model in the range.
  • 2018 (June): Updated Aygo is released with new front end and slightly more powerful engine

Understanding Toyota Aygo names

Engine 1.0-litre VVT-i

The Aygo has a 1.0-litre petrol engine, hence the figure: 1.0. Like all engines it’s fuel injected (that’s the ‘i’ bit) and it has a trick variable valve timing system (VVT), both of which help to make it more efficient. There is just one petrol engine, and no diesel.

Trim x-play

There are six Aygo trims (seven if you count the limited edition, five-door, folding-roof version called the x-claim). They are x, x-play, x-press, x-style, x-cite and x-clusiv. There are big price leaps (as much as £1500) between the lower trims but from x-press upwards, the price gaps are only a few £100, if anything.

Gearbox x-shift

Toyota calls the Aygo’s automatic gearbox x-shift. It can be used in fully automatic mode or with manual gear selection using the gearshift paddles, which is much more fun. However, it’s fractionally less economical than the manual.

Toyota Aygo Engines

1.0 VVTi

Unlike related cars the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 108, which are available with a choice of 1.0 and 1.2-litre petrol engines, the Toyota Aygo is offered with just one engine.

It’s a 1.0-litre unit with just three cylinders, but it’s an eager little thing that makes the most of its modest power. It’s nippy around town, where you’d expect it to be, but even on the open road it spins up smoothly and happily to maintain a comfortable cruise. It helps that the Aygo has more sound-deadening material than its predecessor, so it feels surprisingly refined at speed.

The five-speed manual version is hardly sporty but it is at least quicker from 0-62mph than the x-shift automatic. That said, the automatic’s lower gears are shorter so the car picks up speed faster than the manual.

 

Type

Mpg

Bhp

0 - 60

top speed

VVT-i

Manual

68.9mpg

71bhp

14.2s

99mph

VVT-i

Auto

67.3mpg

71bhp

15.5s

99mph

Toyota Aygo Trims

x, x-play, x-press, x-style, x-cite, x-clusiv, x-claim (limited edition)

In Aygo-speak, x marks the trims. There are six – seven if you include the limited-edition x-claim.

The first trim is just called x. It has daytime running lights, stability control, hill-start assist and Isofix child seat mountings – but 14in steel wheels.

You’re best off with x-play which has larger wheels but air-conditioning and bluetooth, too, plus a smarter interior. The downside? It costs £1500 more but if you think that’s a lot, you have to spend another £1500 for the next trim, called x-press.

However, this model is much better equipped. Highlights include alloy wheels, a seven-inch multimedia system with a reversing camera, automatic air conditioning and automatic, dusk-sensing headlights. It has a sister trim called x-style. It’s fairly similar and costs the same.

Next in the range is x-cite. It is similar to x-press and x-cite but has a special paint scheme that adds around £500 to the price. Then follows x-clusiv with leather trim, push button start and smarter alloy wheels. The range finishes with x-claim, a limited edition model based on x-clusiv that has an electric folding roof and a special paint scheme.

Toyota Aygo Reliability and warranty

The Aygo is a reliable and well-built car. If it does play up, there’s its impressive five-year mechanical warranty to call on. For the record, it ranked 39 in the 2017 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey of car makers, ahead of rivals the Peugeot 108, Hyundai i10, Citroen C1 and VW up!.

The car was awarded four out of five stars for crash safety, although rivals the Skoda Citigo and Volkswagen up! scored five stars. Even basic x versions have anti-lock brakes, hill start assist and electronic stability control. A reversing camera is standard on x-press models upwards, while the optional TSS safety pack (it costs £375 and has pre-collision assist and lane departure alert) is available on x-play upwards.

Used Toyota Aygo

As a used car, the big plus in the Aygo’s favour is its five-year new car warranty. This mean that even a four-year-old model has a year’s cover left to run. Of course, for the warranty to be in force, the car must have been serviced according to Toyota’s official schedule, although it doesn't have to be serviced by a Toyota dealer.

There are currently 53 Toyota Aygos available on BuyaCar, with prices ranging from £7,470 to £14,995 for nearly-new models.

Toyotas have a good reputation among used car buyers. The Aygo’s strong showing in the 2017 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey will only boost the little car’s appeal.

If you’re buying it used, a two-year-old model represents a saving of around 40% which has to be good.  Two year old models start from £142.96 per month.

    1 year old 2 years old 3 years old

Best for performance Toyota Aygo x-cite

Price N/A

Best for families Toyota Aygo five-door

Price £7,470 £7,470 £7,470

Best for economy Toyota Aygo manual

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