Toyota Aygo X Hybrid review 2026 – first drive

Make and model: Toyota Aygo X Hybrid
Description: Small five-door hatchback, petrol-electric hybrid
Price range: £21,645 to £26,945

Summary: The Toyota Aygo X Hybrid is fun, frugal and transformed by its new powertrain. A compelling city car – just be prepared for the higher price tag.

For a broader ownership picture, see our Toyota Aygo X Hybrid Expert Rating, which combines media reviews, safety data, reliability, running costs and warranty cover.

The original Toyota Aygo X was a likeable little city car with a frustrating fundamental flaw: its little petrol engine was so underpowered that it struggled to keep pace with modern urban traffic, let alone merge confidently onto a dual carriageway. That made it difficult to recommend, despite its low running costs and usual Toyota reliability.

Toyota has now fixed that problem comprehensively. The Aygo X Hybrid replaces the old petrol-engined model with the 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain taken from the larger Toyota Yaris – a significantly larger and more sophisticated unit that transforms the car’s character entirely. The nose of the car has been lengthened slightly to accommodate the bigger engine, and the front-end styling has been updated to match, with a cleaner, sharper look. The result is a city car that now does its job properly.

For a broader ownership picture, see our Toyota Aygo X Hybrid Expert Rating.

Price and equipment

The Aygo X Hybrid is available in four trims. Icon starts at just over £21.6K and includes a seven-inch driver’s display, automatic air conditioning, diamond-cut 17-inch alloy wheels and two USB-C charging ports as standard. Design at just under £24K adds a larger touchscreen, while Excel at just over £26K brings a larger touchscreen, heated front seats and wireless phone charging. The range-topping GR Sport at just under £27K adds tuned suspension, bigger wheels, a black bonnet and sports seats.

This represents a significant price increase over the old non-hybrid Aygo X – around £4,000 more for the base model. That’s a meaningful jump for a city car, and buyers on a tight budget will find larger alternatives for similar money. The counter-argument is that there’s nothing else in this smallest of small car segments that offers a proper hybrid powertrain, and the running cost savings are real.

One significant loss in moving to hybrid power is the manual gearbox. The Aygo X Hybrid is automatic only, which will disappoint drivers who enjoyed the engagement of rowing through the gears in the old car. It’s also one of the reasons that the starting price is now higher on the new model.

Inside the car

The Aygo X Hybrid is obviously a small car and the cabin reflects that, but then it is a city car and being as compact as possible is part of its job. The dashboard layout is clean and well-organised, the materials are appropriate for the price, and the steering wheel-mounted controls are well placed. The new digital instrument display is also a clear improvement over the old car’s display.

Rear passenger space is tight – inevitable given the car’s compact dimensions – and there’s no glovebox, which is a bit annoying. The boot manages 230 litres, which is on the small side even by city car standards. It’s worth noting that small electric city cars like the Leapmotor T03 have a packaging advantage here, since an electric motor and battery takes up considerably less space than the Aygo X’s hybrid arrangement of engine, gearbox, fuel tank and electric components. That’s not a criticism unique to this car, but it’s worth bearing in mind if boot space is a priority.

Higher trims benefit from dual-zone climate control, which is a welcome addition and helps the car feel more grown-up than its size might suggest.

On the road

This is where the Aygo X Hybrid shows how dramatically it has improved over the original model. We drove the Excel and GR Sport trims at the European launch in Florence, which combined city driving with some winding routes through the Tuscan hills, and the new model coped with everything thrown at it very well for a city car.

Power is up to 114hp against the previous car’s 71hp, with the electric motor providing immediate response from low speeds that makes urban driving genuinely satisfying. That’s a 60% increase in peak power, but it feels even more significant thanks to the boost from the electric motor.

A 0-62mph time of 9.2 seconds doesn’t sound exciting on paper, but the old car took a glacial 14 seconds, and it was particularly weak in the initial 0-30 phase that is so important for urban driving. In the context of city traffic, the Aygo X Hybrid feels lively and confident. Threading through Florence’s narrow streets and dealing with assertive locals who seem to treat a trip to the shops like a grand prix, the car felt entirely at ease.

The handling is agile and the steering is well-weighted, giving the Aygo X a playful quality that’s unusual in this class. The tight turning circle makes parking and manoeuvring simple, and forward visibility from the elevated driving position is excellent.

Fuel economy is one of the hybrid powertrain’s headline achievements, with Toyota claiming around 75mpg in the official government lab tests. Even better, that figure appears surprisingly realistic for urban driving – other reviewers have matched or exceeded it in real-world testing.

The GR Sport’s stiffer suspension means it occasionally moves about a bit on rougher surfaces, rather than gliding along smoothly. It’s definitely worth test driving against a standard model before buying. The softer suspension on the Excel felt better suited for daily use. On faster open roads and hills in the Italian countryside, the car was less convincing – but that’s true of any city car, and most Aygo X buyers will spend the vast majority of their time in urban conditions where it excels.

Ownership

The Toyota Aygo X Hybrid was awarded a four-star safety rating by Euro NCAP in late 2025. That’s quite a strong result for such a small car and in line with most rivals, although the BYD Dolphin Surf did score five stars.

The scores were mixed across the four categories: protection for pedestrians and cyclists was strong at 83%, but adult occupant protection at 73% and child occupant protection at 72% were on the lower side for a four-star result. The frontal impact tests flagged some specific areas of weakness, including lower leg protection. It’s a reasonable result for a small, lightweight city car, but families should be aware that the scores aren’t as strong as some larger alternatives.

The standard new car warranty runs for three years, which is on the short side. Toyota offers an extension up to ten years in total, conditional on the car being serviced exclusively at official Toyota centres throughout its life – worth knowing if you plan to use main dealer servicing anyway.

The review score reflects the driving experience. Our Toyota Aygo X Hybrid Expert Rating tells a broader story, combining the subjective opinions of car reviews with objective safety data, running costs, warranty information and more – which means the Expert Rating often arrives at a notably different conclusion. It’s worth reading both before making any buying decision.

Verdict

The new hybrid powertrain has transformed the Toyota Aygo X from a car that was hard to recommend into one that’s easy to. It’s fun, frugal, well-equipped and genuinely competent at the job it was designed for. In urban conditions, it’s one of the most satisfying small cars currently on sale.

The price increase over the old model is real, and the loss of the manual gearbox is a genuine disappointment. On faster roads, it runs out of conviction, as any city car will. But judge it by the right criteria – which means city driving, parking, running costs and reliability – and the Aygo X Hybrid makes a compelling case for itself.

For a broader ownership picture, see our Toyota Aygo X Hybrid Expert Rating.

Similar cars

Citroën C3 | Fiat 500 | Hyundai i10 | Kia Picanto | Mazda 2 Hybrid | Toyota Yaris

Key specifications