Name: Toyota GR Yaris (2020 – present) | Expert Rating | The Car Expert
Item: Toyota GR Yaris
Rating: 66.0

Summary

The Toyota GR Yaris is a small, high-performance hatchback that is only very loosely based on the regular Toyota Yaris model. It started development as a rally homologation model, but a change in the sport’s regulations means it will never compete. Instead, it’s only role is as a high-performance hot hatch for the road.

The GR Yaris was launched in late 2020 and immediately started racking up award wins, including pretty much every ‘Hot Hatch of the Year’ award on offer. It’s probably more accurate to think of it as an entirely different car to the regular Yaris – it shares only four exterior body parts with its namesake, and is lower and wider. It also sports the world’s most powerful three-cylinder engine, a one-litre unit pushing out 260hp via all four wheels.

The UK motoring media has been in raptures about the way the GR Yaris drives, with universal praise for its performance and handling. Criticisms have been generally minor, with Car pointing out that it has “road noise like a death-metal gig”.

The GR Yaris is keenly priced, but actually buying one has proven difficult as Toyota sells every car it manages to get hold of. As of January 2025, the Toyota GR Yaris holds a New Car Expert Rating of B with a score of 66%.

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GR Yaris highlights

Incredibly fun driving experience
Attractive exterior styling
Very responsive four-wheel drive handling
Serious pace in a straight line
Toyota offer competitive finance deals

GR Yaris lowlights

Expensive compared to regular Yaris
Rather rigid ride comfort
Limited space in the rear
Poor rear visibility
Driving position a little too high

Key specifications

Body style: Small three-door hatch
Engines: petrol
Price: From £29,995 on-road

Launched: Winter 2020/21
Last updated: N/A
Replacement due: None expected

Image gallery

Media reviews

Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Auto Express+

Score: 9 / 10
“Developed as a ‘World Rally Car for the road’, the Toyota GR Yaris is no ordinary supermini.”
Read review

Score: 9 / 10
“Look beyond the price because the Toyota GR Yaris is no ordinary Yaris. Instead, it’s a car that will be written about and cherished by enthusiasts for many years to come. It’s one of the most exciting cars you can drive this side of £35,000, and as fast as a supercar on the right road.”
Read review

Car+

Model reviewed: Circuit Pack
Score: 8 / 10
“A car that really shouldn’t exist – but boy are we glad it does. As a concept on the drawing board, most manufacturers would have laughed it out of the room, but the decision to go through with it is one that makes the hot-hatch market a far richer place.”
Read review

Car Keys+

Model reviewed: Circuit Pack
Score: 10 / 10
“This is one of the best hot hatches we’ve sampled in a long time. Its interior quality and compromised practicality might disappoint, but they’re worthy compromises for a driving experience that makes the GR Yaris one of the best cars Toyota has ever made.”
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Carbuyer+

Model reviewed:
Score: 8.2 / 10
“The Toyota GR Yaris is a once-in-a-generation rally special, serving up a seriously impressive driving experience.”
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Carwow+

Score: 9 / 10
“The Toyota GR Yaris is basically a rally car for the road – it’s fast and extremely good fun to drive. There are more practical hot hatches if that matters, though.”
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Daily Mail+

Model reviewed: Circuit Pack
“As red devils go, Toyota’s rally-inspired and derived GR Yaris can certainly burn tarmac with fiery intensity. This compact, fire-breathing road-going sports car was developed specifically by Toyota from a vehicle designed to win it more championships.”
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Eurekar+

“The GR Yaris is a purist’s delight.”
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Evo+

Model reviewed:
Score: 10 / 10
“Toyota’s new road-going rally special is a great drivers’ car of the type we worried we’d never see again. It’s a little gem.”
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Parkers+

Score: 8 / 10
“Fast, exciting and very different to a standard Yaris”
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The Sun+

“The Toyota GR Yaris is a blistering hot hatch built for racing and adapted for the road.”
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The Telegraph+

Score: 10 / 10
“Simply stunning; fast, grippy and great fun, it provides all the sensations of a rally car in a road-going package. Every drive in the GR Yaris is going to feel special and it all comes with Toyota’s legendary reliability. We are seriously going to miss cars like this when they are legislated out of existence.”
Read review

Top Gear+

Score: 10 / 10
“The GR Yaris is superb – the best Toyota we’ve ever driven.”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

No safety rating

As of January 2025, the Toyota GR Yaris hasn’t been crash tested by Euro NCAP.

We don’t think it’s ever likely to happen because of the car’s tiny production volumes. The GR Yaris doesn’t automatically carry the regular Yaris model’s safety rating as it’s had so many structural modifications that it’s essentially a completely different car. If it does ever get put through a Euro NCAP test programme, we will update this section accordingly.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

As of January 2025, the Toyota GR Yaris has not been lab tested by Green NCAP.

The GR Yaris is a high-performance homologation model, so it hasn’t been designed for maximum environmental performance, so it’s fairly safe to assume that it wouldn’t score too highly if it was ever tested.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

No reliability rating

As of January 2025, we don’t have enough reliability data on the Toyota GR Yaris to generate a reliability rating.

The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusively to us using extended warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy. As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the GR Yaris, we’ll publish the score here.

Running cost rating

Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

Fuel consumption	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	34 mpg	D	34 – 34 mpg	D – D

CO₂ output	Average	Score	Variation	Score
Petrol models	186 g/km	C	186 – 186 g/km	C – C

Insurance group	Average	Score	Variation	Score
All models	36	C	36 – 36	C – C

Service and maintenance	Cost	Score
Year 1	£182	A
Year 2	£503	A
Year 3	£949	B
Year 4	£1,203	B
Year 5	£1,551	B
Overall	£4,388	B

Unsurprisingly, the high-performance GR Yaris is a tad more expensive to own than your regular garden-variety Yaris. That’s according to whole-life cost information provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our data partner, Clear Vehicle Data.

Servicing and maintenance costs are still very good compared to anything else with this level of performance, while insurance costs are reasonable. Fuel consumption isn’t great, though, especially if you drive the GR Yaris the way you’ll inevitably want to…

Awards

Trophies, prizes and awards that the Toyota GR Yaris has received

2021

UK Car of the Year Awards – Car of the Year + Best Performance
carwow Awards – Car of the Year + Best Hot Hatch
Auto Express Awards – Best Performance Car
Parkers New Car Awards – Best Car for Thrill-seekers
News UK Motoring Awards – Jeremy Clarkson’s Car of the Year + Best Hot Hatch