Up until 2024 when its title was nabbed by the Tesla Model Y, the humble Toyota Corolla has been the world’s best-selling car for quite some time.
A reputation for reliability, affordability, efficiency and in its current guise, being fun to drive, the Corolla has seen off all comers to retain the title of the most popular small car on Earth.
The current twelfth-generation Corolla is now seven years into its life cycle having landed in mid-2018. In that time scores of buyers have moved across into small SUVs, and the Corolla’s competitor set has shrunk dramatically as car brands pull out of the small passenger car segment.
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But as we gear up for the next-gen Corolla, is the existing one still worth considering against some newer rivals? And should you look at this instead of a small SUV?
I lived with the mid-range Corolla SX hatchback for a week to find out.
Toyota Corolla 2025: SX Hybrid
| Engine Type | Inline 4, 1.8L |
|---|---|
| Fuel Type | Unleaded Petrol/Electric |
| Fuel Efficiency | 4.0L/100km (combined) |
| Seating | 5 |
| Price From | $35,260 |
| Safety Rating |
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Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 7/10
7 / 10
Toyota dropped all exclusively internal combustion engine versions of passenger car models and car-based SUVs last year so the Corolla is now hybrid-only.
The grade we tested is the SX five-door hatchback which is priced from $35,260, before on-road costs. Interestingly, the sedan version, which has a much bigger boot, is $340 cheaper.
The SX sits in the middle of the Corolla range with the Ascent Sport the most affordable (from $32,110) and the ZR the priciest before you get to the fire-breathing GR Corolla hot hatch.
Direct rivals at this approximate price point include the Hyundai i30 N Line ($36,000 BOC), Mazda3 G20 Touring ($37,110), Subaru Impreza 2.0R ($35,490) and the Kia K4 Sport ($35,190), although that is sedan only for now.
You get 16-inch alloy wheels, cloth bucket seats, a synthetic leather steering wheel, auto-dimming rear view mirror, rain-sensing wipers, rear privacy glass, keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, USB-C ports, a wireless device charging pad, six-speaker audio, an 8.0-inch colour multimedia display with sat-nav, digital radio, Bluetooth, voice assistant and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The standard features list could be described as adequate without being overly generous for the price. A head-up display (standard in the ZR) would be nice.
Design – Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10
7 / 10
It’s been around for a good seven years, but the current-gen Corolla hatch is still a smart design. It has a squat stance and looks as though it has sporty intentions (it doesn’t), and the head and tail-light treatment doesn’t look like anything else in the segment.
The Corolla has adorable proportions and a pert little behind in a sea of increasingly boring small SUVs.
However, in SX trim and in the ‘Sunstone Orange’ body colour of my test car, the Corolla gives off rental car vibes. Which is hardly surprising given lower grade Corollas are a favourite of rental companies.
Inside that vibe continues. This is where the Corolla is really showing its age.
There are various shades of grey throughout the cabin, with a mix of hard and soft plastics. The cloth seat trim is drab, which is a shame because some other brands have managed to make cloth cool again. Not Toyota.
The touchscreen sticks up out the top of the dash like an old iPad and the dash design is old but functional.
There is nothing inspiring about this interior design. In saying that, of those aforementioned rivals, only the Mazda3 and the new Kia K4 have modern cabins.
Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside? 6/10
6 / 10
The Corolla is a small car and that is evident inside. You might bump elbows with your front passenger, but I have no problem with the front leg or headroom.
Those cloth seats might be drab but boy they are comfy, and the fronts have loads of side bolstering.
The steering wheel has typically clear controls and looks and feels nice.
As a more, shall we say seasoned model in the segment, the Corolla still has buttons on the dash for things like air con, but not too many. That bulbous centre stack and the centre console, however, could be better designed for the space.
As it is, the wireless charging pad is hidden under it at the far end of the console. It’s a bit fiddly to get your phone in and out. This is also where one of the USB-C ports lives.
The other one is in the central storage bin which is quite small, but also houses a 12-volt outlet. There are no other places to store things because of the rounded shape of the console, which also features a couple of narrow cupholders.
OurCarsGuide bottle had to be squeezed into the door storage cavity - only narrow, short vessels will fit properly.
That 8.0-inch multimedia screen is very easy to navigate, with logical menus and icons. However, it’s almost too basic, which is not helped by the all-white background. It could be a more engaging set-up but it’s also very hard to fault the functionality. Our Apple CarPlay maintained its connection the whole time with the car, too.
Space is quite tight in the rear, although I have enough headroom for my 184cm frame. Legroom is just okay behind my driving position. There’s more space in the back of a Hyundai i30. It’s also dark because of smallish rear windows and thick C-pillars.
The rear seat backrest is quite upright, but, like the front seats, well cushioned.
Amenities are just average back there - there’s a weird cupholder high on the door, only a passenger side map pocket, no rear air vents and no USB ports, although you could easily use the one housed in the front central bin. There’s a rear fold-down armrest with two cupholders.
The rear seats split and fold 60/40 and they fold flat making for a better loading space.
The good news is the SX (and the base Ascent Sport) come standard with a temporary spare wheel, which is great news for a hybrid model. The bad news is, that reduces boot space to a paltry 217 litres.
That’s off the pace of all of its key hatchback rivals, including the Mazda3 which has its own cargo concerns at 295L, and the Hyundai i30 with 395L.
The Corolla ZR hatch has more space at 333L but you only get a tyre repair kit instead of a temporary spare.
If you’re dead set on a Corolla but need more cargo space, consider the smart looking sedan that has 470 litres.
Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission? 7/10
7 / 10
Since Toyota dropped the petrol engine from the Corolla range, it’s a hybrid-only affair.
The powerplant is a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine paired with Toyota’s fifth-generation hybrid system that incorporates a lithium-ion battery, which is lighter yet more powerful since the 2022 update.
The Corolla drives the front wheels exclusively via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
It’s not the punchiest engine and could do with more poke, but Toyota does do hybrids well.
Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range? 7/10
7 / 10
According to Toyota the official fuel-use figure for the Corolla hybrid hatch is 4.0-litres per 100 kilometres and CO2 emissions sit at 90g/km.
While the trip computer said 4.8L/100km at the end of our week, my own fuel consumption calculation came to 5.8L.
You will only need 91 RON 'standard' petrol to fill up the Corolla.
Driving – What's it like to drive? 8/10
8 / 10
Most generations of Corollas have been solid, dependable and occasionally, even fun to drive.
My first car was a Holden Nova GS hatchback, which was a rebadged version of the seventh-generation Corolla. I loved that car. It was zippy, fun and super economical.
The same principles generally apply to the current-gen Corolla. Thankfully, Toyota’s former CEO, Akio Toyoda, insisted all models from the Camry to the Kluger needed to be injected with more fun. And he succeeded with the Corolla. So much so that they've spun off a wild GR performance hot hatch version.
The Corolla sits low to the ground and it just feels much more connected to the road than a small SUV can. Even in mid-range SX guise, the Corolla can hug a corner and there is ample grip to ensure a fun drive on your favourite winding road.
Sure, the hybrid powertrain might not set your heart racing, but it is quick enough from a standing start and it lacks the lag of some of its turbocharged contemporaries. There’s also plenty of poke on tap for a small car when overtaking.
Even though it has a sporting edge to how it handles, the Corolla SX has been tuned for comfort first and foremost and this is another area it excels. The damper set-up ensures the Corolla soaks up speed bumps, nasty potholes and whatever else our shoddy roads can throw at it. At no point in my seven days with the Corolla did I complain about a harsh bump or thud.
Steering has a mechanical feel but it is still sharp, adding to the ‘chuckable’ vibe of this hatchback.
The powertrain can be noisy when pushed and combined with a CVT auto it’s the nicest sounding engine out there. Also, the transition from electric to petrol power isn’t particularly smooth. Other carmaker’s hybrid offerings - like Honda for example - are close to seamless.
Some road noise gets into the cabin but it’s no deal breaker.
Warranty & Safety Rating
Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating? 7/10
7 / 10
The Corolla is currently unrated by crash safety watchdog ANCAP. It did achieve a maximum five-star rating back in 2018 but that expired at the end of last year.
Safety features are largely standard across all grades and the SX comes with auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection, lane departure alert with steering assist, speed sign recognition, 'Lane Trace Assist', adaptive cruise control, a blind spot monitor with safe exit assist, a rear cross-traffic alert, reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors and a rear occupant alert.
It doesn’t have a driver attention alert, and it’s all the better for it.
The lane keeping aid is well calibrated and subtle in its interventions, but the adaptive cruise let the speed creep several kilometres over the set speed on several occasions.
Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs? 8/10
8 / 10
The Corolla is covered by Toyota’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which, given Kia, MG, GWM, Jaecoo and more have longer terms (not to mention Nissan and Mitsubishi’s conditional 10-year terms) is now officially trailing its competitors.
However, the capped-price servicing plan of up to five years costs just $250 for each service, which is incredibly competitive. The service schedule is every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.
Verdict
The final score for this review makes it look as though the Corolla is a middling effort. The scores for each individual section of the review are well considered and fair. The Corolla does lack the practicality of some of its rivals. A lack of an ANCAP rating isn’t great and the powertrain is just okay. But it remains one of the most fun-to-drive hatchbacks on the market today, even seven years into its life, and I would wholeheartedly recommend the Corolla to anyone looking for a small car. If you can forgive some of the quirks, it is a reliable, adorable, fun and efficient small car favourite.
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