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Toyota Corolla vs Toyota Corolla Cross

What's the difference?

VS
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla

$29,270 - $40,450

2025 price

Toyota Corolla Cross
Toyota Corolla Cross

$33,888 - $59,888

2023 price

Summary

2025 Toyota Corolla
2023 Toyota Corolla Cross
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Inline 4, 1.8L

Inline 4, 2.0L
Fuel Type
Unleaded Petrol/Electric

Unleaded Petrol/Electric
Fuel Efficiency
4.0L/100km (combined)

4.4L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Cabin not as practical as rivals
  • Tiny boot volume
  • Ageing interior

  • No AWD petrol version
  • Cabin storage could be better
  • Looks nothing like a Corolla
2025 Toyota Corolla Summary

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.

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.

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2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Summary

An SUV version of the Toyota Corolla - how did this not get built sooner? Well, the Corolla Cross is here now and while I don’t know the answer to why it took Toyota so long to invent it, I’ve just been to its Australian media launch and this review should cover off all the questions you might have.

Things like how spacious the Corolla Cross is and if the boot is big enough, what the maintenance costs will look like, what it’s like to drive and of course the prices - depending on which type you buy. There’s also a hybrid version and I’ll tell you what I discovered about its fuel economy and what it's like to drive, too.

There’s a lot to cover, but I’ll keep it simple with just the stuff you need to know. Particularly if a Toyota C-HR or Yaris Cross SUV is too small, and a RAV4 is too big.

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Deep dive comparison

2025 Toyota Corolla 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross

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