Toyota Auris (2013-2019) Review

Every Toyota delivers an assurance of near-total reliability, and the British-built Auris is no different. If you’re shopping in the family hatchback sector and want a car you can simply forget about, safe in the knowledge you won’t have to worry about problems or breakdowns, it’s a very sound choice indeed.

The fact it also comes with a petrol-electric hybrid option is a really good reason to choose one. This makes the Auris almost unique, with Toyota well ahead of the curve in making this fuel-saving tech mainstream. By the end of the car’s life, more than three in four sold were hybrids, meaning there’s plentiful choice on the second-hand market. It’s a great-value way into your first electrified vehicle.

It may hardly get your pulse racing to look at inside or out, but at least it’s a little more distinctive than its forgettable predecessor. You’ll certainly consider it a genuine alternative to the default rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus.

Naturally, we think the 1.8-litre Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive version is the best Toyota Auris overall. All the expertise that went into the previous-generation Prius successfully transfers across to the Auris, simply in a more practical and conventional-looking package.

Drivers will be surprised at the low-speed electric-only running, and pleased by the fuel economy it’s able to deliver, particularly in urban driving. The droning engine note when you drive it quickly is a less pleasing surprise, but it only becomes irritating when you're really pushing it, and the everyday extra refinement (and ease of use) should offset that.

Diesel Auris models are disappointing by comparison. You sense Toyota’s heart simply wasn’t in it. We do, however, like the later 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, which is a cheaper and more conventional alternative to the hybrid that still serves up decent economy, but with slightly better performance and a more engaging feel for keen drivers. 

There’s no end of choice in the family hatchback sector to compete with the Toyota Auris. Best-sellers include the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra – none of which (other than the later performance-focused Golf GTE PHEV) offered a hybrid option back then. The Honda Civic and Mazda 3 are reliable Japanese alternatives, and Nissan offered the Nissan Pulsar until a lack of market interest forced its retirement.

Value alternatives include the SEAT Leon, Skoda Octavia, Kia Ceed and Hyundai i30, while it would be remiss of us not to also mention the Toyota Prius as an even more eco-focused (also five-door) alternative to the Auris.

Toyota is renowned for the excellent quality of its cars and the Auris is no exception. This is a meticulously well-built car, with ultra-precise panel gaps and paint quality on the outside, plus millimetric assembly within. The lazy and somewhat approximate feel you sometimes find in other cars simply isn’t acceptable for Toyota.

You sense the built-in quality from the solid noise made by the doors when you close them, and the firm click of all the buttons, stalks and dials. The Auris seems like it will take the most heavy-duty use and still keep coming back for more.

It isn’t particularly lavish or indulgent in terms of material quality, though – not in the same way a Volkswagen Golf is. The plastics are sturdy and durable, but you don’t get an excess of soft-touch materials or fancy satin-finish surfaces. This rather more workmanlike finish shouldn’t be confused for any lack of quality, however. The Auris is almost guaranteed to last longer than its more decadent rivals.

Toyota built the dashboard of the Auris around a high, well-located infotainment screen. Most models are fitted with the system, which is called Toyota Touch. Only Active models lack it, replacing it with a conventional car radio instead.

The touchscreen itself is a rather rudimentary system, although it was improved from 2014 with the introduction of Toyota Touch 2 – sat nav is only standard on versions fitted with Toyota Touch 2 with Go. The ‘Go’ system included extra connectivity features, although these seem a bit dated these days.

For the 2015 facelift, the infotainment system got a smart new look with a one-piece panel using a smart piano-black surround. Buttons on the outside became touch-sensitive and the night-time lighting was crisper and more consistent. It’s still arguably a bit basic, but does at least look more modern at first glance.

You can’t get Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connectivity on any Auris, meaning your smartphone mirroring will have to be done in a more rudimentary way through Toyota’s own navigation menus and displays.

The Toyota Auris is a competitively-sized family hatchback, with exterior dimensions of 4,330mm length, 1,823mm width and 1,475mm height. Newer models may be a bit larger still, but the Auris is not penalised for this inside as it makes good use of the space on offer.

It feels fine for drivers, with controls placed extremely well. The Auris Hybrid feels particularly spacious because it only has two pedals within a wide, open footwell. The steering wheel has a good range of adjustment and it all feels a bit more conventional than the rather upright, MPV-like Auris that came before. The seating position nevertheless offers a good view both to the front and side.

Excel models had the option of a further enhanced feeling of spaciousness, thanks to a large panoramic glass roof that measures 2.3 metres front to rear – and almost 1.3 metres wide.

In the rear, there’s a good amount of legroom and ample headroom. The seat might be a bit of a squeeze for three people, but it’s fine for two – and if you have to pack in three, the middle seat passenger will at least appreciate the flat floor, without too much intrusion from the central tunnel. This also adds to an airier, more open feel in the rear. The rear seat-back also reclines.

The regular Auris has a 360-litre boot. That’s a little down on something like a Golf, but still a good size. More importantly, it’s very well shaped, with a wide and useful layout. Toyota has even hollowed out some extra width behind the rear wheelarches, so you can squeeze in particularly awkward loads. The hybrid has slightly less space, due to the room taken up by the batteries, but it still manages 337 litres, which is a lot more than earlier hybrids which had tiny boots. With the rear seats folded, the Auris has up to 1200 litres of space, or 1176 litres in the Hybrid.

The Auris has Isofix mounts for the outer two rear seats, and it’s fairly easy to get children or their car seats in and out, even if the door openings aren’t quite as tall as the previous model. There are no Isofix mounts for the front passenger seat, but an airbag cut-off switch is standard.

You’re most likely to come across a Toyota Auris Hybrid on the used car market, particularly if you’re looking at newer models. The system uses a 1.8-litre non-turbo petrol engine paired with a single-speed CVT gearbox, with an electric motor powered by a self-charging battery at the rear of the car, The battery is topped up by turning the motor into a generator when you lift off, and it also recovers energy when you brake.

Many people who are new to the hybrid experience will be surprised and impressed by the electric-drive. The Auris often starts off as a pure EV, and will frequently shut down its engine at low speeds if there’s enough charge in the batteries. The engine kicks in automatically, so you don’t need any particular changes to your driving style – simply let the engine cut in and out, saving petrol and cutting your emissions. 

The battery is much smaller than in todays modern hybrids and (in particular) plug-in hybrids, however. It'll only run on pure electric power for a couple of miles at best, and keeping the engine off is an exercise in gingerly applying the throttle. But the Auris's electronic brain is constantly juggling petrol and electric power, so even if the engine is running it's more efficient than a pure petrol model. 

The gearbox is a bit of an acquired taste. When the engine is running, the CVT transmission works by using a single gear and constantly varying the engine revs so the engine is always operating at peak efficiency. It’s clever, but does mean it has a ‘slipping clutch’ effect that feels unusual. Also, when you want maximum power, the engine revs will soar right to the maximum and stay there until you lift off.

More conventional engines include a 1.33-litre non-turbo petrol and a 1.6-litre with more power, plus an automatic gearbox option. There was a 1.4-litre D-4D diesel, later replaced by a 1.6-litre D-4D. If you’re not buying the Hybrid, we’d avoid the early engines and stick with post-facelift versions, where that 1.33-litre was replaced by a much improved 1.2-litre turbo. This also offered a CVT auto version, although the standard gearbox is super-light and easy.

The Toyota Auris Hybrid has extremely impressive refinement in electric-only use. They are appealing cars to drive in town, because the engine is able to shut down frequently and give a luxurious, silent-running drive. Pity it contrasts with the roar of the engine when you want sudden acceleration, though.

The early diesel engine wasn’t very nice. The BMW diesel was better, but the Auris is still more refined as a petrol – preferably the 1.2-litre turbo as opposed to the 1.33-litre, which you have to work harder.

Wind and road noise are present, but they’re not excessive. The Auris is particularly good in terms of tyre roar compared to some of its rivals, because the size of the wheels and tyres are not too extreme. This also helps it ride bumps with a bit more peace and quiet than some of its sportier alternatives.

Back in 2013, Euro NCAP tested this generation of Auris and awarded it a full five stars for crash safety. Adult occupant protection was particularly good, with a 92 percent rating, although child occupant safety wasn’t too far behind on 84 percent. Pedestrian protection was rated 68 percent and safety assist perhaps a touch disappointing, at 66 percent.

All Auris models are fitted with front, side and curtain airbags, although the side chest airbags only serve the front-seat occupants, not those in the rear. Seatbelt pretensioners and belt load limiters are also only on the front seats. The driver gets a standard knee airbag.

Stability control was standard and all five seats get a seatbelt warning reminder. A speed limiter was only optional, though, and this generation of Auris was a bit too old to have more advanced safety assist technology such as a lane-keep assist and autonomous emergency braking.

Toyota did introduce a Safety Sense pack for all models from late 2016, but it wasn’t subsequently tested by Euro NCAP. It’s still worth looking out for. Standard gadgets include autonomous emergency braking, plus road-sign assist to detect road signs and display them in the colour monitor within the instrument pack.

Toyota finished in a strong 8th place in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index. Owners are generally very happy with their cars, and the company's powertrains are notoriously dependable. 

The Auris should be one of the most reliable family hatchbacks on the used market regardless of which engine you go for. But its the Hybrid that again steals the show here: it uses the same system as the Prius, which has spent many years racking up hundreds of thousands of miles without issue and become the go-to weapon of choice for private hire vehicles in cities around the world. 

Insurance groups start from group seven (out of 50) for the Auris. Other cars manage to go a bit lower, but it still shouldn’t result in premiums that are too excessive. Some models with the optional Toyota Safety Sense pack actually have insurance a group lower as a result.

Surprisingly, it’s 1.2-litre turbo models that sit at the upper end of Auris insurance rankings and costs, similar to the more tech-packed Hybrid. Most models will sit in groups 12-14, with the highest Auris scoring a group 15 insurance rating.

Hybrid Auris drivers will be over the moon: they get free VED (road tax) as a reward for driving a ‘green’ alternative-fuel vehicle. Some 1.4 D-4D diesels also fall into group A for VED, while the 1.33-litre petrol is less impressive with a £125 a year annual cost.

You’re better off picking the 1.2-litre turbo if you don’t want a Hybrid. Low CO2 emissions mean annual tax of just £20 – and the CVT automatic is as cost-effective as the manual version here.

Toyota launched the Auris in Active, Icon, Sport and Excel grades. Active is pretty basic, and rare: the favoured Icon includes 16-inch alloys (15-inch on the Hybrid), DAB radio, Toyota Touch infotainment, all-round electric windows, Bluetooth and a rear-view parking camera. Sport does what it suggests, with 17-inch alloys (16-inch for the Hybrid), sports seats, rear privacy glass and a rear diffuser.

Excel also has 17-inch alloys, plus dual-zone climate control (the regular system is single-zone automatic air con), heated leather seats, cruise control, park assist with all-round parking sensors, plus automatic lights and wipers. In 2014, Icon became Icon Plus, with a few extra gadgets as standard.

The revised 2015 range had a similar span of equipment, and consisted of Active, Business Edition, Icon, Design and Excel. A later Icon Tech added Toyota Touch 2 with Go sat nav, while Business Edition was focused on company car users.