*This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Thanks to American’s finding themselves more interested in larger pickups and SUVs, both the hatchback and sedan style Toyota Yaris models have been discontinued in the US since June 2020 and since July 2020 has also been discontinued in Canada.
This casualty leads many to ask the question, is the Toyota Yaris even a good car?
Available in sedan and hatchback body models, pre-2020, with great fuel economy and efficiency, and a high-reliability rating on numerous car review platforms, the Toyota Yaris is a good subcompact vehicle.
The Yaris was Toyota’s cheapest car and can last up to approximately 300,000 miles. Although the fuel economy is something to brag about, I recognize that the horsepower is not, and neither, it seems, is its ability to handle well when driving at higher speeds.
Keep reading below to find out more about the Toyota Yaris, why it was discontinued, and if, in fact, it is a good reliable car.
Is A Toyota Yaris A Reliable Car?
If a vehicle lasting up to an average of 300,000 miles is your idea of reliable, then yes, the Toyota Yaris is a reliable and good vehicle that I would highly recommend for numerous reasons.
On cardekho.com, drivers have given the Yaris a 4.4 rating out of 5 with some drivers stating it is a no-nonsense and practical vehicle that has a good pick-up and steering response with great comfort and safety features.
Toyota Yaris implements numerous safety features and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has scored the Yaris with a 5-star safety rating for adult and child protection in emergencies.
Here are some features that many people love about the Toyota Yaris and think you will too:
- It’s cost-efficient and you can get a 2020 Yaris for around $16,500
- Provides fantastic fuel-economy
- Fuel-economy motor shows how your Yaris is performing
- Apple Car Play and Android Auto are merged into the media system
- 32/40 mpg with a combined mpg of 35
- The average mileage is from 371 – 464 miles before needing to refuel
And here are the simple yet effective safety features that many people like so much:
- Features a collision alert system
- Automatic emergency braking
- Stability control
- Tire pressure monitoring
- Dual front-side airbags
- Daytime running lights
- Child seat anchors
- Passenger airbag occupant deactivation with passenger sensing
A Toyota Yaris owner in a quora.com post has even gone as far as to state “The Toyota Yaris hatchback is practically perfect” The owner goes on to mention that it is a small vehicle, but its smallness makes for easy driving and parking and fits nicely into smaller car parks.
One of the best parts about the Toyota Yaris is its trunk space and its cabin space. Although it looks small from the outside, the inside boasts a spacious cabin with plenty of room for adults to easily fit comfortably.
How Long Will A Toyota Yaris Last?
This subcompact 1.5-liter four-cylinder 106 horsepower vehicle offers both six-speed manual and automatic transmission and will last approximately 464 miles on average highway driving before needing to be refueled.
In terms of how long the vehicle will last in its lifetime, the Yaris has been known to last on multiple occasions anywhere up to 300,000 miles. This isn’t bad as far as car life expectancy goes with the average across all vehicles being approximately 200,000 miles according to aarp.org.
Policyadvice.net estimates that the average American will generally drive around 13,500 miles per year. According to this statistic, a Toyota Yaris will typically last just over 20 years while other vehicles on the road may only last up to 15 years.
If you look after your Yaris and treat it with the TLC it deserves by having it maintained regularly and serviced when required, you could technically drive your Yaris for over 20 years and over 300,000 miles.
Is It Expensive To Maintain A Toyota Yaris?
The Toyota Yaris is one of the cheaper vehicles on the road today to have maintained and repaired.
The average cost for maintaining a vehicle in the states is approximately $652, while the average cost for maintaining a subcompact vehicle (Kia Rio, Nissan Versa, Hyundai Accent, Mini Cooper, etc.) is $456 and the average for maintaining a Toyota Yaris is only $333.
As far as maintenance costs go, you can’t complain about the reliability and cheap maintenance of a Yaris.
Some common but easy to fix issues with the Yaris are:
- Driver’s side window failure
- Rear-wheel bearing failure
- Power steering failure
- Air conditioning failure
- Coat and paint peeling
- Ineffective brakes
Most of these issues come with a low difficulty level to fix and are common enough that the knowledge on how to fix them is widespread and not too expensive.
Why Has The Toyota Yaris Been Discontinued?
The US and Canada markets no longer host the Toyota Yaris, and it has been completely discontinued since June 2020 making the 2020 model the very last Yaris for the American and Canadian vehicle markets.
Slow sales and new regulations are just two of the reasons why Toyota made the decision to cut the Yaris off the American and Canadian subcompact variety.
According to caranddriver.com the Yaris only sold 21,917 vehicles in 2019 which was down 5000 from 2018 and down well over 50,000 from its initial release in the US in 2008 when 80,411 Yaris models were sold.
Although the Yaris rivals have also seen better times in sales, they still outperformed the Yaris by enough sales that Toyota realized the decision to discontinue the Yaris needed to be made.
Although other factors have played a huge part in the decline of vehicle sales, with only approximately 3.4 million cars sold in 2020 compared with over 17 million cars sold in the US in 2019, the smaller Yaris is no longer a sought-after vehicle compared with larger cars like SUVs, minivans, and pickups that have seen a rising trend on the market since 2019.
Is The Toyota Yaris Worth Buying?
Although the Toyota Yaris is not a vehicle designed for speed racing, it is a great car for city and suburban driving and is well worth purchasing if a reliable and subcompact vehicle is what you’re looking for.
The Toyota Yaris variety is Toyota’s least expensive car that also comes with an above-average reliability rating, according to cars.usnews.com, and although the Yaris did not make above-average sales in 2020, it is still rated 3rd in 2020’s best subcompact car for the money award.
We might also point out that the Yaris is not particularly designed with longer trips in mind and is not rated for its long-term comfort for road trips and vacations.
If speed is of no concern to you and you are more reliant on practicality, space, and fuel-saving efforts, as well as being able to get around the city easily and efficiently for a much smaller cost than other vehicles, then the Toyota Yaris is worth buying.
The Toyota Yaris is also a good car worth purchasing on the second-hand market as there have been only two recalls (not car-wide) and very few faults in any make or year since the Yaris was released in 1999.
If you’re looking at a Yaris with impeccable maintenance records and less than 150,000 miles on the odometer, you might have yourself a winner.
Final Thoughts
If you ask anyone that owns a Toyota if their car is reliable and if they would recommend Toyota vehicles, you will most likely 9 times out of 10 receive an answer of yes.
Toyota makes cars to last and to be reliable. They make cars to be efficient and they make cars for a wide range of people so that all needs in vehicles are generally met.
The Toyota Yaris is no exception to the reliability of Toyota vehicles and is a compact or sedan vehicle, that lasts and is reliable, is something you’re in the market then look no further than the Toyota Yaris.