Toyota Corolla 2026 (2022 - )

Few models make it past four or five generations at best, the Toyota Corolla is currently in its 12th generation and has secured its place as one of Europe’s best-selling models ever.

The latest car is available in five-door Hatchback or Touring Sports guise, and European versions are built here in the UK at the company’s Burnaston plant with the 1.8-litre engines supplied by the Toyota factory in Deeside, North Wales.

The car features Toyota’s fifth-generation hybrid electric technology  resulting in either 1.8-litre or 2.0-litre electrified powertrains that offer more power, a more engaging performance along with improved efficiency. 

Just to clarify, a full hybrid is engineered to run on power from their petrol engine and electric motor, but unlike mild hybrids, they can run on electric power alone. They use the electric power as often as possible which not only saves on fuel costs, but also reduces emissions. Additionally, you benefit from sharper performance thanks to the instant torque.

We opted for the high-end Corolla Excel, powered by the 1.8-litre hybrid unit and in hatchback guise. But what made this test extra special was its length. Rather than the traditional one-week loan, we have been driving ‘our’ Corolla for the last six months and it really has become part of the family – I may just keep it!

The latest Corolla gains a more contemporary look with a fresh grille mesh pattern, fog light bezels and new alloy wheel designs. There is a new-look lighting signature combining daytime running lights and indicators in a single J-shaped unit that wraps around the headlights. And our Excel specification boasted multi-LED headlights with an adaptive high-beam system. 

Factor in the rear privacy glass, bi-tone dark grey 18-inch alloys, plus the black contrast roof and pillars, and the car has plenty of kerb appeal.

Moving inside, the seats are high-end with leather upholstery and these can be heated against the winter chill. The main nerve centre is a 10.5-inch infotainment screen that offers easy access to the many on-board features. These include a six-speaker sound system, full smartphone integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat nav, DAB radio, Bluetooth, a reversing camera and lots more besides.

Behind the multi-function steering wheel is a 12.3-inch driver display that can be customised to taste. This is where you can keep a watchful eye on the speed, alongside a head-up display.

There is a separate panel housing all the climate control settings and that’s something we always applaud. After all, who wants to go searching through over-complicated touchscreen menus simply to lower the temperature?

On that note, the Corolla offers a nice mix of physical and touchscreen controls making the cabin exceptionally user-friendly.

Our Corolla Hatchback test car in Excel specification was powered by the latest 1.8-litre hybrid system with the compact battery pack being 14 per cent lighter than its predecessor, yet delivering 14 per cent more power.

With a total output of 138bhp and 142Nm of torque the five-door, five-seater can reach 62mph from a standing start in 9.1 seconds and has a maximum speed of 112mph. It does feel much faster than those figures suggest.

An area where this latest Corolla has certainly improved is the performance itself. The car features an CVT automatic gearbox which, in days gone by, could get quite vocal under heavier acceleration. But not anymore. The acceleration is both smooth and responsive with next-to-no vocal protests to be heard. It makes motorway cruising at 70mph more enjoyable, and it’s a model that can cope well when faced with more challenging twisting country lanes too. The Corolla is well planted and body sway is kept in check. Special mention to the suspension set-up too, which somehow makes our rough, pitted roads seem smooth(ish). 

Everything gets very quiet when you enter the slower town and city centres with the electric motor taking charge of events in the main. The car will run in EV-only mode in busier stop-and-go traffic and this is highlighted by a green EV icon on the driver display. There is also an EV mode button which allows the driver to switch across to electric-only driving over short distances. 

Alternative modes called Eco, Normal and Sport alter the driving characteristics accordingly, with the addition of a B mode that strengthens the level of regenerative braking, which in turn boosts the battery.

Comfort levels impress and, although the driver’s seat is manually adjustable, there is powered lumbar support. All-round visibility is excellent and all dials, controls and readouts are perfectly positioned for ease of use. 

The Toyota Corolla is a five-door family car that stretches 4,370mm in length, is 1,790mm across and 1,460mm tall with a 2,640mm wheelbase. That translates into a deceptively spacious cabin with bundles of room up front for a couple of six-foot-plus adults to sit comfortably.

Back seat passengers don’t fare quite so well, especially if the front seats are pushed back. Additionally, the sporty nature of the Corolla’s design with its tapering roofline, impacts on rear head room. But there is ample space for a trio of youngsters to fit without too much fuss. And there are Isofix child seat anchors to the outer seats too.

Alternatively, if extra space is a necessity, the Corolla Touring Sports model could be worth exploring. This version is 4,650mm in length, the same width and height as the hatchback, but gains an extra 60mm on the wheelbase which translates into a larger cabin area.

The boot on our Corolla Hatchback was accessed via a manually-operated tailgate and it could swallow 361 litres of kit – that’s more than ample for a monthly supermarket run. And, if extra space is needed, simply drop the 60:40 split-folding rear seats and the storage capacity increases considerably. 

Additionally, there are numerous convenient storage compartments scattered throughout the cabin, including a practical glovebox, door bins with space for a water bottle, a central cubby, seat back pockets, front and rear cup holders, a wireless charging pad, plus front and rear USB ports to keep devices connected on the move.

September pricing for the Toyota Corolla starts from £30,845 for the entry-level Icon specification in hatchback guise and increases to £36,495 for high-end Excel.

For anyone looking for the Touring Sports body style, this model costs from £32,195 and tops out at £38,195.

Our test car for the last six months, was priced at £34,595, and still has the same price-tag. It’s great when manufacturers supply new pricing lists and there is little-to-no difference.

When it comes to the day-to-day running costs, the Corolla Excel with the 1.8-litre hybrid powertrain can deliver a WLTP-tested 60.1mpg. We were seeing around the 58.5mpg mark which is very close to the official figure, and we have been testing across a whole variety of roads. 

The official carbon emissions figure of 106g/km results in a first-year road tax bill of £405, but this will drop to the standard charge of £200 after 12 months,. And with prices well below the £40k government Expensive Car Supplement, there are no nasty check-out fees to take into consideration.

The other factor that Toyota does very well is including everything you need in the standard price. There are a few ways to stamp your personal mark on the car, but the only optional extra on our model was the bi-tone premium paint that added £950 to the total price.

For business drivers, the Benefit in Kind tax rating is 27 per cent and the car sits in insurance group 18.

Toyota enjoys an excellent reputation for reliability and although the Corolla is sold with a fairly standard three-year,60,000-mile warranty, it can be extended to 10 years or 100,000 miles via a service-activated policy.

It might be possible that man invented the Corolla a fraction after the wheel, it really does seem to have been around that long. But how well it has evolved with time and the latest 12th edition raises the bar even further.

It’s stylish without being garish, packed with technology that is included in the asking price and, perhaps more importantly, is user-friendly. The Corolla drives really well, is practical and economical and even has an attractive price-tag.

It’s a car that quietly goes about its business without any big fanfares or glitzy promotion campaigns. That’s because it doesn’t need any showbiz gimmicks, it’s simply good enough to keep attracting buyers. And with more than 57 million global sales under its belt, who would ever dare to question its success.