Used Toyota Corolla cars

The style of the car

The Toyota Corolla is a sharp-looking family car available as a hatchback, saloon or estate. The estate, badged Corolla Touring Sports, is the only version available in ‘Trek’ trim, which adds some SUV-like exterior styling details. The Corolla replaced the Auris, which was sold new until 2019.

How it drives

The Corolla is relaxing to drive and feels stable on the motorway, but it’s not as responsive or as much fun as a Ford Focus. Its compact size means driving around town is a doddle and all models have parking sensors and cameras to aid manoeuvring. Petrol and hybrid power are available – the petrol engine was sold until 2020. All the engines are smooth, quiet and give good acceleration. An automatic gearbox is standard on hybrid models. The hybrid can drive on electric power for short distances but the more-powerful 2.0 hybrid is the better option if you regularly make long journeys.

The interior

The Corolla is a mid-size family car with five seats. It’s roughly the same size as the Vauxhall Astra. There’s loads of room in the Corolla’s front seats for people of all sizes. The hatchback has a bit less space in the back seats than some rivals but most adults should be comfortable enough.

The longer saloon and estate versions have much more back-seat space and larger boots, so they’re better as family cars. The hatchback has space for four medium suitcases, but the estate can hold six. The size of the saloon’s boot is between the two.

The interior looks good, feels built to last and is user-friendly. An improved infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was introduced in 2020. All models have climate control and cruise control.

Running costs

According to official figures, petrol Corolla models give up to 47mpg. The 2.0 hybrid gives up to 57mpg. The 1.8 hybrid is the most efficient model, reaching up to 62mpg. Road tax and insurance costs are low. Safety organisation Euro NCAP gave the Corolla a full five-star rating when it tested it in 2019. The car comes with a comprehensive set of driver safety systems including autonomous emergency braking, automatic high-beam headlights and traffic sign recognition.

Toyota Corolla vs rivals

Corolla rivals include the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Peugeot 308. The Corolla gives you decent interior space and practicality (the estate particularly so) with generous equipment and excellent quality. Crucially, though, if you want hybrid power in a mid-size family car, the Corolla is the best of very few options.