Sector: Supermini Price: £16,695 Fuel: 58.9mpg CO2: 119g/km

The latest generation of the Yaris is on a sales march in Europe. Despite being squeezed between premium and value brands plus an increasingly diverse set of small car segments, it’s given Toyota a 50% larger stake of the supermini class since it launched in 2011 and is a quarter of the brand’s sales in Europe.

So it should come as no surprise that this mid-life refresh has been steered by European tastes. Toyota recently took the decision to let its European arm take greater control over everything from the Auris downwards – arguably the most demanding of the lot – which goes a long way towards explaining the visual similarities between the Yaris and Aygo’s front ends.

But while styling is important in this sector, it’s just as vital that the car itself feels like a downsized C-segment hatch rather than an upsized city car, so the biggest changes here only show up over mixed use. Its stiffer body and new suspension setup has given it a more comfortable ride, and it’s exceptionally quiet at motorway speeds. It genuinely feels like it’s taken the best qualities of the Auris and crammed them into a smaller body.

However, this drivetrain really isn’t the best way to experience what the European engineers have been working so hard on. Toyota has equipped the 1.33-litre petrol engine with a continuously variable transmission, as used on its hybrid products, rather than a dual-clutch or torque converter automatic. This is light and good for fuel economy – losing the clutch pedal doesn’t make the Yaris less efficient – but it doesn’t make for a very appealing drive.

Point that aggressive new front end at a motorway slip road and the rev needle shoots up towards the redline, staying there while climbs gently to the speed limit. The drone of the engine under load and the disconnected springiness of the gearbox, even with the stepped ratios which can be selected using the steering wheel paddles, make rapid progress fairly unpleasant and it’s not particularly fuel efficient either. 

You could forgive most of that if it was the only way to get an automatic Yaris, but it isn’t. Company car drivers seeking the convenience of two-pedal driving would be far better served by the Hybrid. That won’t save you from the springiness of a CVT gearbox, but it’s quieter, significantly more fuel efficient and a much nicer car to live with as a result.

Plus, even in the top Excel trim, the Yaris Hybrid emits 82g/km. There’s only £1,000 between the two drivetrains, which should easily be offset by the tax and fuel savings. It’s so much of a no-brainer, that it makes the standard Multidrive S version a bit irrelevant for the corporate market. London-based drivers could even opt down to 15-inch wheels and dodge the congestion charge – the Yaris Hybrid is the only non-plug-in to do so.

So it really should come as no surprise that the Yaris is extending its sales footprint, and that it’s the Hybrid which is helping it do so. More refined and better for air quality than a diesel engine, more convenient than a manual and incredibly aggressive on running costs, it’s absolutely the one to have.