The city car segment has been getting smaller for years. Many small and cheap models that used to be in cities have disappeared. This is because car makers are now more focused on making SUVs and electric vehicles. Cars like the Volkswagen Up Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1 are no longer sold. This has left few real city cars.

With this change Toyota thinks there is still a place for small city cars that are easy to use don’t cost a lot to run and are fun to drive. The Toyota Aygo X is what Toyota thinks is the city car. It doesn’t look like the cheap hatchback that people used to think of when they heard the name Aygo. Instead it has a size but with a design like a crossover, a higher seat and better tech.

Toyota has made the Aygo X better by adding a hybrid engine. This makes the smallest car in Toyota’s range more advanced. Whats interesting about this update is how much it changes the cars personality. The old Aygo X was all about being cheap and simple. The new one is meant to be better to drive have emissions be more efficient and feel more refined. It still is a city car but it now feels more confident and grown-up. The Toyota Aygo X now has a way of being. It combines being small, with having a mature feel.

1. The Evolution of a City Slicker

Toyota’s first attempt at the compact city car, the Aygo, was built in partnership with Peugeot and Citron. All three brands decided to produce the same nearly identical tiny city car to cut down on development costs and achieve economies of scale in the inexpensive urban city car segment, which at the time customers loved because they want cheap personal transportation with low running costs and a car small enough to squeeze in to tight cities.

Partnership Origins and Platform Development:

• Shared development between three brands
• Focus on affordable city transportation
• Compact dimensions for urban driving
• Low running cost advantage
• Built for practical daily mobility

When Peugeot and Citron withdrew from the partnership, Toyota continued with the Aygo project by itself. The new model, the Aygo X, was unveiled in 2022 and it sported a chunkier design inspired by modern SUVs, along with a taller ride height and larger wheels. The design may still be compact, but these details give the Aygo X a much more modern and up-market look.

A big reason for the new more mature feel of the Aygo X is the shared TNGA GA-B platform that it uses with the larger Toyota Yaris. The architecture increases rigidity and therefore handling while refining and making the car’s driving experience more comfortable, meaning it no longer feels like a cheap, stripped down city car.

2. A Brand-New Hybrid Heart 

The most significant change in the new Aygo X, however, lies with the powertrain. This change marks the departure from the old, inefficient 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine to a completely new 1.5-litre full hybrid unit taken from the larger Toyota Yaris, transforming the car into a much more powerful package overall and making it feel more modern, refined and capable.

Hybrid Performance and Efficiency Upgrade:

• New 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain
• Borrowed from Toyota Yaris platform
• Significant increase in power output
• Improved motorway driving performance
• Focus on fuel-saving efficiency

The powertrain’s engine and electric motor system generates a combined output of 116bhp when working together. This is a significant jump up from the older 72bhp engine, and while the old car always struggled with more demanding acceleration like motorway driving or overtaking, the new Aygo X feels much more capable of easily dealing with these situations.

Furthermore, the new hybrid powertrain has been designed for fuel efficiency by Toyota. Indeed, the company boasts that the Aygo X Hybrid will be the “cleanest non plug-in vehicle” on the road, meaning owners no longer have to worry about high fuel bills with this fuel-sipping city car.

3. From Languid to Lively: A Performance Revolution 

Older models of the Aygo have never exactly set the world of performance on fire and that’s certainly true where it counts during quicker driving scenarios. It’s never felt right to launch a bold overtake in any of the previous iterations; the compact engines felt underpowered, lacked urgency and generally wheezed under harder acceleration requests. Similarly, motorway driving could also prove to be tiring and noisy during extended periods at the cruising speeds thanks to such modest reserves of power. Whilst perfectly capable when driving in town its deficiencies at higher speeds were fairly clear.

Hybrid Power Changes Driving for the Better:

• Dramatic reduction in acceleration times
• Much quicker responses during an overtake
• Less effort needed at motorways speeds
• Better low speed torque is added by the electric motor
• More lively in-town experience

But with the hybrid conversion that scenario is transformed utterly and by some distance. Toyota reckon on the new Aygo X being able to sprint from 0-62mph in a startling 9.2 seconds a reduction in acceleration time of more than five seconds, and it totally alters the car’s on road manner. Slip into busy traffic and overtake lumbering lorries etc, and there’s far more confidence available than before.

The low-speed torque advantage afforded by the added electric motor also translates to much more urgency in town, with the Aygo X feeling less reluctant and more enthusiastic in its responses at the wheel when pulling away from junctions. And indeed the added urge from the hybrid system has lent the car a generally more peppy and confident character. The performance gains now much better fit the bubbly styling and agile handling that has earned the Aygo name so much praise over the years.

4. A True Cost of Living Hero 

In spite of its drastic jump in performance over its predecessors, the Aygo X Hybrid is incredibly frugal in daily use. Toyota claims that it will return 76.4mpg while remaining efficient through all driving conditions, meaning it remains one of the most economical city cars on the market, that doesn’t even require the plug in of an external charger.

Efficiency, Savings, and Everyday Practicality: 

• Efficient and economical running
• Still among the cheapest to run small cars
• No external charging needed
• Great fuel economy
• Strong long-term ownership appeal 

Buying a hybrid does however make the car somewhat more expensive than its predecessor at the purchase point, although in the long run you may well make up the cost savings with lower fuel bills especially if you cover lots of miles per year. Even if not, the car remains cheaper to run than many similar-sized city cars without the hybrid powertrain.

5. A Bolder, Chunky Wardrobe 

On the outside, the Aygo X features a raft of new styling details. It’s significantly different from the original car and appears far bolder thanks to a much chunkier and more modern front end which takes its cue from new Toyota electric vehicles, including the bZ4X.

New Bold Styling:

• Redesigned front fascia appearance 
• Based on new electric models
• Larger front grille
• Chunky design with the new platform
• Optional retractable roof

The new model’s headlamps stretch across the width of the car while the larger front grille helps it to assert more presence when approaching in the traffic. Toyota also widened the front of the car for the new larger powertrain, giving it a sturdier stance than before. All round, the wheel arches are finished with black plastic and the car now offers contrasting body panels, so instead of appearing like a slightly awkward little hatchback that you can forget in the traffic, the car takes on a more fun personality in a similar way to the older car.

6. Mastering the Urban Jungle 

The Aygo X is right at home on the road it was always intended for; navigating the bustling city environment. Its size makes dodging narrow streets, dense traffic, and packed car parks effortless. In the thick of the hustle and bustle, it still feels light, manageable, and completely stress-free for the daily commute, which is perhaps one of the main reasons why small city cars continue to be so popular.

Urban Driving:

• Compact for city roads
• Tight space parking
• Enhanced visibility
• Good ride on rough surfaces
• Solid and composed feel

Toyota also tweaked driver visibility, an important issue in city driving. Drivers will immediately feel at ease due to the car’s elevated seating position, providing an unobstructed view of other vehicles and traffic, whilst the slimmer front pillars reduce the size of any potential blind spots. Coupled with the flatter bonnet, positioning the Aygo X in even the tightest of parking spots is significantly simpler.

The ride is another welcome surprise for a small city car; they often struggle with potholes and poorly maintained road surfaces, especially on larger wheels. Yet the Aygo X takes everything in its stride with ease, and provides a stable and composed ride even with its larger alloys. It’s a refinement that makes you feel like you’re driving a larger and more substantial car than you actually are.

7. A Surprisingly Pleasant Cockpit 

Inside the Aygo X, Toyota has elevated cabin feel considerably beyond what you’d expect in a small city car. The dashboard design is clean and modern, and the materials used create a higher-quality feel and ambiance than before. The aim was clearly to make the car feel more mature and comfortable for everyday use, to distance it from some more basic and budget focused competitors.

Interior Feel:

• Modern and well designed dash
• Comfortable driving position even on long distances
• Physical buttons are very user-friendly
• Available larger touchscreen options
• Integrated smartphone technology is an improvement

The driving position, in particular, is very impressive. Rather than feeling like you’re sitting upright and rigid in many small crossovers, the Aygo X’s is more natural and feels supportive even over long distances. The steering wheel itself feels chunky and high quality in the hand and the inclusion of physical buttons on the steering wheel help control many functions intuitively.

The tech level is a large leap forward for the Aygo X compared to previous generations, with most cars getting a 9 or 10.5-inch screen that supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as other features such as a digital display and updated graphics for its interface.

8. The Practicality Problem 

However, for all of the front-cabin refinement, practicality does become somewhat an issue in the rear of the car. Despite the cabin’s elevated feel, space is at a premium, much as it was in the previous Aygo and even in this improved version the car does not feel any larger on the inside because the wheelbase has not extended much further than its predecessor. The rear cabin is probably the weakest part of the Aygo X and it really is more suited to short trips, rather than taking three adults as a regular occurrence.

Rear and Cargo Issues:

• Limited legroom for rear occupants
• Best for shorter trips
• Reduced cargo space
• Thick rear pillars block out visibility
• Size compromises overall practicality

Adults can fit in the back seats for shorter journeys; but anyone over about 5’8 will certainly feel the restricted legroom. However children and smaller passengers will be perfectly comfortable, so for couples or small families, this is not such a huge drawback. 

Nevertheless, the Aygo X excels as a city runner, but not when you need to carry a trio of adults at once. The boot volume still sits at a modest 231 litres which isn’t bad by class standards but some of its competitors will give you a greater cargo volume. The rear windows still don’t fully lower and are instead pop-out panels as before, and while this is a nice feature for ventilation it makes the already limited rearward visibility even worse.

9. The Elephant in the Room: Price

One of the main talking points of the Aygo X Hybrid, in particular, is the step up in price. Now costing over 21,000, the Aygo X starts to come into range of larger family hatchbacks which you’d certainly get a much larger, and ultimately more practical car with, and so it needs to work a lot harder to justify its price tag, however good it may be on the road and in the cockpit.

The Cost of the Aygo X:

• Significantly more expensive than before
• Moving out of basic city car territory
• Competitors offer more for the money
• Need to consider its place in the market
• Balance between cost and efficiency 

Part of the increased cost is due to the hybrid technology and level of equipment it now offers as standard. The Aygo X is no longer aimed solely at those buying on budget and this can clearly be seen from the level of comfort, technology and refined appearance the car offers. For those simply looking to cut costs, the price tag will perhaps still be considered too high for such a small vehicle. Competition from cars such as the Dacia Sandero and the Hyundai i10, who offer more practical interior space at a lower purchase price, is strong.

10. Trims and Toys: Meet the GR Sport 

Toyota provides a range of specifications for the Aygo X, including the Iconic, Design, Excel and a more aggressive looking GR Sport trim. Each is tailored to suit different drivers but it is the GR Sport which gives a more distinct feel, providing upgrades to make the driving experience more lively with an emphasis on sporty driving dynamics.

The GR Sport Specification:

• Sharper ride with tuned suspension
• Responsive steering for added feeling
• Agile cornering
• Sporty aesthetics and design features
• Sportier engine performance

Toyota have equipped the Aygo X with a sportier suspension setup with stiffer springs and dampers as well as a more responsive steering system to increase the feel when driving, it also feels much sharper when cornering. However the adjustments that have been made to the chassis haven’t been enough to make the car feel jarring on the everyday commute and it retains its balanced feeling, feeling a lot more eager to be driven.

Cosmetically, the GR Sport looks good too. The styling package includes unique wheels and subtle performance hints to ensure it looks as lively as it feels. It offers a sportier character that sits above the regular, more subdued Aygo X models.

11. Sizing Up the Competition

The Aygo X competes in a shrinking city car segment where only a limited number of manufacturers remain active. Rivals such as the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, and Dacia Sandero continue to focus on affordable urban transportation. However, none of these competitors currently offer a full hybrid setup comparable to the Aygo X. This gives the vehicle a more unique identity within its category.

Hybrid Advantage and Market Competition:

• Competes in shrinking city segment
• Unique full hybrid powertrain option
• Strong fuel economy advantage
• Bridges petrol and electric vehicles
• Facing growing EV competition

The hybrid system provides Toyota with a major selling point in a market where efficiency is becoming increasingly important. Drivers looking for low fuel consumption without fully transitioning to an electric vehicle may find the Aygo X especially attractive. It offers a balance between traditional petrol convenience and improved hybrid efficiency. This positioning helps it stand apart from many conventional city-focused rivals.

At the same time, affordable electric vehicles are creating new competition within the segment. Models such as the Renault 5 and Hyundai Insta are entering the market with modern technology and increasingly competitive pricing. As a result, the Aygo X now competes against both low-cost petrol cars and emerging electric alternatives. This changing landscape makes its market position more challenging and more complex than before.

12. The Verdict and That Gearbox

The updated Toyota Aygo X performs strongly in several important areas, delivering improved performance, impressive fuel economy, and a much more refined driving experience than previous generations. Toyota has successfully transformed the Aygo X from a simple budget-focused city car into a sophisticated compact crossover with broader everyday appeal. The vehicle now feels more mature, modern, and capable while still retaining its urban-friendly character.

Final Strengths and Driving Drawbacks:

• Stronger hybrid performance delivery
• Excellent fuel economy efficiency
• Comfortable and refined urban driving
• CVT gearbox reduces driving excitement
• Mature personality for city car

One of the Aygo X’s greatest strengths is how usable and comfortable it feels in urban environments. Its compact dimensions, elevated seating position, efficient hybrid system, and easy maneuverability make it exceptionally well suited to crowded city streets. Drivers who spend most of their time commuting in urban areas are likely to appreciate the balance of efficiency, comfort, and practicality it provides during daily driving.

Not every aspect of the experience is perfect, however. The CVT automatic transmission remains the weakest part of the driving experience, especially during harder acceleration when the engine becomes noticeably noisy. The gearbox also creates the familiar sensation of rising engine revs without delivering matching excitement or engagement. Even with this flaw, the Aygo X remains a highly likable vehicle that deserves credit for keeping the small city car segment alive with a far more refined and capable personality.