Excel grade (starts from £34,280) comes with SakuraTouch upholstery, a powered tailgate, heated steering wheel, metallic paint as standard and an Advanced Safety pack including rear-cross traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, safe exit assist, a panoramic-view camera system and more.
Finally, the GR Sport (starting from £35,095) comes with two-tone paint finish, ‘Ultrasuede’ seat upholstery, 18-inch alloy wheels and ever-so slightly sportier front and rear bumpers, plus some GR badging.
What’s new on the Toyota Yaris Cross for 2026?
The redesigned nose on the revised Yaris Cross is inspired by the new Toyota RAV4. This can be seen in the hexagonal grille opening that bleeds into the main body, and the removal of the low-set LED daytime running lights. These have been integrated into new headlights.
The rest of the exterior design is largely unchanged, but Toyota is offering two new colour options, plus redesigned 17 or 18-inch wheels depending on the trim level. Inside, the cabin improvements are more subtle, with a few material upgrades that aim to lift the quality. This includes new SakuraTouch fabric inserts on Excel grade models we mentioned above.
Under the bonnet, Toyota’s well-proven 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain remains in its 129bhp form. This powertrain was heavily revised in 2024, reducing noise and vibrations. Performance isn’t the engine’s strong point, with a 10.7-second 0-62mph time, but efficiency is impressive – up to 64.1mpg is achieved on the official tests, depending on the specification.
This price point will put the Yaris Cross at the pointy end of the highly competitive small SUV class, with new ambitious Chinese rivals like the Jaecoo 5 and BYD Atto 2 matching the Toyota and its other legacy rivals on price, but offering extra standard kit and more powerful hybrid engines. However, Toyota’s reputation for reliability and strong residuals still creates a compelling buying proposition; its cars are also typically more pleasant to drive.
If you’re thinking of buying a supermini-based crossover like the Yaris Cross, Nissan Juke or Ford Puma, check out the latest deals on the Auto Express Buy a Car service…
