Styling
Most of the aesthetic work with the new Aygo X has taken place at the front end, primarily as a direct consequence of slotting a combustion engine with 50 per cent more swept capacity than the preceding 1.0-litre normally aspirated triple into the conk of the tiny Toyota. The car remains minuscule - less than 3.8 metres from tip to tail - but it has grown in length by 76mm and all of that extra metal is in the front overhang; the wheelbase is the same 2,430mm as it was before.
This necessitates quite different styling for the hawkish headlights and a larger 'double-trapezoid' grille, with the overall effect rather eye-catching and far less cutesy than the smoothed-off look of the old model. Beyond that, not much else about the Aygo X has changed, but the car we're testing (and which you can see in the pictures here) is the new GR Sport specification, which gets its own design of the larger-sized 18-inch alloys (only the base Icon derivative runs 17s as standard), some additional badgework, an exclusive Mustard body colour (all the paint finishes for the Toyota are named after herbs, aromatics and spices, with other options including Cinnamon, Tarragon, Jasmine and Lavandula), and a greater amount of black-contrast detailing - whereas the black roof and body pillars are available on other models, only the black bonnet is available to the GR Sport. Mind, it can't have the folding fabric roof, which is reserved as a cost-option for the next grade down the tree (Excel).
Interior
For the broader Aygo X range, the updates within amount to a bigger seven-inch digital instrument cluster, replacing the old 4.3-inch unit, as well as a refreshed heater-control panel and a different centre console to accommodate the new electronic parking brake; due to its hybrid powertrain, the small Toyota is auto-only nowadays, whereas a five-speed manual was available on the old model.
For the GR Sport, there's additionally a grey-and-black colour scheme with piano-black interior trim, grey accents, GR logos abounding, and front seats which combine SakuraTouch and Dinamica materials with a grey Samara stripe on the side bolsters. It's a quality little cabin and what we also like is that, as a proper Toyota-developed product, it's ergonomically correct - for instance, turning the heated seats on and off (in Aygo X models with them fitted) is the split-second matter of pressing a dedicated, physical button for each front chair, with said switches down on the centre stack. This process is
infinitely preferable to having to frustratedly tap away multiple times at a touchscreen to do precisely the same job, as seen in
another new product from (but not principally developed by) the Japanese outfit.
Practicality
As a car measuring only 3,776mm long overall, you have to accept the Toyota Aygo X isn't going to be ridiculously capacious. It does the best with what it has, with the second-row seating sort of acceptable in accommodation for either adults of average height or, more appropriately, children, but legroom remains at a premium back there. The boot, similarly, is only 231 litres below one of the flimsiest luggage load-covers you'll see in the entire automotive industry, but fold the 50:50-split rear seatbacks down and up to 829 litres of space becomes available. Intelligently, Toyota hasn't even tried to pretend the back bench of the Aygo X could ever take three people across its width, so there are only two three-point seatbelts back there - this car is a strict four-seater. Oh, and don't forget it has pop-out three-quarter-light-type windows in the second row, rather than proper roll-down affairs.
Performance
Few cars in history, not even dedicated performance models, have seen a percentage power increase like the one Toyota has blessed the Aygo X with as part of this facelift. The switch from a normally aspirated 1.0-litre non-hybrid powertrain to this 1.5-litre set-up has taken peak outputs to 116hp and 141Nm.
Now, those numbers on their own might not seem massive, but given the Toyota had just 72hp and 93Nm to play with previously, you're talking about a hike in power of 44hp (representing a colossal 61 per cent) while torque has climbed 48Nm (51.6 per cent). And because the Aygo X Hybrid still only weighs around 1.1 tonnes, the increase in straight-line go is quite remarkable. Whereas the old car took 14.8 seconds to crawl from 0-62mph as a CVT (14.9 seconds for the manual), the new one does the sprint in 9.2 seconds. That's more than five-and-a-half seconds swifter.
The on-paper improvements are as nothing compared to the entirely subjective feel of the Aygo X out on the roads. No longer do you have to spend a fortnight planning two-way-road overtakes in the Toyota crossover, as the new strength of the X is undeniable. It'll do 50-75mph in 7.4 seconds, speaking volumes about how much more urgent and responsive it is in the midrange. It has clearly been a great decision to hybridise the Aygo X.
You also get a 'best of both worlds' upgrade, in essence, because despite all its additional power and torque, this model is cleaner and more efficient than its immediate predecessor. Indeed, Toyota says it is the cleanest non-plug-in vehicle on sale from any car manufacturer in the world right now, with a CO
2 figure of just 87g/km for the Aygo X, while its claimed combined economy figure has risen from just shy of 60mpg before to a quoted peak of 76.4mpg. Admittedly, we saw more like 50mpg while thrashing a GR Sport around some twistier Tuscan roads to the south of Florence, but a later, gentler drive in an Excel model yielded a far more impressive 67.3mpg, which is a lot more like it.
If there's any criticism of the Aygo X Hybrid's powers of stopping and going, it relates to the electronic continuously variable transmission (e-CVT). Toyota might append the dreaded three letters 'CVT' to this gearbox but it's actually a planetary gearset, although it works much like a traditional CVT in operation. So while Toyota has done a decent job of tailoring its linearity of response to large throttle inputs, there are times when you're driving the Aygo X GR Sport enthusiastically where you get the 'mooing' of the 1.5-litre engine revving right out and then holding a note for seconds at a time. It's not terrible or unbearable by any means, but it does just take the edge off a spirited run in the Toyota crossover.
Ride & Handling
You might think it odd of us to be talking about enthusiastic driving in an Aygo X Hybrid and consider such a thing an irrelevance in what is supposed to be a value, A-segment runaround. However, Toyota hasn't just made the GR Sport version look racier inside and out: instead, it has tuned the suspension to provide a sharper drive in the range-topping specification.
And as the Aygo X always had a nicely sorted chassis, this is most enjoyable news. The specifics of the GR Sport are that it has its own firmer set of springs and dampers, as well as a thicker front anti-roll bar and recalibrated power steering to match the equal-widest possible contact patches you'll find on any X model, courtesy of the 18-inch wheels.
Admittedly, the difference between the GR Sport variant and a soft-topped Excel is hardly night-and-day, but you'll subtly note that the GR is that bit keener to get turned into a corner, while its small and lightweight shell rolls less when you load up the springs. The steering also has a little weight to it and a trace of feedback too, so you can hustle this small car with a good degree of certainty that it's going to do what you ask of it when you're chucking the vehicle about on a twisting road.
Thankfully, opting for a GR Sport doesn't spoil the ride and rolling refinement of the Toyota, for which the company has worked hard to make the Aygo X more comfortable, as a result of being quieter at speed. Increased sound-deadening and an acoustic-glass windscreen on higher-grade cars does make this crossover feel grown-up and assured, while the ride comfort from town pace up to motorway speeds is surprisingly adept - a most desirable trait in something so light and short of wheelbase.
Well, the GR doesn't sacrifice all of that for its supposed added dynamicism, while with its fixed roof it doesn't have some of the noise cavitation that can afflict the soft-topped Excel when it's travelling through tunnels and high-walled underpasses; any audible road noise seeps into the cabin primarily through the fabric roof, rather than up through the floor of the Toyota. In general, the GR Sport is our preferred specification for the improved Aygo X, as it makes the most sense with the newly enhanced hybrid drivetrain.
Value
The worst aspect of the 2026MY Toyota Aygo X is that the hybrid set-up, along with the change in the financial landscape in the mid-2020s, means that it looks a lot more pricey than it was when launched in late 2021. Back then, every model was less than £20,000; now, they're all the wrong side of that threshold.
The four-strong spec range of Icon, Design, Excel and then GR Sport begins at £21,595 and runs £23,695, £26,045 and, finally, £26,895 accordingly. Toyota UK counters this dear-looking array with two points: one, there's a good level of standard spec on even an Aygo X Hybrid Icon, with the kit count getting more generous from thereon in; and two, no one actually drops £21.5-£27k on a car in one hit, so the 36-month PCP deal at 2.9 per cent APR, complete with a £2,000 deposit contribution, is of more relevance to interested customers.
Perhaps more pertinently putting the car into a contextual framework, the bigger
Yaris Cross with the same 116hp drivetrain kicks off at £27,145 as at the time of writing, so all versions of the Aygo X are less money than it is. Whether you can live with the space compromises the ultra-compact Toyota brings will therefore be the key point as to whether you think the pricing is acceptable or not.
Verdict
We liked the Toyota Aygo X previously, with its 1.0-litre engine, although we have a very vivid memory of driving that car at its international launch on some steep roads outside Barcelona, and going uphill with the throttle welded to the floor with the car in second - and no extra acceleration was forthcoming whatsoever. So the welcome and chunky uplifts in both power and torque have unquestionably made this stylish city runaround much better, although it's also notably more expensive too. Still, there's not much choice in the city-car segment these days, yet the revised Aygo X Hybrid is one of the finest options available to buyers of such machines.
