The 2017 Toyota Yaris has an almost-perfect predicted reliability rating and good crash test scores, but its underpowered engine, poor handling, and stiff seats keep it from ranking higher than midpack among subcompact cars.
The 2017 Toyota Yaris's #9 ranking is based on its score within the 2017 Subcompact Cars category. Currently the Toyota Yaris has a score of 7.7 out of 10, which is based on our evaluation of 44 pieces of research and data elements using various sources.
The 2017 Yaris is just an average used subcompact car. It boasts an attractive interior with soft-touch surfaces and user-friendly features like a standard touch-screen display. However, the Yaris’ lightly padded seats quickly become uncomfortable. Additionally, both the standard five-speed manual transmission and the available four-speed automatic hamper acceleration, and neither shifts well.
We do not base our used car rankings and reviews on our personal opinions. Instead, we collect information like safety and reliability reports, total cost of ownership estimates, and the views of the automotive press. We analyzed 44 professional evaluations for this 2017 Toyota Yaris review to help you make an informed buying decision.
Our experienced team of writers, editors, and analysts has been ranking and reviewing the best cars, trucks, crossovers, and SUVs since 2007. We remain unbiased by refusing pricey gifts and trips from auto manufacturers and employing an independent agency to manage the advertising on our site.
There are more than 600 listings on our site for the 2017 Toyota Yaris. Prices start at $9,700 and top out at $16,000, with the average list price sitting at $12,600. Prices vary depending on the vehicle's condition, mileage, features, and location.
Five-year costs for gas, insurance, maintenance, and repairs for the 2017 Toyota Yaris are estimated to be $21,574. That’s average for the subcompact car segment.
The 2018 Toyota Yaris (MSRP: $15,635) has updated front and rear styling, as well as a newly standard rearview camera. Otherwise, it’s virtually identical to the 2017 model. Unless you love the cosmetic upgrades, stick with the 2017 Yaris to save some cash.
Read about the new Toyota Yaris »
You won't find a highly ranked new 2018 subcompact car for the average price of a 2017 Yaris. For a few hundred dollars more, however, you could consider a 2018 Chevrolet Spark ($13,050). Though it sits toward the bottom of our subcompact rankings, the Spark has a better standard infotainment system than the Yaris, with a larger touch screen that recognizes swiping and pinching and includes Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a built-in Wi-Fi hot spot. Both the Yaris and Spark, though, deliver similar levels of performance with comparable interior comfort.
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The Yaris has seen incremental upgrades since its last major redesign for the 2012 model year. The 2015 model received substantive improvements – a redesigned interior and exterior, a retuned suspension, and a newly standard touch-screen infotainment system. There were no major changes for 2016, but Toyota added standard forward collision and lane departure warning to the Yaris for 2017. If you can live without the active safety features found in the 2017 and 2018 models, go for the 2015 Yaris.
Compare the 2015, 2016, and 2017 Yaris »
The 2017 Toyota Yaris has an excellent predicted reliability rating of 4.5 out of five, according to J.D. Power.
Read more about Yaris reliability »
As of this writing, the 2017 Yaris has an open recall for a spare tire that may not be inflated to the proper pressure.
See more information on Toyota Yaris safety recalls »
The 2017 Yaris hatchback is available in two-door and four-door models and three trim levels: L, LE, and SE. The 2017 Toyota Yaris iA has a similar name, but it's a completely different car that we review separately.
The Yaris' base L trim has a 6.1-inch touch screen, a CD player, six speakers, a USB port, Bluetooth, and air conditioning. The LE trim adds remote keyless entry. The Yaris SE trim (four-door only) adds a leather-trimmed steering wheel, fog lights, and a sport-tuned suspension. Because higher trim levels add little, the Toyota Yaris L is the best choice for many buyers.
See 2017 Toyota Yaris trims and specs »
Toyota offers a certified pre-owned program for vehicles six years old or less and with fewer than 85,000 miles. Eligibility is determined by the vehicle’s initial sale date. Toyota provides a one-year/12,000-mile limited warranty on all its certified pre-owned vehicles, and it extends the original new-car powertrain warranty to seven years from the initial sale date or 100,000 miles. Each CPO Toyota must pass a 160-point inspection. Additional benefits like a CarFax vehicle history report, towing, and roadside assistance may be available, so read the Toyota warranty page carefully.
Toyota’s CPO program is about average for an affordable carmaker, according to our research. Hyundai and Kia both have better programs.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the 2017 four-door Yaris an overall safety rating of four out of five stars. It earned four stars in the frontal crash and rollover tests and five stars in the side crash test. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave it the top rating of Good in the moderate overlap front, side, rollover, and rear crash tests. The Yaris earned a Marginal rating – the second-lowest score – in the driver’s side small-overlap front crash test.
The Yaris comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense-C, which is a suite of driver assistance features that includes automatic emergency pre-collision braking, automatic high beams, and lane departure alert.
The 2017 Honda Fit is a more practical and utilitarian subcompact car than the 2017 Yaris. With up to 52.7 cubic feet, it has more overall cargo space than the Yaris. Additionally, it has a configurable rear seat that enables you to carry items of various sizes and shapes. The Fit features a more powerful engine than the Yaris, as well as a nicer interior with a standard rearview camera (which the Yaris doesn’t have). The Honda also has a higher safety rating. However, the Yaris does offer automatic emergency pre-collision braking, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning, which are unusual standard features in this segment. The Toyota also has a better standard infotainment system, which features a touch screen and redundant steering wheel controls. Both cars have above-average predicted reliability ratings. The Fit, though, has a more powerful engine, more practical cargo space, and a nicer overall interior, which make it the better choice unless active safety features are a priority for you.
The low-ranking 2017 Nissan Versa doesn’t compare well to the Yaris. The Versa's plastic-filled interior is a downgrade from the Yaris' cabin, which feature more soft-touch materials. While the Yaris comes standard with a 6.1-inch touch screen, a touch screen is only available in the top Versa trim. The Versa does earn better fuel economy estimates than the Yaris, but its continuously variable automatic transmission (which aids those fuel estimates) is noisy. Overall, the Yaris is the better choice.
Compare the Yaris, Fit, and Versa »
The front-wheel-drive 2017 Yaris has secure handling and a comfortable ride, but its performance is otherwise disappointing. A 106-horsepower four-cylinder engine powers the Yaris. It produces adequate acceleration for driving around town, but it struggles on the highway. Both transmissions are a letdown as well: The standard five-speed manual isn't very smooth and is hard to shift, and the four-speed automatic is outdated.
The base 2017 Yaris with a manual transmission earns an EPA-estimated 30 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, which are average numbers for the subcompact class. With the available automatic transmission, the Yaris gets 30/35 mpg city/highway.
Read more about Yaris performance »
The 2017 Yaris seats five on cloth upholstery. The front and rear seats have a decent amount of space for a subcompact car, though some note that headroom can be tight for taller people. Though fine for short rides, the seats could use more padding and get uncomfortable on longer trips.
The Yaris comes with two complete sets of LATCH car-seat systems on the rear outboard seats and a tether anchor on the rear middle seat. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety did not evaluate the LATCH system’s ease of use.
The Toyota Yaris comes with the Entune infotainment system, which includes a 6.1-inch touch screen, voice recognition, HD Radio, a USB port, and Bluetooth. Some models may feature a navigation system.
Read more about Yaris interior »
The two-door Yaris hatchback has 15.3 cubic feet of cargo space, and the four-door has 15.6 cubic feet. That's above average compared with sedans in the class but slightly less space than some hatchbacks offer.
The 2017 Yaris is just shy of 13 feet long. Its curb weight ranges from 2,315 to 2,335 pounds.
The 2017 Yaris was built in France.
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