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Described in vehicle reviews as fun and lovable, sub-compact car lovers adore the Toyota Yaris, yet despite that, the venerable manufacturer ceased production of its popular entry-level vehicle in 2020. Available as a hatchback or sedan, the Yaris became the hero of recent college graduates because of its jaunty design and tiny sticker price. You could ride five adults in the roomy four-door sedan or hatchback that cost less than $18,000.
Sure, you could pick up a used Yaris. You’d save even more money, but buying a new car holds a certain cache, especially to those who tossed their mortarboard hat high and entered the adult world. Let us help.
We considered all available vehicle models to locate the closest possible matches for the Yaris. The list includes both hatchbacks and sedans. We endeavored to remain as close as possible to the impressively low sticker price of the Toyota Yaris 2020 base model – $17,750.
The Yaris earns 32 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. This typically results in an average of 36 mpg.
Toyota offered just two trims beyond the base model – the LE and XLE. The XLE only added $1,000 to the price. Its 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine produces 106 horsepower and 103 lb-ft of torque. It can tow 1,212.5 to 1984.2 pounds (500 to 900 kg). The Yaris can accelerate from 0 to 60 mpg in 9.4 seconds.
You can find alternatives to the Toyota Yaris. Let us help you get started with a quick list of our favorites, starting with our top three, then providing the runners-ups.
Alternative 1: Chevrolet Spark
The Spark trounces the Yaris in price, starting at just $13,600. You can apply the extra $5,000 to full-coverage insurance. Spark loses the fuel efficiency contest, but only by a smidge. Chevy’s sub-compact earns ratings of 30 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway, for a combined average of 34 mpg.
Why It’s Similar to the Yaris
The Spark offers the budget-minded set with a cute, reliable car that provides cargo space for road trips and great gas mileage. The hatchback offers 27.2 cubic feet of cargo space. Like the Yaris, it uses a small engine with little power, but it provides the zip you need to commute effortlessly.
Vehicle Design Observations
Unlike the Toyota Yaris, the Chevy Spark comes in four trims – LS, 1LT, Activ, and 2LT. The premium level trims offer heated seats and leatherette interiors yet add about $5,000 to the price. Choose from 10 bright, happy colors that let you express your personality.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 9.2 to 15.4 seconds
Horsepower: 98 hp
Torque: 94 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $13,600
Seating Capacity: Four
Fuel Efficiency: 24 mpg in the city/34 mpg on the highway
Towing Capacity: up to 1,500 pounds
Alternative 2: Mitsubishi Mirage
Mitsubishi also offers a competitor in the sub-compact class that also starts at a price of less than $15,000. Car & Driver didn’t sing its praises due to its underpowered engine, but Edmunds, which relies on vehicle owners for its reviews, provided the Mirage a perfect score of 5/5. Commuters in need of a reasonably priced vehicle that performs reliably love this auto.
Why It’s Similar to the Yaris
The Yaris and Mirage provide an affordable sticker price and use similar sedan and hatchback body styles. The Mirage offers nearly comparable fuel efficiency. Both sedans seat five.
Vehicle Design Observations
Like the other two entries so far, you get an underpowered engine. Its 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine might feel like you’re driving a lawnmower, but do you need more than 78 horsepower and 74 lb-ft of torque to commute? Run errands? The Mirage can rival many SUVs with its folding cargo area.
With all of the seats in use, the Mirage offers 17.1 cubic feet of cargo space, but its design lets you fold down the rear seats, carving out 47 cubic feet of cargo space. You reduce the seating to two individuals though. Choose from five trims – ES Manual, ES CVT, LE, Black Edition, and SE.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 12 seconds
Horsepower: 78 hp
Torque: 74 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $14,645
Seating Capacity: Five
Fuel Efficiency: 36 mpg in the city/43 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: pounds
Alternative 3: Kia Rio
You’ll pay a little more for the jaunty Kia Rio since it starts at $16,250. You’ll also make gains in engine power, however slight. You can only nab this spunky ride in a CVT, but as long as you don’t want to shift gears, you can own a lot of car for a little price.
The Rio comes close to the looks of the Toyota Yaris, plus it provides more pep.
Why It’s Similar to the Yaris
In body styles and seating, the two vehicles prove similar. Both come as a sedan or hatchback and both seat five passengers comfortably. The Kia, like the Yaris, only offers two trims.
Vehicle Design Observations
The Kia offers similar fuel efficiency to the Yaris, getting 33 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. The combined gas mileage is 36 mpg. It uses a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that provides improved towing capacity, horsepower, and torque.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 8.6 seconds
Horsepower: 120 hp
Torque: 112 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $16,250
Seating Capacity: Five
Fuel Efficiency: 33 mpg in the city/41 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: 1,763 pounds (800 kg)
Runners Up to the Top Three
If you didn’t find the next car of your dreams in the top three vehicle alternatives to the Toyota Yaris, keep reading. We located other Toyota Yaris alternatives, too.
4. Nissan Versa
Nissan outdoes the Yaris on the engine and nearly matches its price with a starting sticker price of $15,180. The Versa earns similar gas mileage of 32 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway. Like the Kia, it uses a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 122 horsepower and 114-pound feet of torque.
Choose from CVT or five-speed transmission. You still won’t win drag races, but the Versa has a bit more pep than most of its competitors, coming off the line moderately to log 8.5 seconds for 0 to 60 mph time. Its sedan or hatchback option seats five. You will lose a bit of cargo space with the Versa, which offers 14.7 to 15 cubic feet of luggage/grocery space.
5. Hyundai Accent
The Hyundai Accent costs just $16,645 but offers approximately the cargo space of the Nissan Versa. Otherwise, the Accent stacks up against any of the competitors. It earns 33 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway.
The sedan’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine produces 120 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. The Korean manufacturer offers trim levels on its sedan – SE, SEL, and Limited. All of them offer a tiny 13.7 cubic feet of cargo space and CVT.
6. Hyundai Elantra
Yes, you get two entries in a row from the dependable Korean automaker because it managed to offer two options under $20,000 similar to the Yaris. The Hyundai Elantra costs just $19,850 but offers many more options for configuration. Choose from a seven-speed automatic, CVT, or six-speed manual in this sedan that seats five individuals.
It still comes with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, but you can choose a higher trim to drive home a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The base model engine produces 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. The sedan offers five trims – SE, SEL, N Line Manual, N Line Automatic, and Limited.
It earns 33 mpg in the city and 43 mpg on the highway. You won’t get a huge trunk for cargo space with the Elantra. It provides 14.2 cubic feet of cargo space, so you’ll need a roof rack if you want to take a lot of luggage on vacation.
7. MINICooper
Despite its adorable appearance and responsive driving, we’ve ranked the MINICooper last. This United Kingdom import adds thousands to its sticker price over the other choices, plus its mediocre fuel efficiency provides a big minus. Its starting price of $22,900 vaults it $7,000 to $9,000 above its the competition.
You’ll spend more at the pump, too, since it earns 23 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. That’s 27.5 combined. The UK import does offer an upscale interior. You can choose from ten trims, most of which require a manual transmission.
You’ll only find one option for an automatic – the John Cooper Works FWD trim. Although it seats five, you’ll find a teeny cargo area, similar to the Versa. The Cooper uses a slightly more powerful engine than the Yaris – a 1.5-liter three-cylinder that produces 134 horsepower and 162-pound feet of torque.
It comes off the line quickest of the sub-compacts, turning in a 0 to 60 mph time of 7.6 seconds.