Toyota's supermini is super-economical

Yaris Excel dials down fuel consumption in style, writes Julie Marshall

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The latest version of Toyota's cracking little Yaris supermini is perfect for anyone who puts fuel economy and reliability at the top of their list of essentials.

As a full hybrid, it can run on electrical power alone for a short stretch with the petrol engine kicking in as required.

The result is an mpg pushing 70, and that's no idle boast on behalf of the manufacturers.

We got close to that figure throughout the week we had it on test - and that was without particularly trying to be frugal.

This three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol hybrid is the only powertrain available to the Yaris, but it is so good that there is no need for any others.

There are two versions: a 114bhp and a 128bhp - we drove the more powerful of the two and were mightily impressed.