MODEL ON TEST: GR SPORT 1.5 VVT-i HYBRID – MILEAGE – 12,258

Given how flawless Terry the Toyota has been over the past seven months or so, we’re delighted that we’re running it for a little bit longer than planned. But we’re also pleased because our goodbye piece can be put on hold. What cannot wait, however, and what will be top of the priority list for the month ahead will be to have the Yaris Cross serviced at my local dealer. This would have happened when the car went back ‘home’, but with that kicked down the road and a service reminder appearing on the dashboard, we need to get the first stamp in the book before further adventures.

Putting the future to one side, this past month has been uneventful, with one exception. You may have read one of our recent reports, a back-to-back comparison between the Yaris Cross and a first-generation Yaris with little more than 800 miles on the odometer. It gave us a chance to see how far the Yaris nameplate has come in nearly three decades, and if there were any common threads between the two. Recently we were able to pilot yet another economical Toyota, but this time with a few more than 800 miles.

Once a year, many of us haggard automotive scribblers – including some who grace other pages in this magazine – head to a place called Millbrook Proving Ground for the annual Society
of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Test Day. It’s a chance for media to meet manufacturer representatives and drive their cars, for them to smile and pretend they remember who you are, and for both parties to be soaked by heavy rain or torched by the sun. On the eBay Parts and Accessories stand, they had a 2014 Toyota Prius with – brace yourselves – 294,000 miles under its belt.

A former taxi, parts from across eBay were used to take a high mileage hero and restore it to its former glory. But it wasn’t a complete restoration, more a glow-up.Truth be told, it didn’t take much to get this Prius to a very good standard either.The car itself was £3,790 and the parts another £1,865.14, of which nearly £650 was new tyres and brakes. So, having driven an 800-mile Yaris, how does a near-300,000-mile Prius feel? Surprisingly good is the honest answer. The ride was remarkably composed and the steering light,but not too vague. The engine, meanwhile, didn’t feel completely knackered, which isn’t what I was expecting at all. Perhaps I’ve driven too many shonky cars over the years, but you’d have thought any car that had driven more than the equivalent distance of the Earth to the Moon would feel tired. But that wasn’t the case, which goes to show how good, regular maintenance makes all the difference.

The interior felt dated, and understandably the infotainment screen’s resolution is nowhere near
that of the Yaris Cross’, for example. The physical buttons scattered far and wide across the centre console and dashboard also ages the cabin, as those in the Yaris Cross, for example, are much more tightly grouped together. What was nice after my short back-to-back drive was to ponder on whether the Yaris Cross could, with some care, still be pootling around in another 280,000 miles or so. We drive so many different cars in our line of work, and I sometimes wonder if the vehicles I’ve experienced over the last 15 years are still out there. I think about where they might have been, who’s enjoying them, if I may even have driven past them without realising. Who will be the Yaris Cross’ next custodian, and where will they take it?

I’m looking forward to the next two months with the Yaris Cross, but I’m also curious about the life it’ll have after we’ve handed back the keys. Who knows, maybe it’ll cover nearly 300,000 miles, too.

SEÁN WARD

WHAT’S HOT: The physical buttons on the dashboard aren’t cluttered.

WHAT’S NOT: We need to get Terry serviced. Time to save up my pennies!

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL OF OUR LONG-TERM REPORTS ON THE TOYOTA YARIS CROSS

FACTS & FIGURES

ARRIVED: 14th November 2025

PRICE WHEN NEW: £32,245

PRICE AS TESTED: £32,245

ECONOMY: 58.8mpg (official WLTP)55.2mpg (on test)

COSTS: None

FAULTS: None