Toyota is the make most associated with hybrids in Europe, and that head start translates directly to the used market: it is the fleet where non-plug-in hybrids are best represented and go back furthest.
As a direct consequence, it is also the only mainstream make whose used fleet is mostly petrol and largely fitted with automatic gearboxes.
The Yaris dominates the offer in the city-car segment, ahead of the Aygo in the shortest format and the C-HR among urban SUVs.
The Auris and Corolla cover the compact segment, as hatchbacks and as Touring Sports estates, and the RAV4 the family SUV segment.
The range also includes the Proace on the van side, sharing its underpinnings with the PSA equivalents.
The system pairs a petrol engine with an electric motor and a battery that recharges under braking: there is nothing to plug in, which is what separates it from a plug-in hybrid.
The gain is clearest in urban and suburban traffic, where the electric motor takes over at low speed. On the motorway at steady speed the advantage narrows markedly.
The transmission is continuously variable, with no fixed ratios. It is very smooth but produces a flaring effect under hard acceleration that some drivers dislike: worth a test drive.
On a hybrid, ask for a state-of-health diagnosis of the traction battery. Replacing it is expensive and its condition cannot be inferred from the mileage.
Brakes generally wear more slowly on these cars thanks to energy recovery, which can instead encourage disc corrosion on a little-used car: worth checking.
Check that services were carried out at the prescribed intervals, since the manufacturer's battery warranty is often conditional on that record.
A used Toyota car suits regular urban and suburban use with no way to charge at home, which is exactly the profile where a plain hybrid gives the most.
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