The Aygo X – Small but perfectly formed

It seemed fitting to pick up a Toyota on the Monday after the Japanese constructor had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the sixth time in their history. Nick de Vries enjoyed the greatest day of his career, whereas Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway added a second win to their tally, having previously won together back in 2021.

Since I am mentioning motorsport, it is worth pointing out Toyota is also easily leading the 2026 World Rally Championship, having won seven out of the eight events already completed at the time of writing. These guys do love racing. And they do love cars. Crucially for us, they want to build good ones and, happily, that is something they usually tend to do.

Much like the last car on these pages, the Citroën C5 Aircross, the Toyota Aygo X is my kind of car for one simple reason: it is built for a very specific purpose. The Aygo’s whole raison d’être is being small. Quite the rare trait these days, when everything has gotten so big it’s hard to even find a decent parking space.

The Aygo X is the second generation of the Aygo, which first began life as a joint venture between Toyota, Peugeot and Citroën from 2005 to 2014, spawning the original model, the 107 and the C1, respectively. The French left the Japanese alone at the end of that first life cycle, having not replaced their smallest cars.

Toyota, on the other hand, persevered, and the Aygo X is now almost in a class of one, all things considered. Facelifted for the 2026 model-year, it is better than ever and a very easy car to like.

It now comes with the hybrid system of the bigger Toyota Yaris and, when you pair such an efficient propulsion system with a tiny car, the results are, well, tremendous. I never saw more than 3.9l/100km in all my days with the Aygo. 3.9 litres! That’s almost motorbike levels of efficiency with seating for four and a small bit of luggage space.

The introduction of the hybrid powertrain brought a necessary 76mm increase in overall length to 3,776m, but this is still a toy compared with all the gigantic SUVs we cross paths with on the road every day.

There is a new, more modern front-end design (does it look like the Lexus LBX or is it just me?) and loads of equipment, including a few things not often seen in such a diminutive vehicle.

The Toyota tips the scales at 1,100kg, gaining 125kg compared to the pre-facelift version. With a 1.5 litre, 116 horsepower lump under the bonnet (instead of the old 1.0), and all the electric gizmos, the Aygo X is roughly 300kg lighter than an equivalent pure electric competitor.

I drove the top-of-the-line GR Sport trim level, with a contrasting bonnet, more aggressive front bumper, unique alloys and specific suspension tuning. I am guessing it drives better than the non-GR versions with these changes.

All I can say is, it does drive pretty well. Very controlled in its body movements without ever being uncomfortable, and capable of offering long-distance journeys with considerable refinement. It corners with aplomb and even seems to like to be hustled into bends.

The fact it’s so small is a big plus as it’s very enjoyable at city speeds. There is some feel in the steering, as there is in the brakes, something I was pleasantly surprised with.

The Aygo X is a real pleasure to use. Obviously, efficiency is king and, as I mentioned, it’s easy to keep the average fuel consumption below 4l/100km. That means that, with just the 30 litres of petrol the tank can hold, you can do almost 800km in the real world. That is amazing and makes this a real rival, in terms of actual running costs, to a small EV.

Inside, you get a 10.5-inch display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a new, full digital display. The GR trim also comes with a wireless charging pad. The ADAS systems are as intrusive as you would expect, but, thankfully, there are physical buttons on the steering wheel to turn them off.

Too good to be true? Well, yes, I am afraid. At least here, in this fiscally demented country. You see, because the Aygo went from a 1.0 litre engine to a 1.5, car tax went up €2,000 – although this car is much more eco-friendly than before. At €22,000 in entry-level trim, it is just €2,000 euros shy of the Yaris and thus a more difficult proposition to recommend in rational terms. The GR Sport costs €28,000 (yikes).

Still, what a great little thing. I really, really liked it. If I was in the market, didn’t need the space in the back and the bigger boot of the Yaris, I would always prefer to have an Aygo X in my life. It’s way cooler, better to drive and a lot more fun.

Read more from Guilherme Marques about motoring: Citroën C5 Aircross – Family-friendly

MOTOR TRADE | Business, Services, Marketplace – CLICK HERE