Introduction to the 2026 Toyota Aygo X hybrid
For the first time in its 20-year history, the Toyota Aygo is powered by a hybrid powertrain. Called the Aygo X since 2022 - when the diminutive city hatch morphed into a crossover-like shape - the latest version comes with a raft of other updates, including a fresh look outside and in, upgraded safety and technology features and the option of a GR Sport model with actual chassis tweaks.
Pros & cons of the 2026 Toyota Aygo X hybrid
Pros: Performance, efficiency and refinement
Cons: No fabric roof for Ireland
Exterior & design of the 2026 Toyota Aygo X hybrid
• Longer nose to accommodate bigger powertrain
• Two-tone finish on higher-spec models
• Distinctive GR Sport specification
Toyota enacted a highly effective facelift on the Aygo X without spending a fortune on loads of new body panels. Obviously, the front end is where all the budget went, giving the car a much more modern appearance. It was necessary to add some length to the nose to accommodate the larger engine, but the end result is appealing, and the car's original short-overhang, wheel-at-each-corner look is intact.
A further benefit is a reduction in aerodynamic drag. That, and other aero tweaks to the shape, have resulted in a 1.3g/km CO2 reduction according to Toyota's engineers.
The Aygo X is vaguely crossover-like in terms of style, with generous ground clearance and a rising waistline. The exaggerated black cladding around the wheelarches and around the lower section of the car also reference SUVs of course.
The Aygo X's dimensions are:
Length: 3,776mm
Width: 1,740mm
Height: 1,525mm
Wheelbase: 2,430mm
How much black there is depends on which version you go for. The GR Sport model, for example, gets a daring black bonnet, unique grille and alloy wheels, to go along with the all-black rear end that can be had with other trim levels.
The rear hatch is one smooth piece of glass graded from clear to black and new designs of alloy wheels are fitted across the range as part of the update.
The eagle-eyed may spot there are five lug nuts holding the wheels on where previously there were four. That indicates the presence of stronger wheel hubs to cope with the extra weight and performance. There are disc brakes on the back as well, where before there were drums.
In terms of paint colours, there are some brave options, such as the 'Lavandula' hue pictured, while the 'Mustard' finish is unique to the GR Sport.
Interior, practicality, tech & comfort of the 2026 Toyota Aygo X hybrid
• Seats four as before
• Boot is also the same size
• Improved dashboard design
The GR Sport model gets special seats and steering wheel and other bits of trim to set it apart.
The standard car's steering wheel isn't quite as chunky or sporty as the GR Sport's, though it is still good to hold. Behind it you'll spot seven-inch digital instrumentation, which is a useful upgrade on what went before. Neatly, when using Google Maps through Apple CarPlay, directions can be displayed within the instruments.
Toyota did restyle the surround of the central infotainment, while also upgrading the system. In fact, all the wiring was redone, allowing for the introduction of the latest safety and technology systems. Pictured here is the top-spec 10.5-inch touchscreen which is only available on the GR Sport in Ireland. The other models get a 9.0-inch alternative. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are part of the system.
Thankfully Toyota sticks with physical controls for the heating and ventilation - and all that switchgear was updated, as was the possibility to have dual-zone climate control (only on the GR Sport). Meanwhile, in the centre console, there are two USB-C ports, along with a wireless phone charger for the top two grades.
Access to the two rear seats (note: not three) is via tiny doors with pop-out windows. There are ISOFIX points in the back, though in reality you'd have to slide the passenger seat quite far forward to accommodate a bulky rear-facing child seat.
Impressively, Toyota's engineers managed to package the Yaris's hybrid system into the Aygo X without reducing the boot volume. It stands at 231 litres.
Performance of the 2026 Toyota Aygo X hybrid
• Far more performance than old car
• Much quieter and more refined
• GR Sport has upgraded chassis
Driving the 2026 Toyota Aygo X in Berlin – Shane O' Donoghue
The addition of a hybrid system transformed the Aygo X. It always drove well enough in terms of ride, handling and comfort, but the old naturally aspirated petrol engine made it feel underwhelming in the performance department.
Not that it's suddenly an exciting and sporty car, but it has a lot more get up and go. Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine, mated with a powerful electric motor to drive the front wheels via an electronically controlled 'CVT' gearbox. This is exactly the same hybrid system as found in the Toyota Yaris and Yaris Cross.
The Aygo X gets a traditional drive selector in the centre console, with an additional “B” mode for higher levels of brake energy regeneration.
Peak power is quoted as 116hp, a massive 44hp (or 61 per cent) more than the old, non-hybrid car could muster. But you rarely need to keep your foot all the way down in a search for that power as there's oodles of torque on tap. The peak number of 141Nm is that produced by the electric motor from a standstill, so no wonder the new car is some five seconds quicker to 100km/h from rest - despite a 140kg weight increase.
As the powertrain can rely on the electric motor so much - especially at lower speeds - the Aygo X is now much quieter to drive than before, too. It comes with the usual Toyota hybrid ability to spend a lot of its urban driving time on electric power, plus it comes with an “EV mode” button to maximise that, so long as there is charge in the relatively small hybrid battery pack.
There are Eco, Normal and Power driving modes to choose from, altering throttle response as you'd expect from their names. The engine is more obvious in its continuous operation in the Power setting for maximum responsiveness, though in any of the modes it's a far more satisfying car to drive than before.
In fact, despite the weight increase, Toyota says that the Aygo X's centre of gravity has been lowered by four centimetres. That undoubtedly enhances the driving dynamics, as difficult as it may be to discern in isolation.
Beefier brakes are fitted across the Aygo X range, meaning no loss in braking distance from the increase in weight. The pedal feel was also improved.
Driving the 2026 Toyota Aygo X GR Sport in Florence - Matt Robinson
Rather surprisingly, for what is ostensibly a city-focused crossover, the top-spec GR Sport gains its own state of suspension tune that differentiates it from the rest of the Aygo X family.
Both the springs and the dampers have been tuned for what Toyota calls "sharper driving dynamics”, while a thicker anti-roll bar is used up front. These features key in with a specific state of tune for the electric power steering to tauten up its responses, as well as the biggest contact patches of any Aygo X as the GR Sport runs on 18-inch alloys as standard, meaning bigger tyres.
All of these changes add up to an undoubtedly better drive than the regular cars, if you're a keen driver, but they're not what you'd call profoundly transformative. It still feels like you'd be picking the GR Sport more for the way it looks, inside and out (in the latter instance, with all that black on it), rather than what it offers dynamically.
Nevertheless, it does lean less as you turn it into corners, where the front anti-roll bar and crisper steering bless it with an extra degree of keenness to bite into the bend than its stablemates, and then it can grip harder so that you're exiting onto the next straight at a slightly higher speed than you otherwise would be in a regular Aygo.
Yet the problem is that, while this 1.5-litre Toyota drivetrain is one of our preferred systems on the automotive scene which uses a form of CVT (the 'e-CVT' is a planetary gearset, in truth, but it works very much like a CVT in operation), the Aygo X GR Sport still does that strange lowing noise as it revs out high and then holds the strained note for a good few seconds.
So driving it swiftly on a challenging road becomes a balance between how much you want to utilise its marginally superior handling versus listening to the engine revving a little too much for entire seconds at a time.
Luckily, the GR Sport treatment does not ruin the other side of the Aygo X's character, so it's really no less comfortable nor refined when you're just ambling along in it or simply pottering through town at low pace.
It's just as good at riding the lumps and bumps in the road surface with a surprising degree of dignity for something so small, light and short of wheelbase, and the cabin remains suitably quiet and refined - even at motorway speeds.
It's a good little car, the Aygo X GR Sport, and the increased power across the range certainly benefits a sportier chassis - lopping almost six seconds off its 0-100km/h time, now standing at 9.2 seconds instead of 14.9 as before, is a remarkable level of performance increase for such an everyday vehicle like this.
And we're also appreciative that Toyota went to the effort of making the GR Sport feel suitably different to the rest of the range, rather than it being just a pure styling exercise.
But despite all that, it doesn't do quite enough to justify the extra expense of buying it, so we'd stick with one of the regular models for the best all-round Aygo X experience.
Running costs of the 2026 Toyota Aygo X hybrid
• Incredibly low fuel consumption
• Very low motor tax due to emissions
• Hybrid system is proven already
While the performance and civility of the hybrid system will undoubtedly endear it to buyers, they'll also discover a marked improvement in terms of efficiency. That's reflected in the 85g/km CO2 rating, which Toyota reckons is the lowest of any car on sale that doesn't plug in.
It means low motor tax of course, and CO2 output is directly related to the amount of fuel being consumed. Toyota quotes an outstanding 3.7 litres/100km on the official WLTP cycle. In our test drive, we managed 3.2 litres/100km after a few hours of driving. Admittedly, the speed limits were low for the most part and there were precious few hills, but that's still a highly impressive figure, meaning the Aygo X will cost very little on fuel.
Toyota's hybrid system is well-proven, so it should prove reliable in the Aygo X, too. And anyway, the firm's warranty is one of the best in the business. Called Relax, when you service your car with Toyota, the warranty is extended for 12 months. This can be done for up to 10 years or 185,000km.
Irish pricing & rivals of the 2026 Toyota Aygo X hybrid
• Arrives in Ireland in early 2026
• Priced from €24,195
• No other full hybrid in the segment
On 16 October 2025 Toyota Ireland confirmed that the new Aygo X will cost from €24,195 for the Pulse version, rising to €26,195 for the Aygo X Design.
Irish buyers won't have the option of the fabric folding roof shown in some pictures, unfortunately, but the GR Sport variant will be offered, priced from €30,195.
There are no full-hybrid cars in the city car A-segment, never mind cars masquerading as crossovers as the Aygo X is, so it's not easy to find many direct rivals. Some cars in the class above are likely to compete on price - for example the Renault Clio and MG3 - while buyers are also likely to be considering small EVs such as the Hyundai Inster and BYD Dolphin Surf.
Verdict - should you buy the 2026 Toyota Aygo X hybrid?
We reckon Toyota's biggest problem with the new Aygo X will be keeping potential Yaris and Yaris Cross buyers out of it. Sure, it's smaller than both of those, but it looks good, has the same excellent hybrid system and is even more affordable. It's a far superior car than its predecessor, that's for sure.
FAQs about the 2026 Toyota Aygo X hybrid
Is there still a non-hybrid Aygo X?
No. The old 1.0-litre petrol engine is no more, and the new Aygo X will only be available with the hybrid powertrain and an automatic transmission.
Will a baby seat fit in the Toyota Aygo X?
Though the Aygo X has two ISOFIX points in the back, it won't be easy to fit two adults up front and two rear-facing child seats in the rear. There's always the option of sliding the passenger seat fully forward and mounting a baby seat behind though.
Want to know more about the Toyota Aygo X?
Is there anything else you'd like to know about the Toyota Aygo X? Or anything you feel we haven't covered here? Then just head over to our Ask Us Anything section and, well, ask us anything. We'll do our best to answer your questions.
