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Hi Mick,

The official fuel consumption for a 1.4 D-4D diesel Toyota Corolla is 4.1 litres per 100km, or 68.8mpg. That would suggest that you should see 50-55mpg in normal, daily driving.

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Hi Jean,

The Niro isn’t a bad car at all, and is certainly very frugal, although if you’re replacing a Corolla Verso you’re going to find that it’s much less roomy and less versatile inside. As for PCP, it’s a great idea for getting cheap finance and a low monthly repayment rate, but to make it work properly you really need to be committed to the idea of buying another new car in three years’ time. If not, then you could be better off with either a Hire Purchase agreement, or an old-fashioned bank loan.

Read our review of the Kia Niro here

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Hi Jonathan,

Assuming it's the 1.4 VVTi petrol model then you'll pay €385 a year to tax it. As for problems? Not many - the Corolla is spectacularly rugged so, as long as it has a full service history, we wouldn't expect any major problems. Fuel economy should work out at about 40-45mpg depending on how you drive it. 

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Hi Jerry,

I think you’d probably be better off with the petrol in this case. You’re in something of an uncomfortable middle ground with that kind of annual mileage, but being as that Toyota 1.33-litre engine is super-economical for a small petrol unit, I think it’s the right one to go for.

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Hi Cathal,

The Qashqai would be a reliable car in general terms, although they do tend to suffer from sagging suspension and occasional turbocharger failure on the diesel model. The engine management system can also go awry. The Corolla is perhaps not as perfectly reliable as is sometimes painted, but overall I’d expect it to be a little more reliable than the Nissan. 

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Hi Cathal,

That model has a timing belt, and it has to be changed every 100,000km or seven years. It’s a hugely reliable car though, easily the equal of its little brother, the Corolla.

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Hi Cathal,

The Qashqai is a reliable car, as are pretty much all Nissans, but the Corolla will still have the reliability edge. If reliability is ultimately your priority, then go for the Corolla. That said, if you really want the Qashqai, as long as it comes with a full service history and you keep it regularly serviced, we wouldn’t expect to see any major issues occur.

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Hi Kate,

Assuming it's a 1.4 Terra model with around 160,000km on the clock then you're probably looking at around €600 in VRT if you import one. 

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Hi F D,

It's simply because the UK market generally doesn't like compact four -door saloons. It's much more of a hatchback and estate market, so Toyota hasn't sold the Corolla in the UK since the Auris came along. It's the same reason you won't find a Renault Fluence or an Astra Saloon on sale there either. 

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Hi Brian,

There have been intermittently reported issues with Toyota gearboxes across the board, from sticking shifts to complete failures, but they tend to be quite rare overall, so if the car you’re looking at has a full service history then it should be OK. Ask for a warranty if you're really worried about it.