Toyota Corolla review - Reliability and safety
Corolla build quality is excellent, while customers are impressed with top safety levels
Traditionally, one of the best reasons to buy a Toyota has been reliability – and owners who voted in our 2023 Driver Power satisfaction survey generally seem to agree. The Japanese brand finished in 12th place (out of 32) in our latest best car manufacturer rankings, while the Corolla itself came 41st out of the best cars to own.
The Toyota Corolla received a five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2019, with strong scores for adult and child occupant safety (95 and 84 per cent, respectively). Pedestrian safety also fared well with a mark of 86 per cent. There’s an impressive list of on-board safety equipment as standard, including automatic headlights, adaptive cruise control, reversing camera, lane departure warning and Toyota’s lane trace system, plus a driver attention alert system.
But you can never have enough safety tech it seems, as Toyota added even more as part of the Corolla’s facelift in 2023. The biggest addition was Toyota T-Mate which combines the latest version of the brand’s Safety Sense set-up with other active driving and parking assistance systems. Higher-spec Excel versions also get, among other systems, a Safe-Exit Assist that will trigger a warning to stop passengers opening a door into the path of a vehicle or cyclist.
Warranty
Toyota offers what it calls a 'Relax' programme which means every new and used Toyota is able to be covered by up to 10 years’ manufacturer warranty. This is provided via a standard three-year manufacturer warranty (from the vehicle’s first registration date), which can then be extended every year following annual servicing at a Toyota dealer.
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Hybrid models like the Corolla are also subject to a five-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty that can be renewed to cover an extra year or 10,000 miles. This can be continuously renewed up to the 15th anniversary of the car’s registration provided a Hybrid Electric Service is carried out at a main dealer Toyota Hybrid Electric Specialist.
Servicing
Toyota says every 12th-generation Corolla needs servicing every year or after every 10,000 miles, whichever comes first. Toyota also provides Service Plan Plus packages starting from £29 per month for the Corolla, which combines three scheduled services, one MOT and two years of additional roadside assistance, on top of the one year of roadside service every new Toyota gets.
What do owners think?
Here’s what owners in the 2024 Driver Power survey thought of the Toyota Corolla.
| What they like | What they don't like |
| “Great to drive on a long trip, thanks to the auto gearbox and driving- assistance systems.” | “I’m never sure which safety features are on and which are off. It’s not obvious what the warning noises are for.” |
| “It has the perfect combination of style, economy, comfort and luggage space I require.” | “I struggle to get the claimed fuel economy. Toyota reckons over 60mpg, but I average only 48mpg.” |
| “It’s a pleasure to drive, which is the first time that I can honestly say that about a car in 50 years of driving.” | “Much of the technology lets it down, from the nav to the placing of the USB ports and the voice recognition.” |
| “The hybrid system is so smooth. The shift from electric to petrol assistance is very hard to detect.” | “The driving experience is bland. The steering lacks feedback, and my car wanders on the motorway.” |
| “There’s good acceleration from a standing start as well as on the move, but it peters out quickly at the top end.” | “Road noise is poor on rough surfaces; I can’t hear conversation on the radio at motorway speeds.” |
| “A refined, high-quality car which is a pleasure to drive. Also gives great economy backed by Toyota reliability.” | |
| “It has a fantastic smooth ride, which makes driving enjoyable, so I get to my destination feeling more relaxed. There’s also lots of grip, which is very reassuring.” | |
| “There’s more than enough room for the average person, and a decent boot. However, the cargo area isn’t quite as capacious as in our previous car, a Toyota Auris Sport.” | |
| “Excellent driving position, with no shortage of adjustment, and the seats are very comfy on long journeys, offering plenty of support. An added bonus is the easily cleaned seat fabric. My only niggle is the head rest, which was probably designed for someone taller.” |
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