Toyota’s best-selling car in Europe is going EV

The Yaris, Toyota’s best-selling vehicle in Europe, will finally be available as an EV. Following the Corolla, the Yaris is next in line for an electric upgrade.

Is Toyota launching the Yaris as an EV?

We knew Toyota was planning to electrify the Corolla after CEO Koji Sato revealed the low-slung Corolla Concept at the Japan Mobility Show in October.

“Whether it’s a battery EV, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, or internal combustion engine vehicle―whatever the power source―let’s make good-looking cars that everyone will want to drive!” Sato said at the event. The next-gen Corolla will be available.

The next-gen Toyota Corolla will be offered with fully electric (EV), hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and ICE powertrains.

Following in the Corolla’s footsteps, the Yaris is due for an overhaul, which will include EV, hybrid, and ICE variants.

Andrea Carlucci, vice president of Toyota Motor Europe, told Auto Express, “If electrification is the direction, I think we cannot avoid having a fully electrified version.” Carlucci stopped short of giving a launch date, but added “When, I cannot comment, but it looks to be quite obvious.”

While an EV version is likely, the Yaris will remain available across multiple powertrains. “For now, the platform has to be strong, especially on small cars, when it comes to delivering a hybrid powertrain,” Carlucci explained.

Toyota’s new platform, set to underpin the upcoming Corolla, will support battery electric (BEV), hybrid, and ICE powertrains.

Like the Corolla, the next-gen Yaris will share the same exterior and interior design and standard features across powertrains.

The biggest question will be how efficient the Yaris will be as an EV, since it’s based on a platform that supports multiple powertrains rather than a dedicated EV platform.

To compete with the Renault 5 and the upcoming Volkswagen ID. Polo, the Toyota Yaris EV, will need to offer at least 250 miles of driving range.

While we will learn more about what the next-gen Yaris will look like, it is likely to draw on design cues from Toyota’s latest vehicles, such as the Highlander EV and the Corolla Concept, with its new “hammerhead” front end. The updated design will give the Yaris a more modern look and help it compete with the wave of incoming entry-level EVs.

The electric Yaris is expected to arrive in late 2027 or 2028, following the next-gen Corolla, which is due out later this year or early 2027.

Last year, the Yaris Cross (200,477 units sold) and Yaris (167,019) were Toyota’s top-selling vehicles in Europe, followed by the Corolla range (155,643).

Will an electric Yaris see the same demand? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.