The Yaris Goes Electric – Our Vision for Toyota's Next Small Car

Few small cars have earned the trust of British buyers quite like the Toyota Yaris. Its hybrid efficiency and reputation for reliability have made it a familiar sight, yet the electric supermini market is moving on without it. The Renault 5 and Peugeot e-208 already offer battery power, while Toyota's own electric expansion has so far concentrated on SUVs.

That could change. Toyota Europe executive Andrea Carlucci has suggested a battery-electric Yaris is an obvious next step, although no launch date has been confirmed. Toyota has also announced a flexible new platform intended to support both hybrid and fully electric vehicles.

Industry reports place the next Yaris around 2027 or 2028, but its design, battery and price remain unannounced. With that in mind, TNY Design Studio imagines how a practical, affordable Yaris EV could look, including an entry-level Icon model.

To understand why an electric Yaris matters, it is worth looking at the car Toyota already sells. Since 1999, the wider Yaris family has amassed more than six million European sales.

Hybrid power arrived in 2012, and Toyota's figures reveal 1.41 million Yaris Hybrids sold between 2016 and September 2026 alone. Almost 880,000 of those were sold from 2021 onwards, during the current generation's lifespan.

In Britain, the regular Yaris hatchback is now exclusively hybrid, returning an official 67mpg or more on some versions, with CO₂ emissions from just 91g/km. Its appeal runs so deep that Mazda, having discontinued its own petrol-powered Mazda2 here, now sells a Toyota-built alternative as the Mazda2 Hybrid.

Few small cars have become quite so central to a manufacturer's European fortunes. An electric version would build on a remarkable foundation.

Taking inspiration from Toyota’s latest design language, our Yaris EV features a sharper front end, slim LED lighting and clean, sculpted bodywork, while retaining the practicality of a five-door hatchback.

We imagine it measuring somewhere just north of four metres in length, a modest increase over today’s 3,940mm Yaris, while remaining towards the smaller end of the supermini class.

Toyota has already demonstrated the need for modest growth, extending the Aygo X by 76mm to accommodate its new hybrid powertrain. A fully electric Yaris would bring packaging challenges of its own.

The additional length could also improve practicality. With the current Yaris offering a relatively modest 286-litre boot, a small increase in usable space would be welcome.

Toyota’s first compact electric SUV for Europe, the Urban Cruiser, offers an interesting starting point. Despite wearing a Toyota badge, it is closely related to the Suzuki e Vitara. Suzuki developed the vehicle and manufactures both models in India, while Toyota and Daihatsu helped develop the dedicated electric platform and powertrain.

It is a sensible way for Toyota to expand its electric range, but there is still room for something more distinctly Toyota.

Our imagined Yaris EV would take a different approach: a clean-sheet, Toyota-led supermini designed specifically for European drivers. Production in northern France, where the current Yaris is manufactured at Valenciennes, could be an attractive possibility, although Toyota has announced no such plans.

Our Yaris EV takes a sharper, more purposeful stance than the current model. Where today’s Yaris relies on flowing curves and sculpted surfaces, our interpretation adopts the straighter lines, crisp detailing and confident road presence emerging across Toyota’s latest electric designs. It looks modern without abandoning the familiar proportions that make a supermini so usable.

For decades, Toyota’s reputation was built on cars that were dependable, if rarely daring. But the GR Yaris, GR86 and Supra have helped challenge that perception, proving the company can still surprise enthusiasts.

Its approach to electrification has evolved just as dramatically. Hybrid technology, once closely associated with the Prius, now runs through much of Toyota’s European range and has become a central part of the brand’s identity.

Our Yaris EV imagines the next step: everyday practicality with a little more visual confidence.

The entry-level Yaris EV Icon could be every bit as important as its more expensive counterparts. Toyota’s highly efficient hybrids have put it in a strong position under Europe’s fleet-average CO₂ regulations, with emissions currently below its targets despite relatively modest electric car sales.

Britain, however, presents a different challenge. The UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate focuses on the proportion of new cars sold with zero tailpipe emissions, with a headline target of 33% for 2026.

Although manufacturers have several ways to meet these requirements, an affordable Yaris EV could be particularly valuable to Toyota. A competitively priced Icon model could bring electric motoring to customers already drawn to the Yaris for its reliability, economy and everyday practicality.

An electric Yaris wouldn't need to reinvent Toyota's successful supermini. Its appeal has always been rooted in sensible dimensions, low running costs and the confidence that comes with the badge.

The challenge would be carrying those qualities into an electric era without turning the Yaris into an expensive niche model.

Our Design Studio proposal combines a slightly roomier five-door body with a more assertive Toyota design, while the imagined Icon trim keeps affordability at its heart.

Whether Toyota builds an electric Yaris, and what form it takes, remains uncertain. But as affordable electric hatchbacks multiply, there is a compelling case for Toyota to give one of Europe's most familiar names a battery-powered future.

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Design and image credits: Current-generation Toyota Yaris photograph: Toyota Motor Europe. Yaris EV concept renderings and design sketches: TNY Design Studio.

All Yaris EV images are independent, speculative design interpretations created for The New Yardstick. They are not official Toyota designs, and no affiliation with or endorsement by Toyota Motor Corporation is implied. Toyota and Yaris are trademarks of Toyota Motor Corporation.