Toyota Aygo vs Aygo X – which is best?

On the surface, they're both Toyota-branded city cars but, under the bodywork, they're totally different. The new Aygo X effectively replaces the old Aygo, adding a dash of SUV style and a higher quality feel.

It also comes with a higher price, however, so is the Aygo X worth paying extra for? We'll compare them here to help you decide.

Toyota Aygo vs Aygo X compared

Styling and design

Some city cars like the Fiat 500 try to look cute, but that's not the Aygo's style. Its front end has sharp lines that form an 'X' motif between the headlights and the lower air intake, with the Toyota badge at the middle. You might spot the little black panel that runs up past the door mirrors into the side windows. This Aygo hallmark is exaggerated if you get a higher-end trim that includes a black roof, contrasted against one of its bright metallic colours.

For the Aygo X, there's only a faint family resemblance to the older car. Its headlights are larger and a little more rounded than the Aygo, and the badge now sits on a slightly more snouty front bumper. Meanwhile, the Aygo X's side profile is a little more pronounced, especially on higher trims where the rear is painted contrast black – a detail that reminds us of the original Smart Fortwo.

Put the Aygo and the Aygo X side by side, however, and the difference becomes much more obvious. The newer Aygo X has a much chunkier stance thanks to its much bigger wheels and slightly taller ride. This along with the plastic cladding around the wheelarches gives the Aygo X a sort of mini-SUV look, while the older Aygo is unmistakably a city-focused hatchback.

Interior and practicality

The Aygo is a cheap car, so it's no surprise that there are cheap materials and cost-saving measures evident in the cabin. There's hard moulded plastic used below the dashboard and on the door panels which, themselves, also feature exposed interior metal frames. Toyota has tried to dress it up a little, however, with some gloss plastic closer to your eyeline, and a pair of neat little pods containing the climate controls and infotainment system, plus the driver's dials.

There are still a few cheap-feeling spots in the Aygo X, but it's a substantial improvement over the Aygo. Touchpoints like the steering wheel, climate controls and steering wheel are lifted from the larger and more premium Yaris. Skip the entry-level trim and you also get flashes of coloured trim around the gear shifter and air vents that match the exterior colour. Everything feels just a little more robust than the Aygo too, with no creaky trim and solid switchgear.

Both the Aygo and Aygo X are very small cars compared to the rest of the market, so practicality was never going to be their strongest point. Rear passengers will be very cramped in both cars and only get pop-out windows for ventilation, so the second row is best saved for giving occasional lifts. If you want a city car with more useable back seats, a Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto or Volkswagen Up would be a better choice. The Aygo X is around 24cm longer than the Aygo, with most of that length going to more boot space – 231 litres vs the Aygo's 168 – but both cars struggle for cargo space unless you fold the rear seats.

Size and dimensions

These are both small cars, which makes them easy to drive and park in congested city centres. The Aygo X is a noticeable 23.5cm longer than the Aygo, but that mostly goes to its larger cargo area rather than extra passenger space.

Engines and performance

The Aygo X uses a new platform borrowed from the larger Yaris, but it's powered by an updated version of the same 1.0-litre petrol engine as the old Aygo. That means, with just 72hp, both cars are far from the last word in performance. Around town that won't matter much but you'll have to work the engine quite hard if you want to get up to fast motorway speeds.

The older Aygo is the faster of the two cars – if you can call it that. It buzzes from 0-62mph in a leisurely 13.8 seconds, compared to the Aygo X's glacial 14.9-second time. The older Aygo scored much better official mpg figures but that's because it was tested using older, less rigorous standards. Using newer WLTP testing standards, the Aygo X averages just under 60mpg and we anticipate the Aygo will also get very close to this figure.

Toyota has recently launched the new Aygo X Hybrid, which uses the same 1.5-litre 116hp self-charging-hybrid setup as the Yaris. This improves fuel economy to north of 70mpg but, more importantly, drastically improves performance – cutting the 0-62mph time down to just 9.2 seconds. It's much more expensive than used Aygo X and Aygo models, however, so is unlikely to be cross-shopped in this comparison.

Driving

Small cars can often be more fun to drive than big cars since their dinky dimensions and light weight makes them feel agile on the road. Sadly, these qualities aren't especially obvious when you drive the Aygo. It's small, sure, and very easy to drive, but there's a rubbery quality to the steering and gear shifter that robs some of the driving sensation. There's a decent amount of body roll too, so the front end never feels that eager to dive into corners.

While the Aygo X isn't exactly thrilling to drive, it strikes a better balance than the Aygo. Its platform is more stable and resistant to body roll, so it feels keener to turn into corners and more planted at higher speeds. Plus, the extra dynamic ability doesn't come at the expense of ride quality, with the Aygo X actually doing a better job of isolating you from bumps in the road and ambient noise.

Both cars suffer from plenty of engine noise, however. This isn't too troublesome at urban and suburban speeds but, accelerate on a slip road or overtake a slower vehicle, and you'll be rewarded with a raucous thrum from under the bonnet with little extra speed to show for it. Both the Hyundai i10 and Volkswagen Up offer optional turbocharged engines that are better choices if you do regular motorway driving.

Value and reliability

With the arrival of the new Aygo X Hybrid, both the Aygo and Aygo X are now only available as used cars. Comparing these models across Motorpoint's used vehicle stock, we can see that the Aygo X is a little more expensive than the Aygo. You'll probably spend £1,000-2,000 more on an Aygo X than an Aygo of equivalent mileage, although the Aygo X will have a newer numberplate.

In fact, considering the price gap between the older Aygo and newer Aygo X is comparatively small, we'd strongly consider spending a little extra for the latter. That said, the Aygo is still a strong choice if your budget won't stretch to an Aygo X. It's been on sale for much longer so there's more choice at the cheaper end of the market.

Both cars enjoy Toyota's excellent 10-year service-activated warranty. That's much longer than the industry-standard three-year period and a reflection of the confidence Toyota has in its engineering. This warranty automatically transfers to each new owner as long as it remains valid.

Which is best?

The key factor here is what kind of budget you're working with. If you're looking to spend around £10,000 – the top-end of used Aygo prices and the bottom end of used Aygo X prices – we'd strongly consider picking the newer Aygo X. It's a better overall vehicle and easily justifies its price premium over the older car.

That said, the Aygo is still a serviceable city car with much lower prices than the Aygo X if you buy an older model. So, if you're on a tighter budget, this is still a dependable, sensible choice.

Let's go Aygo!

Shop a huge range of used Toyota Aygo and used Toyota Aygo X cars for sale at Motorpoint. For more great choices, check out our picks for the best city cars on sale.