The Toyota Aygo is a very versatile car considering its tiny size.
Whether it's a fun and frugal first car, or filling in as a footballer on a popular British motoring show, the Aygo is a simple, reliable workhorse. Plus, with a range of bright colours and interior trims, it can stand out from the crowd too.
We'll walk you through everything you need to know about the Toyota Aygo here. This includes the different models that have been available over the years, and the car's many trim levels. Read our full Toyota Aygo review for a more in-depth look.
Toyota Aygo models explained
The Toyota Aygo remained on sale for nearly twenty years, existing as part of a tie-up between Toyota, Peugeot and Citroen. Making small cars profitably is a famously challenging goal, so these three brands agreed to share development costs so they could enter the market more affordably.
As a result, the Aygo sits alongside the Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1, which are virtually identical from a mechanical perspective. The main differences are in the bodywork, where the Aygo has a sharper, more angular look than its French cousins.
For the UK market, the Aygo has always been a hatchback with a choice of three or five-door body styles – the latter is more common. First-generation models had the option of a diesel engine, but most Aygos and all second-gen versions come with a simple non-turbo petrol engine. Most have a five-speed manual gearbox although an automatic version – called x-shift – was offered.
Toyota Aygo competitors include:
Toyota Aygo X
The Toyota-Peugeot-Citroen partnership ended with the final Aygo generation in 2022. However, Toyota brought back the Aygo nameplate for the new Aygo X that same year.
It's a little more expensive than the older Aygo, but the newer Aygo X is a substantially improved car overall. You get better build quality, better handling and fractionally better practicality, plus an overhauled infotainment setup.
Toyota Aygo trim levels
Toyota offered a massive selection of trim levels over the Aygo's lifespan, including many special editions. Some of the most popular Aygo trims include:
- x – sparsely equipped entry-level car with LED daytime running lights, hill-start assist and a basic stereo with aux input
- x-play – adds important mod cons like an infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, air conditioning, height-adjustable driver's seat and a reversing camera
- x-trend – brings some extra visual flair with alloy wheels, automatic headlights, fog lights and tinted rear windows
- x-clusiv – range-topping model with special two-tone paint and part-leather upholstery
Toyota Aygo generations
Second generation – 2014-2022
- The second-generation Aygo introduced much sharper styling with an obvious 'X' motif at the front
- Model code – AB40
- Facelifted in 2018
- The car's look and feel was allegedly inspired by 'Japanese youth culture'
- Petrol engines only
First generation – 2005-2014
- The first Aygo had the lightest and most-powerful petrol engine in its segment, plus class-leading efficiency
- Model code – AB10
- Facelifted in 2009 and 2012
- It famously featured in Top Gear's car football segment, and did a loop-the-loop on Fifth Gear
- Choice of petrol and diesel engines
What's the best Toyota Aygo model?
For our money, we'd buy a recent Aygo built after the 2018 facelift. Ideally, we'd pick x-trend trim as that comes with alloy wheels and tinted windows, but most drivers will probably be okay with x-play trim as that features the all-important infotainment system with smartphone mirroring.
All Aygos come with a frugal 1.0-litre petrol engine. Unsurprisingly, this isn't particularly quick, but it's easy enough to drive around town and should return north of 50mpg without too much effort. We'd only suggest getting the automatic gearbox if you really need it – the 'box itself is a bit jerky and the equivalent version in the new Aygo X is substantially improved.
In fact, the Aygo X is probably the biggest threat to the Aygo. If your budget is hovering between these two cars, we'd suggest going for the newer Aygo X as it's a more polished overall package. However, there are many more affordable Aygos further down the price range, which makes them a more compelling option on a limited budget.
Shop nearly new and used Toyota Aygo cars for sale at Motorpoint. Or read our Toyota Aygo review to to see what this dinky city car is like to live with.
