10 Reliable Small Toyota Cars You Can Buy In 2025 (New And Used)

Toyota has a well-earned reputation for making some of the most reliable cars on the market, which is no doubt a key factor in the brand's retention of its top spot in the global sales charts in 2024. Whether you're looking for an upscale family hauler or an eco-friendly urban runabout, the brand offers a range of cars to suit most budgets and tastes. One of the cornerstones of Toyota's global lineup is its range of small, affordably-priced cars, most of which boast the same strong reliability ratings that are typical of the brand's larger vehicles.

None of these cars will break the bank, and they'll be right at home navigating congested city streets or squeezing into tight parking spaces that larger SUVs and trucks wouldn't be able to fit into. Each also boasts a high predicted reliability score, earning a "Great" rating for reliability from JD Power. Whether you're looking for a new car or one that's a few years old, we've got you covered.

A long-time favorite among buyers looking for a cheap, reliable runabout, the 12th-generation Toyota Corolla didn't look to reinvent the wheel. It first debuted in 2020, with the 2022 model seeing no significant changes from the previous year. Toyota's insistence on sticking to what it knows best with the Corolla has paid dividends for its reliability, which remains consistently among the best in its price bracket. Its efficiency figures are competitive, too, with the most frugal hybrid version of the Corolla sedan achieving a combined 52 mpg, according to the EPA.

Efficiency varies slightly between non-hybrid Corolla sedans based on their trim. The least efficient is the Apex trim, a new addition for 2022, which achieves 31 mpg combined in manual guise. On the other end of the scale, the automatic Apex should return a combined 34 mpg, according to the agency. Like most budget-friendly, small Toyota cars, the Corolla isn't the most exciting car to drive, nor is it the most luxurious. However, with over 50 million examples of the car sold globally to date, the lack of driving fun has evidently never hampered its popularity with buyers.

For the 2025 model year, the Toyota Crown has gained a new Nightshade trim, similar to the Limited but adding blacked-out accents and unique, darker paint. Besides that, the brand's quirky sedan remains mostly unchanged from previous model years, with its higher ride height and upscale interior still among the key selling points.

The Crown is a more upmarket option than the Corolla or Camry, with prices starting from $41,440, excluding fees for the 2025 model year. Buyers looking for the top-spec Platinum trim can expect to pay at least $54,990 without fees and options taken into account. Efficiency varies between trims, with lower-spec examples offering a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain that delivers a combined 41 mpg. The top-spec Platinum trim gets a more powerful Hybrid MAX powertrain, which drops efficiency to a combined 30 mpg.

It's not the smallest car in Toyota's lineup, but it's still smaller than many of the brand's SUVs. However, the Crown's lifted ride height makes access to its cabin similarly easy to that of an SUV, making it a great option for drivers who find getting in and out of their cars a challenge. As a bonus, it's also one of the brand's most reliable current models, according to JD Power.

Toyota's 12th generation Corolla hatchback is no driver's car, at least in its lower trims, but it's a marked improvement over previous generations in the fun department. Manual and automatic options are available, with the former being a particular selling point for cash-strapped enthusiasts looking for a sensible daily driver. It isn't fast, it isn't luxurious, and it still isn't the most fun to drive in its class, but the 2021 Corolla Hatchback is compelling in all the usual Toyota ways. Namely, it's efficient, safe, and highly reliable.

The car's styling is also arguably an improvement over previous generations, even if it's not particularly groundbreaking. Perhaps in a moment of inspiration from Lexus, the Corolla gained a wider, more gaping grille, although thankfully, it's not in the divisive spindle shape favored by Toyota's luxury brand. As well as a styling makeover, the car was given a tech makeover for 2021, too, with new safety tech courtesy of Toyota's Safety Sense 2.0 and new infotainment tech, although we weren't as sold on the latter when we reviewed it at launch.

Another long-running Toyota nameplate, the Camry, has been given a significant overhaul for 2025 to keep it competitive against its rivals. It starts at around $30,000 and offers a hybrid powertrain across all trims, boosting its efficiency and simplifying buyers' choices. It also benefits from a revised suite of safety tech, including a blind spot monitor, hands-free highway driving at low speeds, and front cross-traffic alert. Not all of the new assistance tech is standard, but the base trims offer a feature set that's competitive with other rivals at the Camry's price point.

The 2025 Camry is available in four trims: LE, SE, XLE, and XSE. The base trim is the most frugal, promising returns in excess of 50 mpg if driven carefully. Every trim is available in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, with 225 horsepower on tap, no matter which option buyers pick. That isn't enough to make the Camry fast, but it's enough that buyers shouldn't feel like they're lacking power on either urban roads or highways. The Camry has a long-standing reputation for reliability, and buyers can rest easy that the 2025 Camry's predicted reliability is just as high as they expect.

A new addition for the 2022 model year, the Toyota Corolla Cross combined the affordability of the Corolla with the styling of the brand's SUV lineup. It remains a reliable choice, although it isn't quite as impressive as its stablemates in other areas that Toyota usually excels in. In front-wheel drive form, the Corolla Cross should achieve a combined 32 mpg, according to the EPA. Send power to all four wheels, and that figure drops to 30 mpg. Those aren't bad numbers compared to other SUVs, but they're notably short of other, similarly affordable small cars in Toyota's range.

The 2022 model doesn't boast the latest Toyota safety and infotainment tech either, although it still offers a 7.0-inch or 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen and integrated Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. A 2.0-liter engine churning out 169 horsepower is standard across all trims, and it's mated to a CVT transmission.

Despite its name, the 2020 Edition Toyota Prius was not produced for the 2020 model year. Rather, it was produced for the 2021 model year, celebrating 20 years of the nameplate's production. A total of 2,020 examples were built, a small fraction of the roughly 59,000 units sold in the U.S. that year.

Aside from the special edition, which added black accents and unique badging, the 2021 Prius wasn't a particularly notable model year. Only minor tweaks were made to the car's infotainment system to introduce Android Auto across most trims, and a handful of previously optional safety features became standard.

That lack of changes seems to have been a net positive for the car's reliability, with the 2021 Prius recording higher reliability scores from JD Power than newer models. Like all the cars here, it received a "Great" rating from the institution.

Another of the most reliable Corolla Sedan model years is the 2020, which, given its age, should suit buyers looking for a cheaper runabout. It might be the joint oldest car in this list, but the 2020 Corolla is still a compelling option, offering both hybrid and non-hybrid powertrains and a range of trim levels that stretch from basic to comfortable. Lower trims get a 1.8-liter engine with a modest 139 horsepower output, while higher trims benefit from a 169 horsepower output courtesy of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.

A CVT transmission is equipped as standard across all trims, which doesn't do much for the car's driver engagement but does help it stay competitive in efficiency terms. The most frugal hybrid variant should achieve a combined 52 mpg according to the EPA, while non-hybrids hover somewhere in the mid-to-low 30s depending upon trim. Manual transmission is optionally available on certain trims for those looking to shift their gears.

Arriving for the 2023 model year, the Toyota Crown was something a little different compared to other sedans in the brand's lineup. Its styling was a key selling point, and its higher ride height made its cabin easy to access, more comparable to an SUV than a traditional sedan. It was also more upscale than the brand's other top-selling models, and in top-spec form, it was relatively costly, too. Its cabin could be optionally fitted with more upscale materials than other Toyota models, but we weren't sold on the underwhelming color schemes on offer in top-spec trims.

JD Power did not provide a rating for the 2023 model but gave both the 2024 and 2025 models a "Great" score. That makes the Crown a relatively safe bet, no matter whether you're looking for a new or lightly used model. Given its slightly oddball nature, the length of time the Crown remains in Toyota's lineup remains to be seen. While it is available, it's certainly a welcome addition.

If the Crown seems a bit too adventurous, buyers always have the option of returning to the tried-and-tested Camry. The 2024 model year was the last of the previous generation, with no major changes from the previous model year. Anyone who's fussed about having the latest tech and powertrains might want to consider a 2025 model, but in terms of reliability, both model years are equally impressive, having scored "Great" ratings from JD Power.

Plus, the wider range of trims on offer for 2024 gives buyers more chances to find one that's the right fit for them, which becomes all the more important when shopping for a used model. From the base LE trim to the most potent TRD trim, the 2024 Camry offers a range of flavors to suit those looking for power, efficiency, or a mix of both. Finding a Camry with six cylinders will require restricting your search to the XLE, XSE, or TRD trims, although notably, the latest generation Camry no longer offers a V6, making the 2024 model the last of its kind.

The latest generation of the Toyota Prius swapped its ungainly looks for a sleeker, more contemporary design. However, anyone who doesn't mind the styling of the previous generation can bag themselves a solidly reliable, highly efficient car at a great price. The 2020 Prius saw the introduction of a new, larger infotainment touchscreen and standard Apple CarPlay integration, giving it a more up-to-date feel than previous model years. Underneath, its oily bits remained unchanged, but that had the benefit of keeping its reliability high.

Even by today's standards, the 2020 Prius is very efficient, with official ratings of 56 mpg combined in its most frugal front-wheel drive trim and 50 mpg combined with all-wheel drive. Achieving those numbers will require sensible driving, but the Prius doesn't encourage drivers to put their foot down anyway. Along with the regular hybrid powertrain available in the 2020 Prius, a plug-in hybrid powertrain was also offered with up to 25 miles of electric range. It was marketed separately to the standard model, under the "Prius Prime" moniker, which has since been discontinued in favor of Toyota's new "Plug-In Hybrid" nameplate.