Yaris has yes factor
Toyota’s rally-bred GR supermini is crowned the 2021 UK Car of the Year
THE Toyota GR Yaris has fought off challenges from Land Rover’s Defender, the Ford Puma and Volkswagen’s electric ID.3 to claim the title of UK Car of the Year 2021.
Bucking the trend of EVs taking top spot – the previous two UKCOTY winners were the Tesla Model 3 and the Jaguar I-PACE – the GR Yaris has a rally-bred petrol engine.
It was heralded as the Best Performance car when the 12 category winners were announced on March 1. After those results, it went head to head with the other 11 finalists for the overall honour.
The 29-strong judging panel included Road Record’s Al Suttie, who said: “It was an incredibly close call to decide a winner this year, but the GR Yaris is one of those cars that comes along and rips up the rule book.
“A three-cylinder engine might not sound much, but it’s what Toyota has done with it that makes the GR so special.
“It really does offer that World Rally car experience for those lucky enough to get behind the wheel of this pocket rocket, yet you can still use it to head to the shops.
“If this doesn’t get every car enthusiast’s pulse racing, it’s time to hang up your driving licence!”
Awards director John Challen added: “The GR exudes the same sort of emotions found in the original breed of hot hatches, with a modern-day twist thanks to advances in automotive technology.
“It’s the most fun I’ve had behind the wheel of a car for many years. Nonetheless, such was the strength in depth of the 12 cars in the overall category that, with just four votes remaining, five cars were still in the running.
“This fact shows that vehicle manufacturers are creating truly impressive, desirable and focussed products for their customers.”
Toyota GB boss Agustin Martin said: “Our sincere thanks go to the UK Car of the Year judges for giving this prestigious award to the GR Yaris.
“This unique car perfectly expresses Toyota’s focus on the pure joys of driving and how we are drawing directly on our motorsport activities to create ever-better cars for the road.
“The unprecedented reception for the GR Yaris – and for the all-new Yaris range more widely – is transforming the perception of our brand as a maker of desirable cars that are genuinely fun to drive.”
The GR Yaris dominated its category and Road Record writer Al added: “Raw, aggressive, rapid – the Yaris GR is the hot hatch done properly. Get these thrills while you can.”
Launched in 2014, the UK Car of the Year Awards are judged by 29 of
Britain’s leading motoring journalists. In 2021, each judge used their expertise to pick out the top performer in 12 vehicle categories, before deciding the overall winner from their favourites in each class.
The full list of the UK Car of the Year Awards 2021 category winners is: City Car – Honda e Supermini – Toyota Yaris Small Hatch – Volkswagen ID.3 Family – Skoda Octavia Luxury – Mercedes-Benz S-Class Estate – Skoda Octavia Estate Small Crossover – Ford Puma Medium Crossover – Ford Kuga Large Crossover – Land Rover Defender Coupe – BMW 4 Series Open Top – Lexus LC Convertible Performance – Toyota GR Yaris