Toyota practicality and performance rewarded in the 2023 Auto Express New Car Awards

• British-built Corolla Touring Sports named Estate Car of the Year
• GR86 – Toyota’s sell-out sports car – honoured with Coupe of the Year title

The breadth of quality across the Toyota range has been recognised with honours for two contrasting models in the 2023 Auto Express New Car Awards, announced at a presentation ceremony in London this evening.

The Corolla Touring Sports was named the Estate Car of the Year, recognising its all-round excellence in performance, cost-of-ownership, safety and day-to-day practicality.

Built exclusively in the UK at Toyota’s Burnaston plant in Derbyshire, the model has recently benefited from a series of technical and equipment upgrades that strengthen its market appeal. Foremost among these is the adoption of Toyota’s fifth generation full hybrid electric technology for its 1.8 and 2.0-litre powertrains. This delivers more power, extends the car’s all-electric EV driving capability and maintains strong fuel and emissions efficiency. The latest Toyota Safety Sense active safety and driver assistance features have been introduced – as standard across all model grades – together with over-the-air software update compatibility. All versions also benefit from the new Toyota Smart Connect+ multimedia system, with a 10.5-inch touchscreen, cloud-based and embedded navigation and an on-board voice agent.

Announcing the award, Steve Fowler, Auto Express Editor-in-Chief, said: “The Corolla Sports Touring does all the obvious things that an estate car needs to do – it’s big, practical and easy to use. On top of that it ticks all the boxes so important to all car buyers, especially around technology and efficiency. The bonus is that it’s a great looking car, too.”

The Toyota GR86 became the fastest-selling model in the company’s UK market history, with the entire initial sales allocation snapped up by customers in less than two hours of going on sale a year ago. The car lived up to its promise as the third “GR” – Gazoo Racing” – sports model, earning widespread critical acclaim, including a five-star Auto Express review.

Fowler commented: “The GR86 is another great-looking Toyota, delivering the all-important head-turning looks coupe buyers crave. It’s also fabulous to drive, blending old-school thrills with modern usability – we love it.”

ENDS