2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid Test and Review

2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid ・ Photo by Toyota

Everybody knows about the Toyota Prius. This iconic hybrid has spent years as a default choice for fuel-savers who don’t want to rely on electric charging. But for its entire two-decade life, the Prius has faced criticisms about its unique styling. Sure, plenty of buyers appreciate how the Prius’s futuristic design stands out from other cars, and its unusual silhouette is carefully sculpted to maximize aerodynamics. But for others, the Prius’s funky looks are a deal-breaker.

There’s now another option: the all-new 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid, part of the redesigned 2020 Corolla lineup. This compact sedan takes the same gas-electric innards as the classic Prius and hides them in a handsomely conventional body. The Corolla has been one of America’s favorite cars for decades, and with its first-ever hybrid powertrain, it can now get more than 50 miles per gallon. The Corolla Hybrid starts at $23,100, compared to $19,600 for the gas-only Corolla or $24,325 for the Prius. Let’s go over the details.

How It Works

In hybrid vehicles, a gasoline engine pairs with an electric motor to reduce fuel usage. The advantage is twofold: The electric motor helps provide power during acceleration, which means the gasoline engine can be smaller (thus, less fuel-thirsty). Also, the gasoline engine can shut off entirely in some conditions, leaving the car powered exclusively by electricity.

In the Corolla Hybrid, the powertrain is a 1.8-liter gasoline engine plus two electric motors that make a combined 121 horsepower and 105 lb-ft of torque. The car’s 1.3-kWh battery uses the gas engine as a generator during the times it’s running, and it also charges using friction from braking. The system automatically chooses its power sources — the engine, the electric motor, or both simultaneously — based on how fast you're accelerating, the battery's charge level, and other factors. If the battery is more than half-charged, drivers can also select an “EV” (electric vehicle) mode that lets you accelerate a little harder without the engine coming on. It’s perfect for slow-moving traffic or circling a parking lot.

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Stellar Results

The Corolla Hybrid’s hybrid technology yields phenomenal results: EPA estimates of 53 miles per gallon in city driving, 52 mpg on the highway, and 52 mpg overall. That compares to ratings of 32 mpg city, 41 mpg highway, and 35 mpg overall for the most efficient gas-only Corolla, and it’s nearly identical to the EPA ratings achieved by most Prius models.

Better still, the Corolla Hybrid can reward careful drivers with real-world fuel economy that trumps even those excellent EPA ratings. By accelerating gently and using the EV mode, you can spend some time driving around with the gasoline engine switched off — often during the very times when a gasoline engine is least efficient. For our first time behind the wheel, a three-mile Target run on crowded suburban streets, our tested car managed 75 mpg; the overall average stayed above 65 mpg for the whole week we spent with the vehicle. Just be aware that if you drive with a lead foot, or if you spend a lot of time cruising at steady highway speeds, your mileage will suffer because the electric motor can’t help as much.

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Slow, but Good Ride and Handling

We mentioned the Corolla Hybrid’s performance specs: 121 horsepower and 105 lb-ft of torque, which are lower than most modern cars. If you need to accelerate hard, the Corolla Hybrid feels sluggish and the engine can get very loud. Just like the Prius, it isn’t dangerously slow, but it’s not the car you buy when you enjoy going fast.

Every new 2020 Corolla, including the hybrid, does provide better ride and handling than the previous generation. While it still doesn't have sports-sedan composure, the Corolla feels more stable and planted to the road — less prone to wandering on the highway, and more responsive when you swerve. The steering also feels more natural and pleasant at low speeds than the awkward weighting of the old Corolla. The Prius and Corolla share most mechanical components under the skin, so unsurprisingly, the Prius feels similar behind the wheel.

Photo by Toyota

Un-Prius Styling

Despite their mechanical similarity, the Corolla Hybrid looks nothing like the Prius. The redesigned 2020 Toyota Corolla sedan’s slim, sickle-shaped headlights nearly meet in front of the car, a design that looks assertive without coming off as over-the-top aggressive. Moving around the side, the Corolla has the upright body of a typical compact sedan: a high roof that drops down behind the rear seat, with a stubby little trunk sticking out the back.

This isn’t a low, sleek, flowing sports-sedan vibe, or a look-at-me hybrid — just a straightforward, functional four-door. The taillights are almost too plain for car’s more eye-catching front end; the Corolla saved the rear-end verve for its five-door hatchback model, which isn’t offered as a hybrid. The only cosmetic differences between the gas and hybrid Corolla sedans are small “hybrid” badges on the trunk and front fenders, a blue tinge to its Toyota badges, and a different design for its alloy wheels.

Photo by Toyota

Appealing Ambiance

The Corolla’s conventionally attractive design extends from its exterior to its interior. While the Prius has a funky dashboard with a center-mounted digital gauge cluster, a tiny stubby shifter, and shiny black plastic surfaces, the Corolla Hybrid’s interior is the same as every other 2020 Corolla’s: attractive, user-friendly, and mostly well-finished. Its design is elegantly simple while still looking wholly contemporary. Some details could be nicer, like the way the center console bin drops down hard when you let go of it, but the Corolla Hybrid’s interior makes a great overall impression.

And although the Prius is a technological icon, the Corolla Hybrid is more modern inside. The Corolla features Toyota's newer-generation infotainment system with slicker graphics and a larger touchscreen, measuring 8 inches versus 7 inches on most Priuses. Both the Corolla and Prius are newly available this year with Apple CarPlay smartphone integration for iPhones, though neither is among the Toyota vehicles that have also added Android Auto functionality for Google-based smartphones. The Corolla Hybrid also has a handy electronic parking brake while the Prius has an old-school foot-operated brake.

Photo by Toyota

Compact Interior

Besides its unique styling, the Toyota Prius has always managed to pack an impressively spacious interior into a compact and fuel-efficient package. The Corolla Hybrid’s 13.1-cubic-foot trunk is barely half the size of the Prius’s, and because the Prius is a hatchback, you can fold down its rear seat to create a large open cargo hold. Even several small sedans, including the competing Honda Insight hybrid, have roomier trunks than the Corolla.

The Corolla Hybrid also doesn’t have great rear legroom. The Corolla gave up some backseat space in the 2020 redesign, in contrast to its unusually spacious predecessor. Though two adults will still fit all right, you’ll now find more room in the Prius or the competing Honda Insight sedan. The front seats are comfortable and spacious.

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Limited Feature Content

Considering its reasonable base price of $23,100, the Corolla Hybrid is decently equipped. You get the big 8-inch infotainment screen, a Wi-Fi hotspot, automatic climate control, alloy wheels, keyless entry with push-button starting, and a six-speaker sound system. Plus, like most new Toyotas, you get a suite of advanced safety features — a forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian and bicyclist recognition capabilities, adaptive cruise control, a lane-departure warning with automatic steering corrections, and automatic high beams.

What you don’t get is choice. The Corolla Hybrid is sold in just one configuration: the Corolla’s second-lowest LE grade. That means you can’t upgrade the Corolla Hybrid with the same extra-cost features as the gas-powered Corolla, such as leatherette upholstery, heated or power-adjustable seats, a sunroof, blind-spot monitoring, a navigation system, satellite radio, or even a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Plenty of buyers will be fine with the Corolla Hybrid’s equipment, but others will want one of these unavailable features — all of which you can get on the Prius or other competing compact hybrids.

Photo by Toyota

Competitors to Consider

The most obvious car to cross-shop against the 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is its Prius sibling. For not much extra money, the Prius gives you a roomier, more functional interior. But the Prius’s aesthetics aren’t for everyone, and the Corolla Hybrid has a more upscale and user-friendly dashboard.

A similarly ordinary-looking compact hybrid sedan is the Honda Insight, which is essentially a gas-electric version of the four-door Honda Civic. On paper, it’s the better choice than the Corolla Hybrid, thanks to a roomier backseat and trunk, a wider range of trim levels, and equivalent fuel economy ratings. But in our testing, we found it easier to beat EPA estimates in the Toyota than in the Honda, particularly in highway driving. Another value-priced compact hybrid is the Hyundai Ioniq: a five-door hatchback with more cargo room than the Corolla yet more conventional styling than the Prius. If you like the Corolla Hybrid, odds are you’ll like the Ioniq as well, so don’t miss it while you’re test-driving choices in this class.

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A Subtle Fuel-Saver

By adding a gas-electric hybrid version of the redesigned Corolla, Toyota has created a more subtle way to get Prius-like fuel savings. We wish the Corolla Hybrid were available with more optional features, but it takes the attractive, likable Corolla sedan and helps it soar past 50 miles per gallon.

The 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid isn’t the only affordable compact car with great gas mileage. But its appealing cabin ambiance, top-notch hybrid system, and overall pleasant demeanor make this all-new model an instant contender.

Photo by Toyota