The Toyota Yaris has been around for 25 years and appears to be a true survivor

A quarter of a century ago, in early 1999, the first copies of the Toyota Yaris were delivered to dealers in Europe. The Yaris replaced the Starlet and was in many ways a new beginning for Toyota. The sympathetic, but also sturdy car looked nice and modern at the time and had a digital, centrally placed dashboard and a remarkably high carriage, for extra interior space. Although the Yaris was a real world car known as Vitz in Japan and Echo in North America, it was the most European Toyota ever. The Yaris was designed at Toyota’s European design studio, unveiled in Paris and built in France as well as Japan.

Toyota therefore invested heavily in Europe and achieved the success it had hoped for. The Yaris also did quite well in the Netherlands. The first generation of this model was in the showroom from 1999 to the end of 2005 and during those years we consistently found it in the top 7 of its segment, as the table below clearly shows. The best year for the Yaris was 2000, when 10,767 copies were registered in the Netherlands.

Above: The B-segment ranking in the period 1999 to 2005, when the first Yaris was in the showroom.

The heyday is now

And yet, when we see this table, we cannot ignore it: the Yaris was popular, but certainly not supreme. The Peugeot 206 was the most popular car in its segment throughout the entire period and sometimes even the most popular car in the Netherlands. Usually more than twice as many 206s as Yarissen were sold in a year, while the Opel Corsa and Volkswagen Polo invariably attracted more buyers than the small Toyota.

The real heyday of the first Yaris is not then, but now. It is incredible how many ancient Yaris still get stuck in Dutch traffic jams every day. That feeling arises when you start paying attention to it on the street, but it is supported by the figures. Our friends at Vinacles have been kind enough to list how many copies are left of the most popular B-segmenters of the time, and the Yaris appears to be lord and master. Nearly 41,000 cars are still insured with a valid MOT, and these cars are often used as daily transport. The 206, of which many more were sold new, did not exceed 34,222 copies.

Above: This is how many copies are still left of the bestsellers of the time. Please note: this only concerns hatchbacks. With the CC convertible version, the 206 reaches 48,519 units, explanation below.

Hatchbacks only

However, we only limit ourselves to hatchbacks. Convertible version 206cc is therefore not included, just like the MPV-like Toyota Yaris Verso. That seemed fairer to us, because the Verso is a clearly different car and a convertible as an enthusiast’s car is bought for a different purpose, is used differently and is naturally cherished for longer. With those conditions, there are even more of the Polo and the Corsa than of the 206, the rest lags far behind. If we include all forms of both the Yaris and the 206, the French car wins the battle with 48,519 against 46,768 copies. Without the CC, but with station wagon version SW, the 206 reaches 38,741 units and the Yaris still takes the win.

Given the fact that the ‘new’ Peugeot attracted almost 2.5 times as many customers, we would still like to give the Yaris the moral victory. Of the total number of new units sold, an incredibly large share is still on the road and the small Toyota is therefore a real survivor, just like its predecessor Starlet was.

Above: new sales of the Peugeot 206 and Toyota Yaris. This includes 206 cc, which was not separately registered when new.

Ideal starter car

Speaking of the Starlet: for a long time it was a very obvious choice for students and other starters in the car market. Now the Yaris also seems ideal for that role. The most expensive copy on our site costs less than 3 grand and for half that amount there is a lot of choice. Mileage of 3 tonnes or more is no exception and the 1.0, 1.3 and 1.5 petrol engines all have a maintenance-free timing chain that seems to have stood the test of time very well. While everyone is looking for an Aygo, as a novice driver you can score a nice bargain by going for an older, but also larger and more comfortable Yaris. Grab that advantage and keep that brave original Yaris alive as long as possible!