Toyota has updated the Yaris Hybrid hatchback in Japan with a larger touchscreen, new electronic features, and minor design tweaks, while keeping the same hybrid powertrain. Australia hasn’t confirmed these changes yet, but a local rollout is expected in the future, possibly with higher pricing. The updates are reportedly set to be officially announced in Japan on February 20 and are not yet visible on Toyota Japan’s public website.
Changes in the updated Yaris Hybrid
The key upgrade for the refreshed Toyota Yaris Hybrid is a larger 10.5-inch centre touchscreen, now standard on Japanese hybrid models. This screen now matches the ones in European-market Yaris models since 2024. By comparison, Australian-market Yaris and Yaris Cross models currently feature an 8.0-inch touchscreen, while previous Japanese versions used a smaller 7.0-inch display.
Japanese reports also suggest the updated Yaris Hybrid will gain an electronic parking brake and automatic hill-hold functionality. This would replace the traditional handbrake lever currently used in Australian-market Yaris models, if it launched locally with the same feature. Australian versions already include Hill-start Assist Control across the range, meaning the change would primarily improve convenience rather than safety.
Japanese Yaris Hybrids will also receive a new Mustard exterior colour and black mirror caps, which are already standard on Australian SX and ZR models. The Coral Crystal Shine exterior colour will be dropped in Japan and is not currently offered in Australia. Two-tone paint remains exclusive to the flagship grades in both Japan and Australia.
There are no reported mechanical changes for the Japanese update. It will continue with the same 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid engine with CVT automatic transmission. In Australia, the Yaris Hybrid produces 85kW and 141Nm, claims a combined fuel consumption of 3.3L/100km, and is offered exclusively with front-wheel drive. A more powerful hybrid setup exists in Europe for the hybrid Yaris Cross, but it has not been confirmed for Australia.
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Will the Australian Yaris get these updates?
Toyota Australia has not confirmed any changes for the local Yaris yet. The most recent Australian Yaris update arrived in May 2025, when the Yaris received upgraded safety technology. Australia also shifted the Yaris range to hybrid-only in 2024, excluding the high-performance GR Yaris.
Given Toyota’s history of rolling out overseas updates locally, the Japanese changes are expected to reach Australia at a later date, but timing remains unknown.
Pricing changes in Japan and current pricing in Australia
The Japanese Yaris Hybrid update is expected to come with a price increase from ¥200,000 to ¥300,000, equivalent to $1872–$2807 in Australia. There is no confirmation yet on whether similar increases would apply in Australia.
Australian pricing (current)
The current Australian Yaris Hybrid pricing is: $28,990 for the Ascent Sport, $32,390 for the SX, and $34,590 for the ZR variant (all prices before on-road costs).
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Toyota Yaris market performance in Australia
Despite a 23.8% sales increase in 2025, the Yaris remains a low-volume model for Toyota Australia. It only sold 2810 units in 2025. It trails key rivals MG 3 (8350 units sold), Mazda 2 (4346), and Suzuki Swift (3446).
The Yaris Cross SUV continues to be far more popular, with 10,928 sales (33.2% increase YoY), almost four times the Yaris hatchback.
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