2026 Toyota C-HR Koba 2WD review

Toyota is good at making cars. We know this. It sells more in Australia and in the world (read that in a Jeremy Clarkson voice) than any other manufacturer.

While most of its models’ looks are quite straightforward, though, the C-HR small SUV is full of character. 

The second generation arrived on our shores in the first half of 2024, bringing more radical styling and advanced technology than its predecessor, alongside a switch to hybrid-only power.

All that came at a price, of course, with increases of up to $16,500 depending on the grade.

At this point, there’s nothing new on the table for the C-HR, as it awaits its electrified replacement, which will be locally available in 2027. 

Regardless, prices have continued to increase by a few thousand dollars over the last two years, making this current model a bit of a hard sell.

Last year, it was Toyota’s lowest-selling SUV by a long way, aside from the fully-electric bZ4x, with buyers much preferring the similarly sized but more practical Yaris Cross and Corolla Cross SUVs. 

Just 2892 C-HRs were sold for the full calendar year compared to 10,928 examples of the Yaris Cross and 12,686 of the Corolla Cross.

Style is one thing, but is it enough? Is it still worth picking one up before the hybrid is gone and the model goes all-electric?

The Toyota C-HR range starts at $46,940 for the GXL, rising to $53,890 for the mid-spec Koba (as tested here), and is topped off by the GR Sport at $58,890, all before on-road costs.

As standard, the C-HR features a 12.3-inch infotainment screen and 7.0-inch digital instrument display, a wireless charger, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto and satellite navigation.

It also has a six-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control, a 360-degree camera, 17-inch wheels, a powered tailgate and a tyre repair kit.

The Koba grade adds bi-LED headlights (with automatic levelling and high beams), 19-inch wheels, heated fabric- and suede-upholstered front sports seats (with power adjustment for the driver), a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, a nine-speaker JBL sound system, and a head-up display.

In addition, the GR Sport adds a unique set of 19-inch alloy wheels, GR Sport-specific exterior highlights, upgraded brakes, a heated steering wheel, and GR-branded synthetic leather and suede front seats.

A panoramic sunroof can also be had as a standalone option with two-tone paint for around $2700.

The test car was decked out in a single Stunning Silver paint colour, which was attractive enough, but the two-tone options are more striking.

When it comes down to it, though, compared to small SUV rivals which broadly offer the same features, the C-HR is on the pricier side.

A Honda HR-V in its highest e:HEV L specification costs just $42,900 (drive-away), while the C-HR’s in-house premium competitor – the Lexus LBX – is priced from $52,640 for the mid-spec Sports Luxury 2WD, and AWD is only a smidge more at $56,640.

Even a European alternative, such as the Volkswagen T-Roc, in its top R-Line guise, costs from $49,990. All prices are before on-road costs.

Since 2024, the Toyota C-HR has been a hybrid-only model, making it more fuel-efficient than its predecessor. 

It was the first Toyota model to go without petrol or diesel propulsion after the pioneering Prius – the world’s earliest mass-produced hybrid car.

On paper, Toyota claims it can achieve 4.0 litres per 100 kilometres (WLTP), but on test, with mostly freeway and town driving, plus one trip through the Dandenongs and Yarra Valley with lots of winding roads and hills, I averaged 4.4L/100km.

Aside from the Volkswagen T-Roc, all of its rivals can also run on 91RON regular unleaded petrol.

The Honda HR-V and Lexus LBX also offer hybrid powertrains, with fuel consumption claims of 4.3L/100km and 3.8L/100km, respectively, while the T-Roc is only available with petrol power, resulting in a higher claimed figure of 7.2L/100km.

Like all Toyotas, the C-HR is backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with the battery covered separately for eight years/160,000km.

Servicing is every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. Lexus and Volkswagen offer the same terms for the LBX and T-Roc, while Honda requires the HR-V to be serviced every 10,000km.

The brand offers capped-price servicing for the C-HR at $275 for the first five years, totalling $1375. 

Servicing the HR-V over the same time would cost $995. Meanwhile, as more premium offerings, the LBX would cost $2975 and the T-Roc $2897.

The Toyota C-HR will cost $2284 to comprehensively insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

The second-generation C-HR was awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating when it arrived in 2024, and that rating remains valid for MY26.

It features a high level of safety equipment, as outlined in the table below, including 10 airbags and a rear-seat occupancy warning.

In practice, none of the advanced driver assistance systems are nagging or distracting. However, the driver monitor can easily be confused by the camera when it is even slightly obscured, such as when your hand is at 12 o’clock or when you hold the wheel at a 180-degree lock for more than a few seconds.

The lane-assistance technology is fine, but it could be slightly better calibrated to detect when the driver is deliberately crossing the centre line.

On one occasion, following severe weather in the days before, I had to avoid a fallen tree that was partially in the road, and despite trying to actively steer away from it, the lane-keep yanked me back in, almost hitting it if I hadn’t forced it away just in time.

The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system also needs work. While slowly parking in tight spaces, it is constantly triggered unnecessarily, which is unnerving because it crunches the brakes and takes over control when the loud sensor noise is enough.

Other unnecessary bings and bongs include the seven times the car beeps when you press the lock button on the key and walk away. Once or twice is sufficient.

In comparison, the Honda HR-V has a four-star safety rating from 2022 because it has no centre seat top-tether point, a requirement for all five-seat cars, so it can only be classified as a four-seater. 

The Lexus LBX has a five-star rating, also from 2024, while the Volkswagen T-Roc has been unrated since 2024.

One of the best things about the Toyota C-HR is how it looks. It has jazzy styling, sharp angles from front to back, and two-tone paint choices that give it an extra wow factor. 

It looks quite sporty and cool, and I really like the way the name is illuminated in the tail-light strip.

It has flush door handles to give it a sleeker look and improve aerodynamics, but in reality, they are annoying to use because they are awkward to grip, especially when you’ve got your hands full.

Other manufacturers, such as Kia, have the same sort of handles that flick outwards to open. But unlike those, the C-HR’s are strangely shaped underneath and quite sharp, which potentially could cut your hand if you weren’t careful, and are also difficult for younger children to use. 

My six-year-old couldn’t open the door as a result, so he had to wait for me to let him in after putting my younger child in first, adding precious seconds to our morning rush to get out the door to school.

They also clunk shut in a way that sounds like a guillotine. Gulp.

It might look snazzy, but it’s not particularly big, even for a small SUV, and the back doors don’t open very wide, only to around 70 degrees or so, making it just that little bit more awkward to get in and out.

Compared to its rivals, however, it is still longer and wider, but lower in height. Its wheelbase is also larger, theoretically creating more room inside.

The electrified version, when it arrives, will be longer, wider and taller, and sit on a longer 2750mm wheelbase.

It’s quite dark inside the C-HR without a sunroof, especially in the back, due to the black-and-grey upholstery and the small rear windows – which also offer poor visibility. In fact, checking your blind spot is serious hard work.

The cabin is attractive, though, with a nice mix of textures, such as suede, cloth and faux-metal trimming – even the hard plastics aren’t especially cheap-looking – and there are sweeping curves down the doors that are a really nice touch.

The dashboard, though, despite some nice details, is enormous and really intrudes on the driver's and front passenger’s space, making it feel cramped.

There are two cupholders in the first row, but they are petite, as is the centre console storage bin. There’s a glovebox for keeping items out of view, and a small shelf above it for things like pens.

For connectivity, there are two USB-C ports at the front, a 12V socket in the console bin, and a wireless charging pad beneath the infotainment screen.

As a result of that low roof line, there isn’t much head room inside the C-HR, and even being bigger than its competitors, there isn’t much leg room in the back. 

I fit behind my own position, and I’m 167cm tall, but I only had an inch or two in front of me. My kids in their car seats felt squished.

You can fit child seats in all positions, with ISOFIX anchors on the outboard seats and three top-tether points across the back, but three seats wouldn’t go side by side due to space limitations and slight bolstering on the rear seats. 

Despite, particularly the front seats, being a touch more sporty than you might normally find in a regular small SUV, all are very comfortable, even when you’ve been in the car for a while.

Second-row occupants also benefit from an additional USB-C port in the centre, and there are cupholders in the armrests on each door, which are well placed for children to reach from their car seats. There’s only one map pocket, though, which is on the left-hand side.

The boot, which offers 388 litres of space, is bigger than you’d think once you start loading it up. It's bigger than the Honda's but smaller than you'll find in the Lexus and Volkswagen.

We managed to fit all the beach gear for the family, including a paddleboard, chairs, a trolley, and bags, but the only thing we couldn’t fit was the marquee, which we stashed in the rear footwell instead. It took a little foot room from the kids, but not so much that they were desperately uncomfortable.

There’s also another 12V socket in the boot, too, and a powered tailgate.

Toyota might make good cars, but its infotainment system is a letdown. In every model I’ve tested, it’s basic and offers little functionality. Really, it’s just there for you to plug in Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

The 12.3-inch screen is clear, crisp, and bright, and it’s a good size for the vehicle it is in, without being too small.

One win is that the climate controls get their own little display and buttons underneath, so they are easy to find and change while driving.

The buttons on the steering wheel, particularly the toggle-style ones for things like the volume, are fiddly and awkward to use.

The nine-speaker JBL sound system is also quite tinny and can’t handle much bass or loud volume.

But the worst offender in terms of tech has to be the camera quality, which is terrible. The display is fuzzy and the perspective is distorted, so when parking, it makes it look like you’re basically on top of the car next to you, even though you’ve got ample room to spare.

The rear-view mirror, which can be turned into a camera at the flick of a switch, offers a wider view but not a better one.

Toyota offers its Connected Services for owners, which includes navigation, vehicle location, driving insights and more. Some features are complimentary, while for others you need a subscription, which is free for 12 months and between $9.95 and $12.50 per month after that.

The Toyota C-HR GXL and Koba are powered by a 1.8-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine developing 72kW/142Nm and a 70kW/185Nm electric motor, delivering a combined 103kW to the front wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

The GR Sport gets a larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder NA petrol engine making 112kW/190Nm and two electric motors (83kW front, 30kW rear), driving all four wheels and producing up to 145kW combined.

With only 103kW on tap, the C-HR is not going anywhere fast and feels best when gently cruising around town or at steady freeway speeds. 

Putting your foot down, even in Sport mode, won’t get you much apart from a noisy, reluctant drone from the engine, which at all other times is pleasantly muted.

The wind noise, in contrast, is quite pronounced at times, but there is minimal tyre noise, even on poorer surfaces.

Unlike the acceleration, the ride feels sportier: it is a touch firm at lower speeds and hits potholes and sharp speed bumps hard, but at higher cruising speeds it’s smoother.

The steering is not quick but is nice and direct, so you can enter corners gently without much input.

The transition from petrol to electric is smooth and virtually unnoticeable, but, like other Toyota hybrids, the dedicated EV mode only works at low speeds and under gentle acceleration.

The C-HR also has Toyota’s hybrid B mode, which increases regenerative braking to slow the vehicle without heavy use of the physical brakes, but you can’t use cruise control while it's engaged.

The way the gearstick is laid out to accommodate B mode is also incredibly awkward: if you’d rather use the car normally and put it in drive, reverse, or park, you have to shift to the right and down. You find yourself putting it into B when you were reaching for D, and wonder why it isn’t going anywhere, since it needs to be in D first.

You can find plenty of examples of Toyota C-HRs for sale on Drive Marketplace, alongside other new and used Toyota models.

Find your nearest Toyota dealer here to see the C-HR in the metal and take one for a test drive.

For more details relating to pricing, specifications, and latest offers on the C-HR, click here. 

There’s plenty to like about the Toyota C-HR, especially its stylish looks and comfortable and cruisy driving manners.

It’s bigger than its closest rivals, but is still on the smaller side. Those looking for more space, perhaps to accommodate a family or just taller adults, might consider the Corolla Cross instead.

I can’t escape the feeling that the Lexus LBX, in particular, even though it is a little smaller, is the more appealing option since Toyota has raised the price of the C-HR so much now that the Lexus is cheaper – albeit pricier to service.

You get the badge cachet of it being a premium vehicle for the same money.

Equally, for less cash, the Honda HR-V and Volkswagen T-Roc are stylish and similar in size, and the HR-V is cheaper to service.

It’s a nice little car, but more than $50K feels steep for the size, power and technology you’re getting.

A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.

Read more about Kathryn Fisk