How many miles can a Toyota Yaris last? When you’re in the market for a new or second-hand Yaris, that’s a very reasonable question to ask. After all, you’re probably looking to get the most bang for your buck. In this blog, we’ll look at this question in great detail but first, let’s start with a quick answer:
On average, a Toyota Yaris lasts between 200.000 – 230.000 miles. A Yaris needs to go to the garage for unscheduled repairs about 0.39 times per year, with an 8% chance of severe problems. Furthermore, Yaris owners spend an average of $333 per year on repair costs.
Having said that, we’re certainly not done. Below we’ll first explain in more detail how many miles a Yaris can last. After that, we’ll also show you how much a Yaannuallys per year and which production years are the most and least expensive. Furthermore, we also discuss the common problems that the car can have. Read on!
How Many Miles Can A Toyota Yaris Last?
Today, we will analyze how many miles a Toyota Yaris can last. We conducted in-depth research on several different platforms to answer these questions. First, we have to look at the Toyota Yaris as a group. For this, we went to Autotrader.com to gather our sample size.
We took a pool of 992 Toyota Yaris units and divided them into groups based on the miles they had already driven. The results of this research are displayed in the table below.
| Amount Of Miles | Percentage Of Cars |
| Cars With 150.000+ | 10.18% |
| Cars With 100.000 – 149.000 | 17.03% |
| Cars With 45.000 – 99.999 | 37.60% |
| Cars With 0 – 44.999 | 35.19% |
What we can see in the table above is the fact that 10.18% of Yaris units that are for sale in the United States have crossed the 150.000 miles mark. By itself, this number doesn´t say a lot. However, from writing hundreds of articles like this, we know that we expect a car to achieve a number between 3-5%.
For this reason, the Yaris seems to be an excellent vehicle in terms of its potential lifespan. However, there´s more to it than that. For example, the Yaris was discontinued in 2020 in the United States, meaning that there´re no newer models that can drag down the average number.
Furthermore, Toyota sold many more Yaris cars before 2017 than they did between 2018 – 2020. Also, the period before 2010 sold even more units. For this reason, the numbers are skewed in favor of the Yaris because many models have had plenty of time to reach higher mileage.
Nevertheless, it´s still a positive result for the Yaris, and more research is required to figure out the actual lifespan of this car.
Also read: Types Of Gas A Toyota Yaris Takes (Explained)
How Reliable Is A Toyota Yaris Compared To Its Competitors?
Even when you see a vehicle having hundreds of thousands of miles on the gauge cluster, more proof is necessary to know for sure what you are buying is, in fact, the most reliable and long-lasting vehicle.
In the table below, we´ve displayed the expected and highest recorded mileage of different Yaris competitors. Please keep in mind we´ve written separate articles for these vehicles as well, and therefore we´re confident in the displayed results.
| Model | Sample Size | Expected Mileage | Highest Mileage |
| Toyota Yaris | 992 | 215.000 | 280.000 |
| Honda Fit | 1.913 | 230.000 | 270.000 |
| Hyundai Accent | 1.825 | 210.000 | 230.000 |
| Mitsubishi Mirage | 583 | 160.000 | 250.000 |
| Nissan Versa | 3.613 | 190.000 | 220.000 |
| Ford Fiesta | 2.333 | 200.000 | 240.000 |
What we can see in the table above is the fact that many of these vehicles give up around the 200.000 miles mark. This also goes for the Toyota Yaris, which does, however, end up on the higher end of the range. The only vehicle that does better than the Yaris is, of course, a Honda. Nevertheless, the Yaris does quite well in a category of cars that aren´t built to last forever.
How Reliable Is A Toyota Yaris Compared To Other Toyotas?
We took several Toyota models and examined their reliability based on the same data. We took the mileage numbers of these models and compared them with the mileage numbers of the Toyota Yaris.
What becomes clear from this table immediately is the fact that Toyota builds vehicles with an incredible lifespan. Typically, car brands have vehicles that last between 200.000 – 250.000 miles, and anything above that is very rare. However, Toyota has many vehicles with an expected mileage of 250.000 or higher.
The Yaris doesn´t hold up that well; however, that´s to be expected. The Yaris is a subcompact car that typically isn´t built for incredibly long lifespans (like we saw with its competitors).
Putting the Yaris up against full-size SUVs like the long-lasting Sequoia or RAV4 will not make this vehicle look good. The same is true when it comes to trucks like the Tundra or even Toyota’s minivan the Sienna.
However, this subheading merely illustrates Toyota’s reliability, which is excellent overall.
| Model | Sample Size | Expected Mileage | Highest Mileage |
| Toyota Avalon | 2.763 | 255.000 | 360.000 |
| Toyota Camry | 18.503 | 270.000 | 400.000 |
| Toyota Yaris | 992 | 215.000 | 260.000 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 17.027 | 240.000 | 300.000 |
| Toyota Sequoia | 1.735 | 275.000 | 370.000 |
| Toyota Sienna | 6.166 | 255.000 | 290.000 |
| Toyota Highlander | 13.499 | 270.000 | 350.000 |
| Toyota Corolla | 17.297 | 265.000 | 340.000 |
| Toyota Tundra | 13.370 | 305.000 | 390.000 |
| Toyota Tacoma | 17.910 | 325.000 | 395.000 |
| Toyota 4Runner | 14.092 | 315.000 | 360.000 |
How Much Does Maintenance Cost Per Year?
The maintenance cost must be as low as possible for a vehicle to be truly reliable. Any unreliable vehicle can achieve high mileage if money is put into the repairs. But a reliable car does not require those expensive repairs. In the table below, we´ve gathered the maintenance costs for many model years of the Yaris. This data was acquired from Repairpal and Caredge.com.
On average, we expect to pay $333 in annual maintenance costs for a Toyota Yaris. Let it be clear that this is an incredibly low number. Typically, it costs a car owner $456 per year to keep a compact car like the Yaris on the road.
Therefore, the Yaris is well over $120 cheaper yearly than its competition and is a huge winner against other smaller Toyota vehicles like the Prius.
Furthermore, it´s also interesting to note that all model years seem to have relatively consistent maintenance costs. This indicates that all model years are quite reliable and that none of them have suffered from significant issues causing inflated repair costs. However, we´ll dive into that a bit later.
| Model Year | Annual Maintenance Cost |
| 2020 | $202 |
| 2019 | $261 |
| 2018 | $310 |
| 2017 | $323 |
| 2016 | $333 |
| 2015 | $360 |
| 2014 | $358 |
| 2013 | $357 |
| 2012 | $349 |
| 2011 | $297 |
| 2010 | $310 |
| 2009 | $299 |
| 2008 | $256 |
| 2007 | $242 |
Owners’ Reviews Of The Toyota Yaris Reliability
Besides knowing all the data, it’s, of course, also essential to see how owners experience the Yaris. For this, we went to Kelley Blue Book, Truecar, and Cars.com. All three platforms have gathered hundreds of reviews from actual car owners. We summarized our findings in the image below.
While reading through the owners’ reviews, we found that the Yaris is typically rated very highly. This is because it´s very good at what it is designed for: to be a reliable, compact car that´s cheap to maintain and drive around with.
However, this doesn´t mean the car is perfect. Owners did have some comments about its power and its lack of features. The quote below sums up the sentiment surrounding the Yaris quite well.
I’ve had mine for a few months now and have put 50,000 miles on it. It’s a decent drive and somewhat peppy around town, but lethargic on the interstate. However, it was affordable, seems to be reliable, easy to maintain, and is practical. I have been able to fit a queen sized mattress from IKEA in it, an extra tall dresser, and a dryer in it. It’s definitely roomier than it appears.
Source, 2019 owner
Toyota Yaris Common Problems
Besides knowing the factors we´ve already discussed, it´s also vital to understand the common problems the Yaris has had throughout the generations. This gives us a complete understanding of the vehicle as a whole.
NOTE: Before buying a used car, I always like to make sure the vehicle isn´t having any problems that you should be aware of. The easiest way to do this is by buying an OBD2 scanner. These scanners can easily be plugged into any car you’re interested in, and they’ll give you a rundown of potential problems.
Third Generation (2013 – 2020)
The third generation of the Yaris didn´t have many problems (or complaints) worth noting. However, there were still some:
- 2019 – 2020 model years were recalled (21V617000) because of a failing fuel pump that would cause engine stalling. This was because an impeller within the low-pressure fuel pump may crack and deform.
- 2015 – 2017 model years were recalled (19V319000) because the wire harnesses for the side airbag sensors located within the front doors may crack and corrode, possibly causing the non-deployment or improper deployment of the front seat side airbags and the curtain shield airbags.
- 2015 model years were recalled because the front strut mounting bearings can be damaged when a high load is applied to the strut, such as driving over a large bump (16V367000). Also, some of them were recalled because some vehicles had improperly tightened rear axle bolts (15V098000).
Second Generation (2005 – 2012)
The second generation of the Yaris, the first generation to be introduced in the United States, had noticeably more problems. Some model years even had 8 – 10 recalls each.
- The 2005 – 2010 model years were by far the most problematic. This was because they had 3-6 recalls, each aimed solely at the airbags. Many airbags had faulty inflators that would rupture because of temperature differences. This would cause problems with illuminated airbag warning lights and so on.
- 2007 – 2008 model years had severe problems with an ABS warning light. This was because the ABS sensor would corrode and fracture, rendering the system useless. A recall wasn´t issued for this problem, and owners had to figure out solutions to the problem themselves.
Is a Toyota Yaris A Smart Buy?
Finally, we have to answer whether or not the Toyota Yaris is a smart buy in the second-hand market. Looking at the potential mileage of the car, we see that this isn´t staggering. However, this is a common trait for the category of car that the Yaris is in. Compared to its competitors, the Yaris does surprisingly well.
Furthermore, there´s the fact that Toyota is known for building very reliable cars, and it seems this is also the case for the Yaris. The maintenance costs are extremely low, and the number of problems the car has had are negligible (at least for the cars made from 2013 onwards).
Overall, the Yaris can be considered a smart buy if you find a 2013 or newer model that still has plenty of room in terms of the mileage it has left. If you can live with the fact that the power of a subcompact car will always be on the lower end of what you would want, and if you can live with a small amount of space, the Yaris could undoubtedly be a car for you.
Are you in the market for this Toyota? Don’t forget to check out our extensive list of the largest Toyota dealers per state!
Toyota Yaris Maintenance Schedule
Knowing the maintenance schedule will give you a litmus test to subject any Yaris in question. If the seller knows about all the maintenance staff and/or has shown you the service record, you can understand how well this Toyota Yaris has been maintained. On top of that, when you have possession, you will know precisely how to maintain it.
Before/On Every 5,000 Miles
- Change the engine oil
- Change the oil filter
- Rotate the tires
- Inspect the brake fluid and brake lines
- Refill the washer fluid
- Inspect the lights, wipers, and horn
- Lubricate all the parts that require lubrication
- Road test
Before/On Every 15,000 Miles
- Inspect and replace the cabin air filter if necessary
- Inspect the fuel system and see if there are any leaks
- Inspect the electronics system and see if there is any engine code
- Inspect the gearbox, steering, and suspension components
- Inspect the coolant and replace it if necessary
Before/On Every 40,000 Miles
- Inspect the spark and replace it if necessary
- Inspect the transmission fluid and replace it if necessary
- Inspect the exhaust system to see if there are any leaks or damage to the components (note: there is a lot of fraud in the industry around the catalytic converter. If your mechanic says that you need to remove it, it is reducing your engine power and causes low mpg; you should never trust that mechanic ever again)
- Inspect the suspension components
- Lubricate all the joints and components that require lubrication
- Inspect all the fluid levels
- Tighten all the bolts and nuts that need to be tightened
Before/On Every 60,000 Miles
- Thoroughly inspect the PCV system
- Check for any abnormal reading on the OBD tool
- Inspect the body for any rust, and carry out rust prevention treatment when necessary.
- Replace the spark plugs if they have not been replaced already.
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
Read more about our fantastic team on our about page!