Used Toyota Auris review and buying guide (2006 to 2019): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Toyota Auris should you buy?

A Mk2 from 2012 to 2018 is the safer buy, because the High-rated faults that hit the Mk1 hardest, in the MultiMode automated manual and the 2.2 and 2.0 D-4D diesels, all belong to cars built up to 2010. That doesn't make every Mk2 safe: a hybrid built up to 2014 falls inside two High-rated faults of its own (a 2015 one inside the head gasket fault), and if a Mk2 you're looking at has the 1.33 petrol, that engine's Medium-rated oil burning fault runs to 2015.

On a 2006 to 2012 Mk1, don't buy a MultiMode car or a D-4D diesel. The MultiMode's actuator and control unit can fail at 50,000 to 90,000 miles, leaving the car stuck in neutral or refusing gears. The 2.2 diesel's cylinder liners can corrode and break the head gasket seal at 60,000 to 120,000 miles, and on 2007 to 2009 cars both diesels can burn oil heavily and blow the gasket too. The manual 1.4 and 1.6 petrols have little on record, so judge those on the car itself.

Treat any 2010 to 2015 hybrid, Mk1 or Mk2, as a car you've got to prove rather than trust. Cars from 2010 to 2014 carry a High-rated fault for the inverter's power module failing at 80,000 to 150,000 miles, and 2010 to 2015 cars another for a blocked EGR cooler overheating the engine and blowing its head gasket at 100,000 to 150,000 miles. There's a recall for inverter overheating on 2013 and 2014 cars too.

Mk2s from 2016 to 2018 have less on record than earlier cars, and that isn't the same as a clean record: the hybrid faults' years stop at 2015, but nothing on file says Toyota changed anything. What's there for those years is a handful of single reports, including two owners whose clutches failed, so a late car still needs the same checks as an early one.

Which Auris engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

Don't buy an Auris with the MultiMode automated manual. The 2006 to 2010 cars fall under a High-rated fault where its actuator and control unit fail, typically at 50,000 to 90,000 miles, so the car slips into neutral on the move or won't select a gear when parked. Owners have described it holding first gear when pulling away from a junction, flashing its N light in slow traffic and, on one car, racing to full revs in automatic mode.

Skip the 2.2 D-4D diesel too. On 2006 to 2010 cars it carries a High-rated fault in which corrosion around the cylinder liners breaks the head gasket seal at 60,000 to 120,000 miles, and one report says DPF regeneration trouble can overfuel it and harm the bores. The 2.0 D-4D is no escape: on 2007 to 2009 cars carbon on the pistons of both diesels makes them burn oil heavily, a High-rated fault, and can blow the head gasket. Its timing chain has no scheduled replacement.

The 1.33 Dual VVT-i petrol from 2009 to 2015 has a Medium-rated fault: its piston rings let carbon build up until it's burning a litre of oil every 1,000 miles, typically at 50,000 to 90,000 miles, and one owner's 2010 car had carbon build-up by 22,000 miles. There's little on record either way for the 1.4 and 1.6 petrols, and one owner's 1.6 lost its clutch and dual-mass flywheel at 27,040 miles.

The 1.8 hybrid carries two High-rated faults: on 2010 to 2014 cars the inverter's power module can fail at 80,000 to 150,000 miles and shut the hybrid system down, and on 2010 to 2015 cars a blocked EGR cooler can overheat the engine and blow its head gasket at 100,000 to 150,000 miles. Toyota treats its gearbox fluid as sealed for life, but hybrid specialists and Toyota dealers advise a drain and fill at 60,000 miles, so ask whether that's been done.

What should you check when viewing a used Auris?

Coolant comes first on a hybrid or a D-4D diesel, since head gasket failure is the big risk on both: a low expansion tank or a heater that blows cold is a reason to leave it. Ask for a cold start on a hybrid and listen for a metallic rattle or shaking. Pull the dipstick too, because the Auris won't warn you when the oil runs low and one owner's low oil pressure light didn't work, which matters on a 1.33 or a D-4D, as each can burn oil.

On the test drive, a MultiMode car that hangs on to first gear, flashes its N light or shows a red cog warning has the known fault. On a hybrid, a 'Check Hybrid System' warning or a drop into limp mode points to the inverter. Listen for clunks from the steering column over rough roads, as one owner's 2011 car had a worn universal joint in it; a 2007 1.4 needed a whole new column, and 2007 cars got a steering bush modification.

Lift the boot floor and check the spare wheel well for water, which gets in through the one-way vent flaps behind the rear bumper; it's been reported more than once and Toyota later fitted modified flaps. Look at the front brake discs for heavy rust, since squealing from the nearside front and badly corroded discs on a car with 8,500 miles have both been reported, and check underneath, as one 2011 car was given an advisory for heavy rust at 52,000 miles.

Ask for proof of recall work: the electric window switch on 2006 to 2008 cars, the rear brake calipers on 2008 cars, and the evaporative emissions canister that can crack and leak fuel on 2006 to 2012 cars, with the Mk2 included too. Hybrids from 2008 to 2014 had a software update so the car enters its failsafe mode properly, and 2013 and 2014 hybrids a fix for inverter overheating. Ask as well whether a hybrid's ever been jump-started, since the wrong method can damage its circuits.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

Is a used Toyota Auris Mk1 (E150) (2006 to 2012) worth buying?

A Mk1 is only worth it with a manual gearbox and without a D-4D diesel, because the MultiMode automated manual, the 2.2 D-4D and the 2.0 D-4D all carry High-rated faults on cars up to 2010. A 2010 to 2012 hybrid sits inside both of the model's High-rated hybrid faults, so don't take one without a steady coolant level and no warnings on the dash. There's little on record either way for the manual 1.4 and 1.6 petrols. It earned five stars from Euro NCAP.

The MultiMode fault shows at around 50,000 to 90,000 miles, and one owner's 98,000 mile 2008 1.6 kept stopping in slow traffic with its N light flashing, even after a fresh clutch 18 months earlier. On the 2.2 D-4D, watch for coolant loss and overheating from 60,000 to 120,000 miles, and on a 2007 to 2009 D-4D of either size for oil vanishing between services and dark coolant being pushed out of the expansion tank. A 1.33 from 2009 on can start burning oil at 50,000 to 90,000 miles.

Flat 12-volt batteries have come up more than once: Toyota traced Auris batteries going flat after a couple of days parked and developed a fix, and hybrids left unused for 2 to 3 weeks have flattened theirs, so ask whether the fix was done and use a trickle charger if the car will sit. Catalytic converters have been cut off Auris hybrids by thieves, so look underneath for a cat that's been replaced or protected.

Single owners have reported a power steering controller failing on a 2007 diesel at 25,000 miles, a coolant pump and then a rear brake caliper on a 2009 car, and a nearside driveshaft leak on a 2012 car at 21,000 miles. If the driver's side vent blows cold but the passenger side stays warm, it's low refrigerant, and a re-gas sorts it.

Should you buy a Toyota Auris Mk2 (E180) (2012 to 2018)?

Yes, the Mk2 is the Auris to go for, since the Mk1's MultiMode and D-4D diesel faults sit in earlier years, but a hybrid built up to 2015 still carries a High-rated fault for a blocked EGR cooler blowing the head gasket, and one built up to 2014 another for the inverter. Buy one only with a steady coolant level and proof of the inverter recall on 2013 and 2014 cars. It's got a five-star Euro NCAP rating.

That recall dealt with an inverter that could overheat, light up warnings and put the car into its failsafe mode, and in some cases shut the hybrid system down so the car stopped. One owner's 2013 hybrid stopped at traffic lights and wouldn't restart, with a flat battery found. Catalytic converter thefts have been reported on Mk2s too, and a pair of U-shaped brackets under the car is one suggested guard.

One owner's early 2013 car made a cracking noise from the front by 11,000 miles and needed spot welds on the inner side member redone, and one 2014 car broke a nearside front spring. On later cars, single owners have had clutches fail on a 2016 and a 2017 car, the safety system switching itself off in cold, wet or foggy weather on a 2015 car, and the alarm going off at night on a 2016 car locked with walk-away locking.

The tyre pressure monitoring works from sensors in the valves, so running a second set of wheels on winter tyres means buying new valves for them. Check the sat nav gives sensible directions, as some Toyota units of this era needed a free software upgrade after giving directions that made no sense, and one owner's mixed up left and right.

What does a used Toyota Auris cost to run?

What do Auris owners like about them?

The Mk1 Auris rides on the soft side, which makes it a comfortable car for everyday driving over lumpy, patched-up roads. The suspension takes the edge off bumps rather than passing them straight through to you, and that's the thing to feel for on a test drive down a rough road.

That comfort doesn't cost it much in the handling, which holds up decently for a car set up this softly. It suits anyone who finds a firmly sprung hatchback too harsh, and the balance between the two is what makes it easy to live with day to day rather than a chore.

• The Toyota Auris front bumper achieved an Acceptable rating in ABI Thatcham damageability tests in late 2007.
• The Auris hatchback received a 5-star NCAP rating in 2006, scoring 35 points with strong adult and child occupant protection.
• The Toyota Auris was ranked the fifth most reliable 3-5 year old family car in a 2012 Warranty Direct claims analysis.
• The Auris placed second in its class in the Small Family Car category of the 2012 UK JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey.
• The Auris offers a decent combination of ride and handling, potentially suiting some drivers better than a Golf or Civic.