Used Toyota Auris Sports review and buying guide (2013 to 2019): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Toyota Auris Sports should you buy?

Go for a hybrid with under 80,000 miles on it, or a 1.33 petrol that isn't drinking oil. The hybrid's two serious faults, a failing power module inside the inverter and a blocked EGR cooler that can take the head gasket with it, show up between 80,000 and 150,000 miles. That's why mileage counts for more than age here, and why a high-mileage hybrid is the one to be wary of.

Hybrids from 2013 and 2014 were recalled because the inverter could overheat and shut the hybrid system down, stopping the car. On one of those, don't buy without paperwork showing the recall work's been done. Don't assume a later hybrid is clear of the EGR cooler problem either: it's the same 1.8 engine, so do the cold-start check below whatever the year.

Which Auris Sports engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

Of the two engines with known faults, the 1.33 petrol is the lesser risk: its problem is milder than either hybrid fault and it's easy to catch. Carbon builds up around the piston rings and it starts burning oil, usually between 50,000 and 90,000 miles. Pull the dipstick, watch for blue smoke when you accelerate and ask how often it's been topped up. A litre every 1,000 miles is too much.

The 1.8 hybrid carries both serious faults. The inverter's power module can fail between 80,000 and 150,000 miles, lighting up a Check Hybrid System warning and dropping the car into limp mode or cutting drive entirely. From 100,000 miles the EGR cooler can clog, overheat part of the engine and blow the head gasket. A hybrid well under 80,000 miles is ahead of both, but it isn't risk-free.

Any other engine or gearbox you come across has no known fault against it, which isn't the same as a clean bill of health, so judge it on its condition and paperwork. On a hybrid, take it up a steep climb on the test drive: it needs a gentle right foot on hills, and it's worth finding out whether that suits the roads you use.

What should you check when viewing a used Auris Sports?

On a hybrid, insist on a cold start and listen for a harsh metallic clatter or shudder, and ask if coolant keeps going missing: both point to the EGR cooler problem. Watch for a Check Hybrid System warning on the drive. Then ask for proof of recall work: the inverter overheating fix on 2013 and 2014 hybrids, a leaking EGR cooler on 2015 to 2018 cars, badly fitted seat side airbag covers on 2014 to 2018 cars, and a fuel pump that could crack and leak fuel on 2018 cars.

Get down and look underneath for the catalytic converter. Thieves targeted Auris hybrids in 2019, cutting the cat off with electric saws, and one report mentioned replacements were in short supply. Fresh cut marks mean it's been taken before. A cat lock or clamp already fitted is worth having, since Toyota itself was offering locks to owners who'd lost one.

Ask whether the 12 volt battery has ever gone flat overnight. On early cars Toyota traced a drain to the hazard warning switch: brushing it could keep the electrics awake without the hazards flashing, flattening the battery in a day or so. Turning the hazards on and off before switching off was the stop-gap, so ask if it's been sorted.

If the car comes with a second set of wheels for winter tyres, check they've got their own pressure sensor valves, because the tyre pressure system reads from the valves. And if the sat nav gives nonsense directions, Toyota put out an advisory saying a free software update, taking about an hour, cures it.

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

What does a used Toyota Auris Sports cost to run?