Used Toyota iQ review and buying guide (2008 to 2014): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Toyota iQ should you buy?

The iQ to hunt for is one built from June 2010, when Toyota began fitting a reworked exhaust manifold and pipe that moves the EGR pipe downstream of the cat. On earlier cars that pipe can clog with soot and sap power: one owner's 2009 car laboured up ordinary hills and motorway slip roads until the dealer traced it to this. Toyota put the fix in a service bulletin in August 2011, so an earlier car that's had the new parts fitted is the next best thing.

Between the two petrol engines, the 1.0's the lesser risk, because the one known engine fault belongs to the 1.33, which can start burning oil somewhere between 50,000 and 90,000 miles. If it's a 1.0 manual you're after, make it a January 2009 or later car, as that's when Toyota fitted a bigger clutch. Cars from 2008 to 2010 also had several recalls, so an early iQ needs the paperwork to show they were done.

Which iQ engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

Go for the 1.0 petrol over the 1.33. The 1.33 (Toyota's 1NR-FE) has a known piston ring fault that lets carbon build up, so between 50,000 and 90,000 miles it can start drinking a litre of oil every 1,000 miles, blowing blue smoke as you accelerate and misfiring on fouled plugs. That doesn't rule a 1.33 out, but it makes oil use the first thing to ask about on one.

The 1.33's six-speed manual has a drawback of its own: one owner found it wanted a downchange on the gentlest motorway incline and only pulled properly above 3,500rpm, which sent fuel use soaring. On the 1.0 manual, the clutch is the worry on the first 2008 cars, which shared the Aygo's engine, clutch and gearbox and could need a new clutch after around three years until the bigger one arrived.

What should you check when viewing a used iQ?

Get proof the recall work's been done, since early iQs had several: a sticking accelerator pedal and a faulty power steering sensor on 2008 and 2009 cars, a power steering software update, reduced braking efficiency on cars built up to 2010, and, on turbo diesels built from 2008 to 2010, oil gathering in the turbo that could escape and catch fire. On anything built before June 2010, ask whether the reworked exhaust manifold and EGR pipe have gone on, then check it pulls up a hill.

On a 1.33, pull the dipstick and ask how often it needs topping up. Blue smoke as you pull away, a stuttering misfire or sooty spark plugs all point to the carbon build-up, so be extra wary of one past 50,000 miles. On a 1.0 manual built before January 2009, ask whether the original clutch has been replaced and get the receipt if so, as those early ones didn't last.

Go through every gear on the test drive and feel for crunching: one owner's 2009 iQ lost its synchromesh between second and third at 28,500 miles despite a full Toyota history, and was quoted £2,700 before Toyota's goodwill cut it to £1,300. Start it from cold too and listen for a loose rattle, because one owner's 1.0 Multidrive had one that a new air-con pump belt only partly cured.

Look hard at the paint, as two owners of 2009 iQs had it peel, one with pearlescent white coming away in big flakes at 40,000 miles. Feel for heavy vibration between 1,600 and 2,500rpm as well; one owner's four-year-old car had it, and it was never cured despite 14 weeks with three different Toyota dealers and a new gearbox along the way.

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 iQ cost to run?