2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Review

The Corolla Cross is Toyota’s smallest crossover, with the choice of gas-only or hybrid powertrains.

If you’re looking at this model, the hybrid is definitely a consideration for how much better it performs, although you’ll have to look at its competition, too. The 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid comes in two trims, both with all-wheel drive (AWD), starting with the SE at $36,775 (including a non-negotiable delivery fee of $1,930). The XSE tested here is $39,535, while its optional blue paint and black roof brought it to $40,075 before taxes.

Styling 8 / 10

The Corolla Cross is well-proportioned, looking more like a wagon than an SUV. The SE rides on 17-inch wheels, while the XSE moves up to 18-inch rims. The XSE also has a sunroof and roof rails. Inside, the Corolla Cross shares its cabin design with the Corolla sedan and hatchback models. That gives it a relatively simple look that may not please tech-savvy users, but everything’s easy to use.

Safety 8 / 10

At the time of writing, the 2025 Corolla Cross hadn’t been fully crash-tested by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nor the not-for-profit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In previous testing, it got four out five stars for frontal crash by NHTSA; and while it got the IIHS’s top “Good” in the original moderate front overlap test, it got “Acceptable” in the updated test, which now includes potential injury to a rear-seat passenger as well as to those in front.

Standard advanced safety features include emergency front braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping and tracing assist, automatic high-beam control, and the backup camera that’s mandatory on all new vehicles. The XSE further adds parking sensors with reverse automatic braking.

Features 8 / 10

The hybrid’s entry SE trim includes LED headlights, heated cloth seats, a heated steering wheel, automatic climate control, an eight-inch centre touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster, and cargo privacy cover. Moving up to the XSE tested here adds several features, including upgraded head- and tail lights, a sunroof, roof rails, a seven-inch cluster display, auto-dimming rearview mirror, wireless charger, faux-leather upholstery trim, dual-zone climate control, and a power driver’s seat. It also adds a three-year paid subscription for onboard navigation, which can be added to the SE but with payment up front.

User-Friendliness 9 / 10

The Corolla Cross relies heavily on buttons and dials, which are less distracting than finding and tapping icons on a screen. My only complaint is the gloss-black plastic around them, which reflects sunlight like a mirror. The steering wheel controls are equally easy to use, and they include round buttons originally meant to mimic those on an iPod — proof that technology doesn’t always have to be three minutes old to get the job done effectively. With the subscription-based navigation, saying, “Hey, Toyota” awakens an assistant to help with finding locations or information.

Practicality 8 / 10

At 609 L of cargo volume with the rear seats up, the Corolla Cross isn’t outstanding — the smaller Kia Niro Hybrid has 646 L — but there’s a low liftover that makes it easier to put items inside. For longer items, the rear seats are easy to fold down and they fall flat for 1,750 L of space.  

Comfort 8 / 10

The Corolla Cross’s seats are supportive, and front legroom is good, but at 813 mm (32.0 in) of legroom, the rear seats can be tight. The ride is smooth, just slightly on the firm side but fine for everyday driving.

Power 8 / 10

The Corolla Cross Hybrid employs a 2.0L four-cylinder engine that, on its own, makes 150 hp; but when combined with its electric motors, that increases to 196 net hp. The engine and electric motors up front drive the front wheels and charge the battery, while AWD comes courtesy of a third electric motor that sends torque to the rear wheels as needed. It uses an automatic continuously-variable transmission (CVT), and the system automatically switches between gasoline, electricity, or a combination of both, depending on driving conditions.

It isn’t a powerhouse, and the CVT gets noisy under hard acceleration, but it still feels perkier than its gas-only sibling. Overall, the Corolla Cross seems a better vehicle as a hybrid.

Driving Feel 8 / 10

The Corolla Cross does exactly what’s expected of it. The steering is responsive, the handling is smooth and predictable, it handles city conditions effortlessly, and while highway passing requires some forethought, because you’re obviously not going to get sportscar-style acceleration, it’s fine at higher speeds.

Fuel Economy 7 / 10

The Corolla Cross Hybrid is rated by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) at 5.2 L/100 km in the city, 6.2 on the highway, and 5.6 in combined driving. In my week with it, I averaged 6.2. It runs on regular-grade gasoline.

There aren’t many competitors in this subcompact hybrid crossover field, and its closest, the Kia Niro Hybrid, does better at 4.8 L/100 km combined. Within the Corolla Cross’s own stable, the Corolla Hybrid sedan averages 4.9 L/100 km, and the larger RAV4 Hybrid tops it only by decimals at 6.0 L/100 km. A combined rating of 5.6 L/100 km is still good, considering the gas-only Corolla Cross rates 7.8, but others do better.

Value 6 / 10

At $39,545 for the XSE, the Corolla Cross’s issue is perceived value: behind the wheel, it doesn’t quite look or feel like a vehicle just shy of $40,000 before tax. In both their top trims, it comes in $1,395 more than its non-hybrid Corolla Cross sibling; but the Corolla Hybrid sedan’s top level is $38,115. Among the few small hybrids on the market, the Kia Niro Hybrid makes less horsepower but much more torque; it runs through four trims from $32,795 to $41,495; and while its highest level is $1,950 more than the Corolla Cross, its features missing in the Toyota include heated and cooled seats, a power passenger seat, 10.25-inch touchscreen, premium audio, rain-sensing wipers, power tailgate, and head-up display. (All prices including delivery.)

The Verdict

Of the two Corolla Cross choices, the hybrid is the better of the two, with better driving performance and fuel economy. Still, while the 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid doesn’t have much head-to-head competition, it’s not a slam-dunk over it. Test-drive it, but check out some of the other options as well.