Toyota Corolla picks up bold orange paint and new features for 2025

• Minor 2025 update for Toyota Corolla
• New ‘Metal Oxide’ paint finish
• More sustainable interior materials

Hybrid hatchbacks are a dime a dozen these days, but the Toyota Corolla still stands out as one of our favourites, despite first hitting the market seven years ago. For 2025, Toyota has decided its frugal family car deserves a minor update to keep it feeling fresh against the competition, which includes the MG3, Peugeot 308 and Honda Civic. The updates also apply to the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, its more practical estate twin.

What’s new for the 2025 Toyota Corolla?

We’ll be honest – the updates for this Corolla this year are hardly groundbreaking, but they could be enough to win you over if you’re currently in the market for a hybrid hatch. That’s even more true if you’re a style-conscious buyer, as Toyota has added a trendy new paint colour to the Corolla’s palette.

‘Metal Oxide’ is the new colour for this year, bringing the paint tally to 10 options. The brown-orange hue is only available for the range-topping GR Sport and Excel trim levels, and comes with a contrasting black-painted roof. We expect it’ll be a fairly pricey option, though – Toyota currently charges between £955 to £1,250 for its bi-tone paint schemes.

All Corolla models have also picked up black-painted wing mirrors in place of the body-coloured items from before. Mid-tier Corolla Design models have benefitted from a new set of 17-inch alloy wheels, finished in a silver and black colour scheme.

Toyota has made a handful of changes inside the Corolla, too, focusing on improving sustainability. All trim levels have picked up a new synthetic leather material for the steering wheel and gear selector, following the same in the C-HR. There’s also a new upholstery option for the Corolla Design made from recycled materials of different colours.

Under the bonnet, Toyota’s self-charging hybrid engines are largely unchanged. Buyers can still pick between a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine or a more powerful 2.0-litre unit, both offering upwards of 60mpg. The larger engine has seen a small reduction in power, though, down from 193bhp to 174bhp. We expect its 7.5-second 0-62mph time to marginally increase as a result.

The updated Toyota Corolla is on sale in the UK now, priced from just under £30,505, or £31,840 for the Touring Sports estate. It arrives just as Toyota ramps up its efforts with a major push on electrification. An all-new electric SUV is due to be unveiled in a matter of days, while the new Toyota Urban Cruiser EV is set to go on sale in the UK shortly.

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