Chery Tiggo 4 vs Toyota Yaris Cross

The Tiggo 4 Hybrid is $30,350 against the Yaris Cross Hybrid's $31,790, a $1,440 saving for the Chery, and you get a bigger, more powerful car for the lower price.

Running costs swing to the Toyota: the Yaris Cross's remarkable 3.8L/100km uses about $1,080 a year over 15,000km versus roughly $1,540 for the Tiggo's 5.4, around $460 a year cheaper to fuel. But the Chery's longer 7-year warranty (versus Toyota's 5) and lower purchase price keep total cost competitive, and Toyota's exceptional resale is the counterweight.

The Toyota Yaris Cross holds a confirmed 5-star ANCAP rating (2021) with the full active-safety suite. At the time of writing the newer Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid grades were not separately ANCAP-rated in our data (the petrol Tiggo 4 is 5-star), so if a confirmed rating matters to you, the Yaris Cross has it, confirm the Tiggo hybrid's status before buying. Both come with comprehensive driver assistance.

The Tiggo 4 is the bigger, more practical car at 4,330mm with 175mm of clearance, and in Ultimate trim its cabin feels genuinely upmarket, with a large touchscreen, ambient lighting and soft-touch materials that punch above the price. It's the roomier, more SUV-like of the two.

The Yaris Cross is a light SUV, smaller at 4,180mm and lower (120mm), so it's best thought of as a high-riding small hatch. Its cabin is well-made and sensible but tighter than the Chery's, and the boot is modest. It's the more city-friendly, easy-to-park choice; the Tiggo is the more spacious family option.

The drivetrains tell opposite stories. Chery does not publish a combined output for the Tiggo 4 Hybrid: its 1.5L engine makes 71kW and its drive motor 150kW and 310Nm, and the motor does most of the work around town, so the Chery feels punchy and relaxed at suburban speeds against the Yaris Cross's combined 85kW (though its 0–100 time is a leisurely 10.5s, the Toyota's lighter weight makes it feel nippier off the line at 9.8s).

The Yaris Cross's trump card is Toyota's outstanding hybrid efficiency: 3.8L/100km is among the best of any non-plug-in SUV on sale, and the system is famously refined and proven over millions of vehicles. The Tiggo offers more performance and a bigger car for less money; the Toyota offers unmatched economy and reliability. Both are front-wheel drive.