THRIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

You can look forward to low running costs with either of these hybrid small cars. But which is the better bet in the long term?

Remember how you used to feel when R you were in school and there was always that one student in your class who was annoyingly good at absolutely everything? Well, that's probably the same way the small car category views the Honda Jazz, a model so well rounded that it's been our Small Car of the Year for the past two years.

That was the mid-spec SR model, though. This time we're testing it in facelifted form, which benefits from slightly more power than the previous version, and in range-topping Advance Sport trim.

Alternatively, would you be better off with a Toyota Yaris? Like the Jazz, this contender comes exclusively with hybrid power, and it's renowned for its fuel efficiency; in fact, it's the second most economical car we've ever put through our scientific True MPG test )losing out only to its Yaris Cross sibling). We're testing it in high-spec GR Sport trim, which has been inspired by the brilliant GR Yaris hot hatch, yet it's still usefully cheaper to buy than the Jazz.

In fact, the Jazz now looks quite expensive. So, can it justify that premium over its closest rival, or have the tables turned?

DRIVING 
Performance, ride, handling, refinement

Although our contenders wear Sport badges, neither professes to be a hot hatch in the vein of the Hyundai i20 N. In fact, each comes with the same modest 1.5-litre petrol engine as you'll find in other versions of these cars, bolstered by two electric motors apiece.

That electrical assistance gives a good amount of instantaneous shove the instant you press the accelerator pedal, but it's the more powerful Jazz that surges forwards with noticeably more vigour, sprinting from 0-60mph more than a second quicker than the Yaris )8.8sec versus 10.2sec).