2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid Sedan

The 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is priced at $23,600 and it is only available in a single trim option. The LE trim is the only available hybrid variant. It comes equipped with a standard RWD system and a 1.8L I-4 engine under its hood. The brand has done its best to equip the car with an ample number of standard tech along with other modern bells and whistles. Features like automatic climate control, 18-inch wheels, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, front sport seats, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard to the 2021 Corolla hybrid.

Which Trim should you buy? 

You get to choose only from one trim option on offer. It doesn’t get many optional packages or standalone options either. Its only major optional feature is the safety features one, and we recommend opting for that as most of the modern cars offer them as standard.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid returns up to 53 MPGe in the city, 52 MPGe on the highway, and 52 MPGe combined. This Eco-friendly car produces fewer emissions; thus a smart choice for the sake of the environment. The vehicle can be driven using its electric power alone and as well as the engine and electric motor working together.

It is a self-charging hybrid car that gets charged by the energy captured during braking or slowing down of the vehicle and then stored in a battery. This stored electrical energy is released when needed to assist the vehicle with more power. The engine only starts when more power is needed thus offering commendable EPA figures. 

Talking about fuel efficiency, the 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid returns exceptional fuel efficiency figures; however, its rivals seem to do even better than that. In the city, Honda offers the best MPG figures while Hyundai offers the best highway MPG figures. The Hyundai Elantra Hybrid gets the largest fuel tank thus putting its overall range well over 600 miles while the Honda lacks in this regard with the smallest tank on offer.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla offers to seat a total of 5 passengers comfortably. The simplistic yet modern interior looks brilliant along with various standard features on offer. The controls are appropriately placed that are easy to use without looking away from the road. The finely knitted black premium fabric or light grey premium fabric inside the cabin looks very appealing. Talking about the functions it offers, it features 4-way adjustable rear seats as standard. Apart from that, you get automatic climate control as a standard as well. 

The front row of the Corolla offers a decent amount of space although the rear feels a bit cramped up. Hopping into the vehicles or getting out the rear of the vehicle might be a problem for tall adults. The 3-spoke tilt and telescopic steering wheel could have had a longer telescopic action to provide a better driving position. At the rear, the vehicle offers 13.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity and the 60/40-split folding rear seats add to the practicality even more.

Corolla Hybrid doesn’t get a spacious interior when compared to its rivals and also offers comfortable seating. Hyundai Elantra offers the most spacious first row with Corolla Hybrid getting the least space. The space in the rear row might disappoint in all cars though. Talking about cargo space the Honda Insight offers the largest trunk at 15.1 cu ft while the Corolla has the smallest boot capacity in this comparison. Standout interior features in the 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid include:

• Fine knit synthetic/ cloth upholstery
• Smart Key System with Push Button Start
• 60/40 split-folding rear seats
• Automatic climate control
• 6-way power-adjustable driver seat and 4-way power-adjustable passenger seat
• Tilt/Telescoping Steering Column

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid features an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It is easy to use even while driving. Along with that, you also get a 7-inch digital instrument cluster display. The system supports features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. For your music needs, you get a standard 6-speaker audio system. It also comes with a SiriusXM All Access trial subscription for 3-month. 

Along with this, you get Toyota’s Connected Services with a Safety Connect trial. It includes features like SOS for 24/7 Toyota road assistance, Service Connect offering personalized maintenance of the vehicle, Remote Connect that start, lock/unlock with use of a smart device, WiFi Connect that turns your Toyota into a hotspot and Destination Assist that provides 24/7 live agent assist to locate your destination. Standout infotainment features in the 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid are:

• 8-inch touchscreen
• 7-inch Multi-Information Display
• 6-speaker audio system
• Apple Carplay and Android Auto
• Amazon Alexa
• Bluetooth
• Wifi-hotspot
• SiriusXM with a 3-month trial
• Connected Services with Safety Connect trial

The 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid continues to amaze us and show how sporty and attractive a sedan can look. In the front, it gets an eye-gouging mesh grille along with high-grade LED headlights and accent lights. The headlights feature a fish hook-like design that merges into the front fenders. 

Coming to the side profile, the 15-inch alloy wheels look decent and complement the vehicle's sleek lines making it more appealing. At the rear, it gets LED taillights along with an outspread rear end. Apart from the above, you get heated mirrors as standard and a universal garage door opener is available for $175.

Coming over to external dimensions, the Elantra Hybrid is the longest and widest among the lot and also gets the longest wheelbase which helps open up additional cabin space. Talking about the Corolla Hybrid it is a bit more compact than its peers, however it has a higher ride height which is the best in this segment. Standout exterior features in the 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid include:

• High-grade LED headlights
• LED brake lights
• Accent lighting
• Power Heated Side Mirrors
• Black Grille and Side Windows Trim
• 15-inch Machined Alloy Wheels

The 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid has passed with flying colors in the IIHS tests. It got a ‘Good’ rating in almost all of the tests with the ‘Superior’ standard frontal crash avoidance system. It also received 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA safety crash tests with four stars in the rollover test. It also features Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 as standard. Other available options include Blind spot warning and rear cross alert. Standout safety features in the 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid are:

• Forward collision warning
• Pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Automatic emergency braking
• Lane departure warning
• Lane keep assist
• Automatic high-beam headlights
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane tracing assist
• Traffic sign recognition
• Rearview camera
• Blind-spot monitoring (optional)
• Rear cross-traffic alert (optional)

2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid vs 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid

The Hyundai Elantra Hybrid is among the best picks for a hybrid sedan; it features the most spacious cabin in the segment. Although in terms of power it is slightly inferior to the Honda Insight it still scores far better than the Corolla. The Corolla Hybrid stands close to the Elantra in terms of in-city fuel efficiency figures and range figures. The reliability of Corolla is impressive and you get plenty of safety standards. If a buyer puts safety first over luxury features then the Corolla is good to go.

2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid vs 2021 Honda Insight Hybrid 

The Honda Insight Hybrid is priced slightly lower than the Corolla. It features a smaller 1.6L Inline-4 that provides better engine output. Though the Insight Hybrid returns better EPA figures it gets a fairly smaller fuel tank. And hence the Toyota Corolla offers better range figures. Of the two, Honda is our preferred choice.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid is a very reliable sedan offered with a decent list of features. The standard safety package offered with this sedan is pretty impressive too. Plus you get the bulletproof Japanese reliability. Most of the rivals of the 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid perform better than it in terms of performance and EPA figures. But if someone wants to buy an extremely reliable and safe sedan for daily commutes, the Corolla might be a decent pick.