FOR many years now the small car has flourished in the UK and along with an assortment of alternative fuels, a very comfortable economic essence has now been reached by a number of car makers, one of which is Toyota and its hugely popular Yaris hatchback.

Suddenly, last summer, the Japanese car giant opened the hybrid way for the Yaris, its best selling core model in Europe, which has clocked up more than 2.5 million units, 368,000 in the UK.

And, with Prius and Auris hybrids continuously accelerating in popularity the Toyota Yaris has now taken on board the petrol/electric power plant with the belief that some 20% of Yaris sales to come are likely to be this latest hybrid model.

While much is justifiably being made of the hybrid side of the newcomer, the comfortably laid out cabin has undergone some minor changes, including a hybrid system indicator, soft touch pads on the dash and some quite tasty trim around the steering wheel and handbrake.

Toyota has always been renowned for the generosity of its kit levels and new Yaris Hybrid owners will not be disappointed with a decent range of standard equipment including intermittent wipers, dual zone air con, trip computer, electric door mirrors, seven airbags, six-speaker audio system, ABS braking with electronic brakeforce distribution, traction control, adjustable headlights, immobiliser and central locking.

Primarily targeting owners who seek an affordable city car within which fuel frugality is a must, there is also the promise of a quite enjoyable driving experience.

All the major hybrid components are lighter and smaller while the fuel tank and hybrid battery have been neatly installed under the rear seat so there is the same 286-litre baggage capacity as the standard petrol and diesel models.

The seats are comfortably supportive and there is also ample space for a couple of adults in the back seats. Luggage capacity can be further increased thanks to the 60/40 split folding rear seats.

Toyota has provided three models all with automatic transmission and is looking to the mid range T4 version to be sales leader. Driven here is the range topping T Spirit model.

On the road the Yaris Hybrid proved a good looker and from the driving seat there is excellent overall visibility.

The initial silent running under battery power may take a little getting used to but overall the Yaris Hybrid is a pleasure to drive.

The hybrid system combines a re-engineered 1.5-litre petrol engine with a compact electric motor, a power inverter and battery pack.

Toyota's official combined-cycle fuel consumption is claimed to be 76.3mpg for the T Spirit model with CO2 output at 85g/km and while performing at under 30mph the Yaris Hybrid runs on electric power only before the petrol engine cuts in.

However, on a 150 mile journey I managed to see a fuel return a little below the mid-60s.

That's still more than acceptable and overall the Yaris Hybrid is a pleasant performer and for private drivers there is no road tax to pay.