Lexus UX200 vs Toyota Corolla

What's the difference?

You’re after a premium SUV with size for five, without exceeding the ideal metropolitan footprint. It should have adequate oomph for occasional forays into wider open spaces, but offer enough comfort and luxury to keep you cool and relaxed in the city.

And you’d rather look at something outside the predictable Euro brand path. The Lexus UX 200 F-Sport may just be your ideal urban companion.  

Up until 2024 when its title was nabbed by the Tesla Model Y, the humble Toyota Corolla has been the world’s best-selling car for quite some time. 

A reputation for reliability, affordability, efficiency and in its current guise, being fun to drive, the Corolla has seen off all comers to retain the title of the most popular small car on Earth.

The current twelfth-generation Corolla is now seven years into its life cycle having landed in mid-2018. In that time scores of buyers have moved across into small SUVs, and the Corolla’s competitor set has shrunk dramatically as car brands pull out of the small passenger car segment.

But as we gear up for the next-gen Corolla, is the existing one still worth considering against some newer rivals? And should you look at this instead of a small SUV?

I lived with the mid-range Corolla SX hatchback for a week to find out.