Overview & Reviews

Well into its fourth decade of production, the compact Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car in automotive history, and for good reason. Small, inexpensive, fuel-efficient and as reliable as the day is long, the Corolla is the quintessential economy car. As long as you change the oil on time and don't hit a tree, any Corolla should provide dependable transportation well past the 100,000-mile mark. That's why so many shoppers keep buying Corollas year after year.

Since its 1968 introduction in the U.S., the Toyota Corolla has come in a variety of body styles, including a sedan, coupe, hatchback and wagon. More recently, however, it has only been available as a sedan. Today's Corolla has almost as much rear passenger space as a midsize sedan and its fuel economy is impressive. Although rivals boast sportier designs and more entertaining driving dynamics, a Corolla is nonetheless an excellent choice for smart consumers on a budget.

User Reviews:

• 

  I got rid of it! - 2000 Toyota Corolla
  By Kana - October 28 - 2:50 pm

  I purchased Corolla on the basis of staunch quality history. Unfortunately, I got nothing but issues. No Kidding! Here they are: Exhaust manifold flange gasket, all 4 power window motors, rear engine main seal, instrument cluster lights went out, inner tie rod, and huge vibration at 65mph. Yes, the car never got me stuck on the road, but I think Ill stick with other more reliable quality vehicles out there.

• 

  Corolla CE with Enhanced Convenience Pkg - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By Micheal - October 24 - 3:06 pm

  Corolla is quiet, smooth, pleasant. This car is not really designed for tall people, and people of average-and- above girth. Im 62" and 180 pounds; the leg space is acceptable (just so- so), but my left elbow is passed the door elbow rest, with the seat all the way back; the seat cushion is too narrow - its side bolsters dig into my behind, making longer drives very uncomfortable. There is no lumbar support. The steering wheel telescopes and tilts, which is good. Controls are logically placed, simple, and easy to operate. Amber back-lighting of the instrument panel looks great, but the red needles badly crash with it. The stereo system sounds very basic.

• 

  OK except wierd brake placement - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By Robert Weiner - September 13 - 3:56 am

  traded in an old SUV and got clunker discount on a new Corolla. Main problem with the Corolla is brake pedal engages way down near the floor where the accelerator pedal is. Easy to hit accelerator when trying to brake. Why does Toyota for 2009 decide to situate non-adjustable break point so low? Electronic steering becomes annoying after a while too. No real road feel as in a normal hydraulic steering system.

• 

  Headlights are a disaster - 2015 Toyota Corolla
  By Annie - September 10 - 6:52 am

  I always thought that the Corolla was the best for reliability. It probably still is. Safety, on the other hand is now questionable. Problem is, where I live we have hills and a lot of deer. Who ever designed the headlights for this car did NOT do their homework. On low beam, which is led, the headlight lens has a sort of a black plastic "eyelid" over the top of the lens, so that when you go down a hill, the lens cuts off your sight lines to only about 50 feet ahead. It is so disconcerting that beyond that 50 feet, it is absolute blackness. It is like a solid black curtain that drops down. There is no way to see if anyone or anything is approaching from the ditch onto the highway. You absolutely have no idea whats ahead, its like driving blindly. When you put the headlights on bright, a halogen lens will kick in and you will have a little better sight line which gradually fade away. If I had test driven this car at night, there is absolutely no way that I would have ever bought this car, and the previous Corolla that we had was one of our favorites, that along with the Camry that we had. These headlights should be recalled. They are dangerous.

• 

  Slightly disappointed - 2000 Toyota Corolla
  By jds2805 - September 5 - 2:22 pm

  Perhaps I got a dud but I was disappointed. I kept up all maintanence. But at 194k miles the transmission went out, shocks went out, gasket blew and alternator died. 194k miles for a Toyota is to soon for transmission and engine problems. Especially since the early 90s models are going 250k+ miles with no problems. It did get great gas mileage and maintanence was cheap. Id still take Toyota over Ford or Dodge any day.

• 

  Loud and missing key options - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By dtskiles - September 2 - 10:00 am

  I rented on for a week from Hertz. I was among the first people to drive the car as it had less than 1000 miles. First complaint is engine noise. Trying to accelerate to keep up with just Tallahassee traffic was enough to drown out the radio. Second complaint is power locks. This model had keyless, wood trim and a CD player. I could not, for the life of me, find automatic locks inside the car. Either theyre so unituitive I couldnt find them, or they dont include power locks with keyless entry. If the car has power windows, then power locks should be standard. All in all - get the Civic.

• 

  Disappointed with Toyota Corolla - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By Gindelm7 - August 19 - 10:00 am

  I knew I was buying a very cheap car that would get great gas mileage. However, I guess that it would be marginally better than my low expectations. Gas is Good, but not what was on the sticker. Im at around 28 mpg. Tires show excessive wear at only 10,000 miles. And car will not start sometimes. Had it to the Toyota dealer and they cant find the problem. They will however sell me additional services that are not requested. I should have bought the Elantra!

• 

  Better cars available than the Corolla - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By Vijay - July 15 - 5:06 am

  Toyota of Dallas has great Customer Relations, Service, and New Car Sales. Im satisfied with them. I am not satisfied with this car. My commute is 6 miles local one-way. I average 22-23 mpg. The steering is stiff, there is a huge driver side blind spot, tire noise is very noticeable, the ABS engages even at low speeds and makes a whirring sound. Cornering and braking doesnt inspire confidence. Acceleration is jerky. Interior is cheap quality with lots of plastic. Look at the flimsy rear cup holders! I wish the headrests and armrests were softer. Lastly my change holder broke already after two months and I didnt use it once. I like the mud flaps, rear bumper protector, cargo net and tray.

• 

  Holds it value, cant say anything else positive - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By noneya - May 30 - 12:04 pm

  Im 6 foot tall and almost didnt buy because of its size, would have been a good decision. My knees are right on the steering wheel, nobody could sit behind me and the seat puts me at an akward posture. Its overly standardized; changed a back light and had no way to turn on or off the lights to check it until the car lets me at night. Why cant the human control the lights? Really dumb feature on a regular basis. Windshield wipers have 3 or 4 settings, thats it, no adjustable levels. Accelerates so slowly I might as well be on a 50cc scooter. Electronics suck; only shows track number on display, I dj so it helps if I can see the song titles to remember the song. The auxiliary is broken on my car so thats probably just my qualm but be careful, its delicate. Bought it at about 105000 miles, 09 in 15... owned it 5 months and Ive put 500 in repairs and will be taking it to the shop again this week. Not a mechanic but the front wheels suck. Friend of mine with virtually identical car had to replace whole transmission at just over 100000 miles. Gets great gas mileage but I would have paid for better quality as I thought this car would be more reliable ie less repairs, maintenance expected. Worst car Ive ever owned. Good thing it holds its value, anybody in the market for an oversized go cart?

• 

  Poor, Poor Corolla - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By vallet1 - April 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought a 2003 LE in May 2003 and sold in Feb. 2004. This was one of the worst car buying/ownership experiences of my life. First, the dealership (Planet Toyota) used the "old fashioned" tactics to sell the car-- you know the "let me see what my manager says..." deal. Secondly, the car is not fun to drive, rides poorly, looks like every other car and is not very comfortable. Lastly, the people at Toyota Financial are very unfriendly, rude and elitest--they really need to humble themselves. Luckily I was able to sell it for a good price. I would NEVER buy anything Toyota again. You should look at anything else--DONT BUY A TOYOTA!