2025 Toyota Corolla, Basically Unchanged, Now Playing Catch-Up With Civic
The Honda Civic is on the verge of reclaiming its spot as the best-selling car in Canada, which it lost to the Toyota Corolla two years ago. After nine months in 2024, the former has sold 22,373 units while the latter has barely topped 20,000 units.
The Civic, as you know, benefits from a solid update for the 2025 model year including fresh looks, new tech and the return of the Civic Hybrid. Meanwhile, the Corolla is possibly entering the final year of its current generation, and no major changes are in store.
- Also: New Autobox Pushes Toyota GR Corolla North of $60,000
- Also: 2024 Toyota Corolla Hybrid: It’s No Prius But Still Worth a Look
The sedan is available in 10 different trim levels. The base Corolla L now starts at an all-inclusive price of $26,451, a hike of just $180 versus 2024. It’s roughly $3,000 cheaper than the entry-level 2025 Civic LX. As a matter of fact, even the Corolla LE and SE are more affordable. The 2025 Corolla Hybrid starts at $29,571 (LE model).
The only thing new to report is a larger touchscreen (10.5 inches) in the sportier-looking Corolla XSE models.
Under the hood, both the Corolla and Corolla Hatchback feature a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine producing 169 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque through a CVT. The available hybrid system, which combines a 1.8-litre engine with an electric motor for 138 net horsepower and fuel consumption as low as 4.7 L/100 km in a mix of city-highway driving, remains exclusive to the four-door Corolla. Honda offers its own, more powerful system in both body styles.
The Corolla Hatchback, incidentally, is unchanged for 2025. All-inclusive pricing starts at $26,856, vastly undercutting the base 2025 Civic Hatchback Sport ($33,416).
The high-performance GR Corolla, which is an entirely different product, gets a few upgrades (standard heated steering wheel, 22 lb-ft of extra torque, etc.) and one notable addition, namely an optional eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Prices are far from Corolla-like.
The base Core model with a manual transmission starts at $51,475, while the new-for-2025 Premium model replacing the Circuit Edition retails from $59,477. Want to get rid of the clutch and enjoy that autobox we’ve just mentioned? That will cost you an additional $2,220, bringing the total to $61,697 before tax. Ouch.
All 2025 Toyota Corolla models are now on sale at Canadian dealers. Will a late-year push close the sales gap with the Civic? Frankly, we highly doubt it.