Toyota has unquestionably upped the ante with this second generation Auris Hybrid, producing a car with more style and keener driver appeal, to go with some pretty impressive eco numbers and low anticipated running costs.

Or put it another way, from wall flower to real contender, in one fell swoop.

• If you’re a company car tax payer, the Toyota Auris Hybrid is a winner.

In terms of company car tax, the new Auris Hybrid is an absolute winner (10% company car tax banding) this year. What’s also significant is the way Toyota’s hybrid technology is moving slowly but surely from niche appeal towards the heart of the company car market, so business car managers genuinely do now have a choice: petrol, diesel or hybrid.

As you’d expect, Toyota has benchmarked the Auris keenly against the VW Golf, Ford Focus, Hyundai i30 and Vauxhall Astra and of the two 1.8 hybrids on offer, the Auris Icon 1.8 (£19,995 OTR) is expected to be the best seller, offering  £1994 benefit in kind company car tax this year versus £2169 for this top spec (but better equipped) Excel.

Even allowing the fact that the press drive revolved around European spec cars in Portugal, the message was clear: that the new Auris Hybrid rates as a solid step from the outgoing model and ticks many of the right boxes.

But is it enough to pull company car drivers away from a Golf or Focus in a business car comparison? For those concerned with car park appeal, the redesign is good but not good enough (and maybe Toyota could have done more to make the Hybrid stand out more visually than the other models).

There again, for those who value paying less in company car tax, then it’s a winner.

Toyota Auris Hybrid 1.8 VVT-i Excel CVT – the low down