I test drove the Toyota Corolla Commercial and this low-cost hybrid van has one surprising feature

PEOPLE trust Toyotas because of their Japanese reliability.

Well, here’s a working van that is just as dependable — it has up to a ten-year warranty.

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But it’s built in Toyota’s British plant, engineered here, for British tradespeople to drive in British conditions.

In fact, it’s not sold anywhere else. And it doesn’t have any car-based rivals.

If you have a light-load business, the Corolla van has a lot going for it. Electricians, technicians, repairers. Or blue-light responders: Paramedics, say, or police dog handlers.

It’ll carry 425kg, which is plenty for those sorts of things.

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It’s a hybrid but it doesn’t need plugging in, so it’s always ready to go.

It does an easy 60mpg so it’s cheap to fuel. It’s taxed as a van — far less than a company car.

But it drives like a car because that’s basically what it is.

Also, it looks like a car, with blacked-out rear windows rather than metal.

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Toyota has discovered that a “car” parked in your drive overnight is less likely to get broken into than a van.

The black window film, by the way, is pretty well burst-proof.

The van version begins by mixing it with the other Corolla hatchbacks and estates as they come down the assembly line at Toyota’s plant in Burnaston, Derbys.

But the assembly workers leave a few bits out.

There are no back seats or rear belts, and not even their welded brackets.

The rear inside door handles aren’t connected. Because if a van can be turned back into a car, the HMRC denies it the tax breaks of a van.

After the end of the line Toyota fit the steel partition behind the front seats, a flat load floor and the black window film.

But, yes, from the front seat it’s basically a car.

You sit in a reclined position, not the upright perch of a van.

It’s got a full set of driver assistance, including active cruise control, which is super-relaxing if you have a long work trip.

Climate control keeps you cool, and a colour screen runs the maps and apps from your phone.

It also has a reversing camera. That is pretty handy when the load bay is stacked.

You can have a bit of fun throwing it into a series of corners, as the steering is light and accurate.

Make sure your cargo is well tied down, mind.

The ride is decently comfy, too.

From the driver’s seat the main difference compared with a normal Corolla estate is that more tyre noise emerges from the echoey rear section.

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Hardly a big sacrifice for a low-cost vehicle that’s good for work all week but can still act as a two-seat car at the weekend.

You could get a hell of a lot of camping and surfing gear back there.

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