Our fleet: Toyota Auris Hybrid Excel 1.8 CVT - September 2013

The Auris hybrid is due to make its first visit to the local Toyota dealership this week for its one-year/10,000-mile service.

It's cropped up perhaps a little sooner than expected, but the delivery mileage on the hybrid was about 5,000 when it arrived on our fleet in June as it had already spent some time on demonstrator duty with other publications.

The 10,000-mile service interval seems short given that some diesel rivals have much longer intervals, such as the Vauxhall Astra 1.7 CDTi Ecoflex 130 Techline, which needs servicing only every 20,000 miles.

This means that for a car on a typical fleet cycle covering 20,000 miles annually, the Auris needs two services a year, compared to the Astra's one.

However, this isn't reflected in higher SMR costs over a four-year/80,000-mile replacement cycle. Figures from KeeResources say the Astra's costs will be 3.74 pence per mile compared with the Auris's 3.56ppm.

This means that, with no impact on running costs, the main drawback of the short service interval boils down to the inconvenience of taking it to the garage one extra time each year.

Otherwise the Auris has continued to impress.

The interior is showing no signs of wear and no squeaks have developed either, which reflects the initial impression of good build quality.

Fuel economy on a tank-by-tank basis is a consistent 57-60mpg, while the smooth ride and decent level of refinement make the Auris a relaxing car in which to cover many miles.