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

For a car packed with an enormous amount of technology, life with the petrol-electric Auris Hybrid is refreshingly simple.

I've driven cars which have had impressive levels of technology but really make you work to get the most of it, whether that's through an unfriendly software interface, or that you have to operate it through a confusing system of knobs and more buttons than a Boeing 747.

But the Auris is different.

The CVT gearbox couldn't be simpler - you move the small gearknob to either drive, neutral, reverse, or B (for brake) to provide additional engine braking on hills.

Unlike traditional automatic gearboxes, park is operated via a button on the centre console next to the gearknob, and this is automatically selected when the car is turned off.

Its front and rear parking sensors come on automatically at low speeds, as does the rear-view camera when reverse gear is selected – combined with its light steering and decent manouvreability, parking it couldn't be much simpler.

The same can be said for the Touch & Go navigation system (a £650 option).

Operated through half-a-dozen large buttons and a touchscreen, the sat-nav system is straightforward to programme, and includes a handy option to view traffic messages so you can quickly find any potential problems in your area.

The iPod interface is also logical and easy to use – it's possible to select the track or podcast you want with just three or four clicks and presses. Everything just makes sense in the way it operates.

All of this combines with a refined and comfortable ride to make the Auris hybrid a very easy and relaxing car to live with.