• Not tested by Euro NCAP
• Suite of modern safety equipment
• LED lights from the 2016 facelift

Although the Toyota GT86 is one of the few cars that hasn’t been independently crash-tested by the collision impact experts at Euro NCAP, its overall levels of safety are not a concern.

With equipment such as a switchable stability control programme, seven airbags and a torque-sensing rear differential, the GT86 shouldn’t pose much of a problem in the safety stakes. Toyota isn’t known for building flimsy cars.

While the GT86 had LED day-running lights from the start, the facelift during 2016 ensured the car is even more visible with full LED headlamps and tail lights becoming part of the package.

• Lack of tailgate inhibits boot access
• Rear seats aren’t very spacious
• Lack of interior oddments space

You don’t tend to buy dainty sports coupes for out-and-out practicality but even within this genre the Toyota GT86 isn’t great compared with its rivals.

Firstly, unlike the Audi TT Coupe and Volkswagen Scirocco, the GT86 doesn’t have a large tailgate to access the boot, instead making use of a small bootlid. It at least swings generously out of the way, but the aperture itself is quite small.

Similarly, the BMW 2 Series Coupe is also a two- rather than a three-door coupe, but it outscores the Toyota here by virtue of the fact its rear seats are more likely to be able to be used by (smaller) adults than the tight pair in the back of the GT86.

In many regards it’s best to think of the Toyota as a two-seater with a very occasional pair of pack seats and instead use them as additional boot space.

Talking of which there’s 237 litres of luggage area within the Toyota’s tail, which can be extended further by folding the back seats down.

Elsewhere in the cabin there are few spaces for storing odds and ends, so it’s best to pack light and rid yourself of your usual in-car detritus.