The 2016 Scion tC is the Toyota youth brand's entry-level sports car offering. Fitting below the more sport-oriented FR-S and above the lower-cost iA and iM options, the tC fills a niche that seems to have no want for eager buyers. Combining the appeal of a sports coupe with the versatility of a hatchback, the tC brings the best of both worlds to the curb.
The 2016 tC has received some much needed interior trim upgrades and a great new 7-inch touchscreen infotainment interface as standard equipment. It is otherwise unchanged from the 2015 model year.
Most buyers in the entry-level compact coupe segment are looking for something affordable, sporty (at least in looks) and useful as a daily driver. The tC brings all of that to the table in a complete package.
The 2013 Scion tC is only in its second generation of production, debuting for the 2005 model year. This year's model features a brand new trim level but not much else is different from the previous year. It has an exterior that screams performance and an interior that remains pleasant. Being in the sports car/hatchback section it falls short of competitors in areas like fuel efficiency and economy, but it does possess some decent characteristics where rivals fall short.
Scion is a division of Toyota, which means the tC should possess all the reliability characteristics of any Toyota model, but don't expect all the glitz and glamour that comes on higher-end compacts. It is ranked at 32 out of 43 Affordable Small Cars by U.S.News.
The Scion tC is the 21st most reliable vehicle in the small car category, with a reliability score of 7.5.
Approximately 0.1% of all Scion tCs on the road have reached 200,000 miles or more, which compares to an average of 0.7% for the small car category
The best-ranked small car for reliability is the Honda Civic Coupe
See below for the reliability scores of various cars in the small car category:
Honda Civic Coupe
9.1
Honda Civic Sedan
8.6
Toyota Corolla
8.5
Subaru Impreza
8.0
Volkswagen Jetta
8.0
Kia Rio
7.9
Hyundai Accent
7.7
Hyundai Elantra
7.7
Nissan Sentra
7.7
Kia Forte
7.6
Nissan Versa
7.5
Chevrolet Sonic
7.5
Hyundai Veloster
7.5
Mitsubishi Mirage G4
7.1
Subaru WRX
7.0
Toyota Yaris
Toyota Yaris iA
Mazda Mazda3
Mazda Mazda3 Sedan
Volkswagen Jetta GLI
Ford Fiesta
Hyundai Elantra N
Chevrolet Cruze
Subaru STI
Ford Focus
Is the Scion tC a good car?
Scion tC
The Scion tC earns an ISC quality score of 8.7 based on its reliability, value retention and safety ratings.
The Scion tC is ranked 8th in quality in the small car category,
with the Volkswagen Golf ranked just above it and the Mazda MAZDA3 Hatchback ranked just below it
The best-ranked small car for quality is the Honda Civic Coupe
