Voting has ended for 2021’s WapCar Car of the Year Awards, and the winners for Readers’ Pick can be seen here. Meanwhile, members of the WapCar editorial team have also voted for their own favourites.

In the Affordable Car of the Year category, it’s the Toyota Yaris that edged out. Why? Simply put, it’s the generous level of equipment across the range as well as its competitive price.

The Honda City Hatchback was launched after the voting poll had commenced, which meant that it wasn't included in the shortlist. Even if it were, we think that it wouldn't have affected the final result.

Granted, the Honda City Hatchback does have a few tricks up its sleeve, like the ULTRA seats and brilliant interior packaging, but the Toyota Yaris is still more than a match for it.

Also read: Review: 2021 Toyota Yaris – Does the City Hatchback have it beat? Not quite

For starters, the Toyota Yaris gets seven airbags as standard, while the City Hatchback gets four airbags in lower rung variants.

The suite of ADAS in the Toyota Yaris that packages AEB, Lane Departure Alert (LDA), Blind Spot Monitor (BSM), and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) is equipped from the mid-range E variant onwards.

As for the Honda City Hatchback, you’d have to step up to the range-topping RS variant to get any form of ADAS such as AEB, and the RS is likely to breach RM 100k.

Also, LED headlamps are standard across the range for the Toyota Yaris, while lower rung variants of the Honda City Hatchback get halogen units.

Also read: Launched in Malaysia, 2022 Honda City Hatchback fights Yaris, est. price from RM 76k

On top of that, the Toyota Yaris is also cheaper than the Honda City Hatchback, variant-to-variant. The Yaris starts from RM 70,940 for the J variant to RM 84,808 for the G variant. Prices for the City Hatchback on the other hand, start from RM 75,670 for the S variant to RM 87,860 for the V variant.

Best of all, we appreciate the Toyota Yaris’ ride comfort. The suspension is superbly tuned to be supple yet controllable through the bends. It’s able to gloss over most of our sub-optimal roads without losing composure. Plus, the cabin is one of the quietest in class.

Putting aside the objective matters that were mentioned, we think that the Toyota Yaris is one of the best-looking B-segment hatchbacks on sale right now. That alone may have won a vote or two.

It’s not perfect; the interior doesn’t look inspiring and the powertrain is best described as gentle. But considering the value and refinement the Yaris offers, we think it’s still a compelling proposition for many buyers.

Also read: Toyota Yaris is still No.1 seller, but the Honda City Hatchback has target locked on it