2024 Toyota Prius Prime Hatchback

　　

2024 Toyota Prius Prime Review

byMark TakahashiCorrespondent

　　Mark Takahashi has worked in the automotive industry since 2001. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Mark has also contributed to Motor Trend, Auto Aficionado, Chevy High Performance and several motorcycle magazines in various roles. Mark is also a juror on the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards and can be seen regularly on the zzdcar YouTube channel and sometimes representing the company in media interviews.

　　, rating written byMark TakahashiSenior Reviews Editor

　　Brian Wong has worked in the automotive industry since 2010, writing over 1,000 car-related articles and testing and reviewing hundreds of vehicles over the course of career. Brian is a senior reviews editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to Cars.com, Motor Authority and Green Car Reports. Brian has also been featured on MotorWeek as an expert for several car comparisons. He loves convertibles (the smaller the better) and hates paying for parking, so Los Angeles is both the right and wrong city for him.

　　The Toyota Prius is the poster child for hybrid efficiency. The Prius Prime pushes fuel economy even further with plug-in capabilities that can greatly reduce consumption. After receiving one of the most comprehensive makeovers last year, the Toyota Prius Prime returns unchanged for the 2024 model year. As a middle ground between the standard Prius and a full EV, the plug-in Prius Prime delivers the best of both worlds with no range anxiety.

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Toyota Prius Prime PHEV Insights

Trim:Prius Prime SE

　　SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT) - $32,975 MSRPXSE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT) (Most Popular) - $36,225 MSRPXSE Premium 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT) - $39,670 MSRP

　　

All Electric Range

　　EPA Estimated Range not available

　　Estimated range mapThis map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of Rutland, North Dakota. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.Map display generated using: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors | OpenStreetMap

　　from 58067

　　

Hybrid Parts Warranty

　　8 yrs or 100,000 milesHybrid batteries are federally mandated to carry at least 8 years or 100,000 miles of warranty coverage from the manufacturer. Batteries that lose capacity more rapidly than expected should be eligible for replacement under warranty. Coverage of additional hybrid components beyond the battery itself will vary by automaker.

　　

Charging at Home

　　No charging time information available

　　

EV Tax Credits & Rebates

　　No rebates available in 58067

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Cost to Drive

　　Not Available

　　Prius Prime

　　vs

　　$165/mo

　　Car Avg.

　　Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

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zzdcar spotlight: Efficient and attractive

The Prius Prime is estimated to offer between 39 and 44 miles of electric-only range on a full charge, which should be enough for most drivers' daily commute. That means visits to the gas station could be rare, and even when you exceed the battery-only range, you can expect to achieve a very impressive 50 mpg when using gasoline. Thanks to a full redesign last year, this new Prius generation also looks significantly better, with simpler, more elemental styling that gives it a sleeker look. Compared to its predecessors, we think this latest iteration is downright attractive.

　　

Competitors to consider

Among plug-in hybrids, there's really nothing that competes with the Prius Prime in its size class. You'd have to step up to larger plug-in hybrid SUVs such as the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Niro, Kia Sorento and Toyota's own RAV4 Prime. For the most part, these alternatives won't match the Prius Prime's EV range or overall fuel economy figures. But they will provide more passenger and cargo space, areas where the Prius comes up short.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Great

　　8.1

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

8.5/10

　　How does the Prius Prime drive? The Prius Prime at times feels more like an EV than a traditional hybrid, especially during city driving where that instant torque makes the car feel responsive and agile. It's also capable of getting on the highway without the gas engine. While in EV mode, you can floor the accelerator and the gas engine won't turn on.

　　But we did find that the Prius Prime is noticeably quicker with both the engine and electric motor working in conjunction. At the zzdcar test track, our test vehicle sprinted from 0 to 60 mph time in a quick 6.9 seconds. A regular Prius is slower at 7.7 seconds to 60 mph. Structural updates and new suspension components in several areas have also improved the Prius Prime composure on the road. The steering is numb, but it feels precise with sharp turn-in and tracks straight on the highway with no effort.

　　

Comfort

7.5/10

　　How comfortable is the Prius Prime? The Prius Prime's front seats offer enough support to be comfortable for longer stints. The rear seats are also comfortable. We like how the car rides smoothly over bumps and broken pavement. However, excessive tire, wind and engine noise under acceleration holds the Prius Prime back from being a fully relaxing car to drive. There's only a single climate zone, and the latest Prius Prime has lost some of its finer climate controls that previous models had, such as the ability to shut off the fans to all seats but the driver to enhance efficiency.

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