Toyota Prius Prime: 2018 Motor Trend Car of the Year Contender

We Like: Value, huge visual differentiation from regular Prius

We Don’t Like: Tight rear-seat headroom, body roll

If you want the best Prius Toyota offers, is the plug-in Prime the way to go? Opinions were divided on whether the Prime’s aesthetic changes from the standard Prius transformed the car into one that was less ugly or just a different ugly. Still, we admire Toyota’s dedication to differentiation—especially those too-cool taillights.

Looks debate aside, the Prime is a decent performer on efficiency and range considering a base price comfortably below $30,000. The Prius Prime can go up to 25 miles on EV power alone before the gas engine kicks in to help, for a total driving range well over 600 miles.

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The Prius Prime drove around a winding road “with less tire squeal and drama than the Hyundai Ioniq and Kia Niro,” Frank Markus said. That doesn’t mitigate the Prime’s substantial body roll. “I’m not sure it’s going any faster; it might even be going slower. There’s just less drama.”

Inside, the weird styling continues—occupants are awash in a sea of shiny white plastic—and the ersatz Tesla infotainment screen washes out quickly in sunlight. Plus, it has only two rear seats. However, bonus features include a full suite of active safety tech, LED headlights, and navigation.

But the prime mover to someone who primarily wants a hassle-free commute is avoiding the gas pump. Because the Toyota’s battery is relatively small, charging only takes about 2 hours at 240 volts. And if your commute is short, you can go gas-free for days at a time if you plug in at night.

2017 Toyota Prius Prime
BASE PRICE	$27,995
PRICE AS TESTED	$33,995
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, FWD, 4-pass, 4-door hatchback
ENGINE	1.8L/95-hp/105-lb-ft DOHC 16-valve I-4 plus 121 hp electric motors; 121-hp combined
TRANSMISSION	Cont variable auto
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	3,435 lb (56/44%)
WHEELBASE	106.3 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	182.9 x 69.3 x 57.9 in
0-60 MPH	10.0 sec
QUARTER MILE	17.4 sec @ 79.9 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	125 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.78 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	28.5 sec @ 0.56 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	55/53/54 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	61/64 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.36 lb/mile

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