Toyota’s Prius Prime Saved Me Money on Gas, But Probably Not on the Environment

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to own a plug-in hybrid, and recently fate presented me with this opportunity. On a recent trip to Vancouver, I rented a 2024 Toyota Prius Prime for almost two months — the ideal scenario to test drive North America’s most popular PHEV.

My experience with the Prius Prime

Previously, the words “Prius” and “sexy” were rarely used in the same sentence. However, I think the wedge-shaped Prius Prime introduced for 2023 East much sexier than its disreputable predecessors. The sleek shape also pierces wind better to improve efficiency. It is, however, lower than before, which may make entry difficult for taller or older people.

I was comfortable in the Prius Prime once seated, although the materials and options aren’t as luxurious as other PHEVs sold in the USA. During two 10-hour highway drives from Vancouver to northern Canada, I never felt sore (or cold) in the heated, well-cushioned seats. However, visibility wasn’t optimal due to the low seating position and thick front pillars that sometimes blocked my view of traffic.

With its wraparound dashboard and 8-inch touchscreen, the interior is reasonably high-tech but not at the level of certain electric vehicles I tried recently. It came with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto support, which gave me smooth streaming entertainment on long stretches of highway. The driver safety features (lane keeping, adaptive cruise control, automatic braking and more) also boosted my confidence in Vancouver’s heavy traffic. The Prius Prime does not offer real single-pedal implementationbut it has a mode which is close to it.

With a 150 HP two-liter gasoline engine and a 161 HP electric motor (net 220 HP combined), the 2024 Prius Prime (fifth generation) has 100 more horsepower than the previous model. The electric drivetrain is powered by a 13.6 kWh battery (10.9 kWh usable) that takes four hours to recharge at 240 volts, or double that with 120-volt household electricity. This means you can fully charge it overnight, but it doesn’t have DC fast charging for quick power-ups on long trips. EPA electric range is 44 miles, 19 more than the fourth-generation Prius.

It accelerated surprisingly well (0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds) and was nimble, but had quite a bit of body roll since it’s not designed for the race track. Still, given the Prius’s reputation as a quiet hippie econobox, the new model was downright sporty. However, I enjoyed driving in all-electric mode much more than in hybrid mode: it was quieter and smoother, with reduced noise and vibration levels.

So how far was I able to travel with this electric motor alone? On the highway at about 65 miles per hour I covered 30 miles and just over 40 miles in the city. On one trip I drove from downtown to a suburb 30 miles away and got there and partially returned with a full charge. On another trip, I was able to go back and forth between the easternmost and westernmost points of Vancouver (13 miles) – a typical commute for many city dwellers – with about a quarter of a charge to spare.

With a constant load, my fuel consumption over a two-week period (averaging 25 miles per day) was about a quarter of a tank, or about $7.50. In terms of electricity, I used almost 70.5 kWh during this time at $0.085/kWh, for a total of $6. In total, I spent $13.50 on gas and electricity over 350 miles of mixed driving, so the Prius Prime was clearly cheap to run.

For long trips, it remains as inexpensive as a gasoline vehicle, thanks to the efficient ICE engine and the hybrid system that is among the best in the industry. With a full battery and tank, I set out on a 547-mile journey and drove 470 miles before stopping for gas, with a quarter tank to spare. This fill-up costs around $25.

Real savings and the plug-in hybrid problem

The timing for my test drive of this car was ideal. In October I spotted a European study concluding that PHEVs are not as economical as expected on a large sample size. Engadget article This sparked some passion among homeowners and potential buyers, so I wanted to compare my experience with the points in the study.

First, let’s see if a PHEV is worth the extra money over a regular hybrid. My calculations are for the average American buyer and do not take into account state or federal air quality rebates.

When I chose to lease a “compact” car, Avis assigned me a mid-range Prius Prime Edmunds. This suited me well as it only lacked a few features from the top-end XSE Premium, including the larger 13.2-inch infotainment screen and the solar roof option. A fully equipped 2026 XSE Premium model with these features costs $41,665.

Since Toyota also makes a regular Prius Hybrid, this vehicle provides an ideal comparison. The equivalent Prius XTE model has a list price of $31,995 in a similar configuration, making it $5,325 cheaper than the Prius Prime XSE.

The average American driver covers 13,662 miles per year and gasoline currently has a median $3 per gallon price. Over that distance, a non-PHEV Prius driver could expect to burn 273 gallons at 50 MPG (EPA Combined) in a year, spending $819 on fuel.

On the other hand, a Prius Prime driver would consume 70 to 85% less fuel EPA Or WLPT estimates. If we generously take the upper limit of these figures to 85 percent, that reduces fuel costs to $160. This would, however, require using about 2,500 kWh of electricity, so at an average US price of $0.18/kWh, this equates to $450, for a total of $610 (gas plus electricity). That means you’ll only save $209 per year, or $2,090.00 over 10 years, which isn’t enough to justify the extra price. (Fuel and electricity prices, consumption and other factors vary by region and can have a significant impact on these figures.)

It could be even worse than that, according to a European automotive think tank called Transport & Environment (T&E). After gathering the real world OBFCM data out of 800,000 vehicles, they determined that PHEVs only operate in fully electric mode 27% of the time, instead of the 84% estimated by the European WLPT standard. As a result, plug-in hybrids in Europe emit five times more emissions and cost users €500 ($586) more per year than previously thought. These numbers are likely similar in the United States.

How can regulators be so wrong about this key data? The first and obvious reason is that they underestimated how often people charge their vehicles. With their relatively short range, plug-in hybrids often need a full charge to get through the day in electric-only mode – but many people don’t do this.

For what? One reason could be the lack of easy access to the charger outside the home. I found them difficult to find and use, often requiring registration or an app rather than just letting me use a credit card (I’m looking at you, ChargePoint, Flo, and Switch Energy). It can also cost more than just buying gasoline, as many companies charge three or more times the market price for electricity. Another factor is that drivers of corporate or fleet PHEV vehicles recharge their vehicle less often than private owners.

There is an additional and particularly pernicious reason: the ICE engine often kicks in when PHEVs are supposed to operate in fully electric mode, especially with heavier sedans or SUVs. That’s because electric motors alone aren’t powerful enough for maneuvers like overtaking.

Larger batteries can increase all-electric usage, but only up to a point. Beyond 45 miles of range, emissions actually increase. The reason is simple: “Long-range PHEVs are the heaviest in the data set, averaging 28% more mass and 33% more engine power than the group immediately below,” T&E wrote.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with the Prius Prime and found it fun, practical, and cheap to drive. This is the most economical PHEV because it offers excellent electric range and enough power that the ICE engine rarely needs to start. At the same time, it offers the highest EPA mileage of any non-electric vehicle sold in North America. If I were in the market for a new vehicle, the Prius Prime would be at the top of my list.

However, I also learned that PHEVs don’t reduce emissions or save buyers as much as regulators and manufacturers have promised. Governments are largely to blame for this, as they have overestimated the use of all-electric in PHEVs and failed to support the charging infrastructure needed to make them practical.

Responsibility also lies with car manufacturers and buyers. Consumers want SUVs, but manufacturers don’t make PHEV electric motors powerful enough to run in EV mode all the time or offer fast DC charging. At the same time, drivers are not charging their vehicles consistently. Until these issues are resolved, in my experience, plug-in hybrids are a poor substitute for electric vehicles in terms of emissions and a less economical choice than conventional hybrids.