If You're Really Green, This Is The Car To Get: 2020 Toyota Prius Prime
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- Опубликовано: 20 июл 2024
- Full EVs are the flash green cars of today... But, if you really cared about environmental impact, improving energy independence, and being "green" then a Prius with a plug should be your ride. Not fast enough? Not sexy enough? Yep, that's a problem. Turns out actually being green isn't as exciting as looking green...
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18 months of ownership , averaging 168 mpg. I drive in EV mode 85% of the time . Absolutely no regrets !
It's not just green. It's economical and extremely reliable too. A very intelligent and rational choice of transportation.
I don't care about the environment. I just hate buying gas! We are not the same.
I only had to buy 1 tank of gas my first year owning a 2017 Prius Prime Advance. I’m able to drive approximately 30 miles on electricity alone. I’ve owned the car for over 2 years and absolutely love it. Best car I’ve ever owned!!
I drive 19 mile to work. The electric portion gets me there and almost back on all electric. In winter, I fill my tank every other month. In summer only once!
one tank for whole summer .. or one month of summer
@@Daniyalumer95 for months, my wife drives about 20k a year and we buy every 2-3 months, if she charges at work or her mom's house then we would only need gas when we leave town
I'm thinking about getting on 17
Prime=optimus prime is a prius in hiding lol
I deliver food and during the summer, i easily get 70 mpg.
Pro tip from a Prime owner: The charging receptacle cap slips right into the space to the right of the receptacle (it’s not a hook).
He fumbled it around right in the spot it goes into! I was like “wth man? It goes right there.” Good video other than that.
I wonder how many owners miss this?
Fantastic car!
Don't agree with Alex when he says 120V OEM charging cable is for "emergency" charging and that charging would take 7 hours. In my experience 120V charging in my garage takes 5-6 hours. Overnight 120V charging is all I do. So for me, my Prius Prime charges overnight while I sleep. I joke that "I sleep so that I can charge all my devices". :)
Do you have a 20A circuit in your garage? Many older homes are only 15A and should only provide 12A continuous. If you're not sure you should check that you aren't overloading your circuit. 7 hours sounds right for the far more common 15A (12A Continuous) outlets in the average US home.
Agreed. Ours charges from a standard household outlet in the garage in 5.5 hours from fully depleted. My amperage is unknown but I have felt the face of the outlet, the surrounding metal box and the face of the breakers at the panel when the car is making its maximum draw and there's no sign of warmth.
@@tjsean0308 To give Alex the benefit of the doubt, 7 hours on 120V at 8 Amp vs the default 12 Amp is accurate.
Ray Johnson Is the Prius drawing 8A?
6 hours overnight and 2 1/2 hours on a fast charger. I plug mine in when I go to movies, IKEA, some grocery stores. It's nice. My state needs more chargers though
I would argue that the Prius is actually a better car for normal people than most crappy 4 cylinder sedans in America that drive poorly. Unless you really value speed you won’t notice the lack of speed
Agreed.
I drove a 2003 prius (first gen) for 80,000 miles, and a 2010 (third gen) for 30K miles. I didn't mind the slightly less performance for the 50+ MPGs on my 70 mile round trip commute. If the alternative is a 1.6L turbo getting 29 mpg, everyone should at least consider a hybrid. They are peppier than you think.
They all drive poorly. That’s the problem with cheap cars.
I love the Prius! It's so practical and it's one less thing to worry about because it's not going to fall apart.
I just recently drove a Prius prime from Washington DC to Southern California. I did it in 3 days , I did not charge the battery during the trip and average 56 mpg . With temperatures between 60 to 35 degrees for most of the trip ( one night was pretty cold at 26 degrees) . I fueled up 5 times and put only a max of $20 each time so about $100 to cross the country . Plus I slept in the car a few hours for 2 of the 3 nights where I had to use the heat which used the battery and a lil gas .
I had a 2019 Prius Prime that looked just like this one. I drove it for a year before it was totalled. I ended up replacing it with a 2019 Volt because I got such a good deal on it. But I actually loved that Prius Prime. I admit it was a bit slow. But it was really comfortable. I liked the large NAV screen. It had great visibility. The ride was very smooth. And I was still able to do 90% of my driving in EV mode.
Do you miss the cargo space, though? I'm debating between the prime and a volt, as my first hybrid.
Hope the home repair is going well, duder :)
@@sushi_donut I owned a 12 Volt, it was really a nice car when it worked.. Ended up Suing GM for lemon law to get it replaced.. That was the last GM i owned.. It lasted 3 years.. and 9K miles.. Though Buick makes a nice variety of cars, i replaced it with a 89 Corolla with 439K miles on it, that i parked at the GM Service center so i could drive my own car every other day the thing was towed back to the GM lot.. Honestly if they could have actually fixed it, i would have kept it, it really was a nice car.. Once i got my settlement i bought a used 08 Grand Marquis, which i still have.. Admittedly i should have just bought a Prime.
The production that goes into these videos is amazing, thanks for a real world review.
Isaac Alonzo I’m glad he didn’t put his sticker on the car
@@USA-qm2bk Yikes, we did that 4 times total over 18 months ago LOL
@@AAutoBuyersGuide they're still kinda salty about it
@@AAutoBuyersGuide any plans to review the Corolla hybrid? With the current 179/mo lease, that seems like one of the best values around right now.
@@AAutoBuyersGuide japan has prius trd, handling package. maybe if they rid the aesthetic stuff, itd be just as lightweight but handle mores speed, and lotus steering would help make drive no sp boring and probably not weigh any more, better than electric power steering. maybe make a discord server or invite to one that is big and just show us your name on there so people can talk becuz comments are hidden and stuff in here
As a rational man who just wants to get to work with as little impact to the Earth and my wallet, I really like my Prime.
Dan Martin absolutely love mine. After 6 months, my average is 150 mpg!
I really love the Prius Prime.
Convert it to run on LPG if you want to get to work with as little impact to earth as possible.
@@davidp.4727 Damn, I'm over here struggling to get 40 MPG on a 2019 RAV4 Hybrid. 😖
@@JJFLD is that highway or city driving? I’ve gotten 54mpg in our RAV4 Hybrid in the city and tend to get 65MPG in our Prius Prime. My trick is while I dingo the speed limit i try not to Jack rabbit or stomp on the breaks. Interestingly enough my Chevy Sonic Hatchback that I had previously in the same area and driving conditions struggled to get 25MPG. So even at 40MPG you are getting nearly double the milage on a larger and nicer vehicle then most non hybrid vehicles.
My wife bought the 2020 XLE Prime five days ago. She has driven about 200 miles so far - around town, some freeway - and not used a drop of gas from the full tank provided by the dealer. The Prime plugs into our garage 120 outlet, the car timer starts it charging at midnight, and by 5:30 am at the latest it has a full charge from “empty.” It is quiet on most roads, but not as quiet as our Outback. Even in EV Eco mode, it accelerates just fine onto freeway and from stops. The Prime scores driving efficiency, and my wife is always in the 90s, so she has gotten about 30 miles per charge so far, twice pulling into the garage with virtually no charge remaining. It’s nice knowing that that the Prime will automatically and seamlessly switch to hybrid mode if she outstrips the EV mode charge. At the moment, her mpg reading is over 400 mpg. It should show the infinity sign (0 gallons/200 miles) but the car had some road test hybrid miles on it before she bought it, She loves it. (I’ve driven it twice and agree that it’s a great little car.)
I purchased a new 2020 Prius Prime just like the one reviewed here, down to the color even. I traded in a 2018 Volvo S90 T8 PHEV to get the Prius and like the Prius so much more. My electric range is about 31 miles on days that are not bitter cold and even on the coldest days, I'm getting about 27 miles all electric. On my two longest trips in the vehicle, I got 58 and 64 total MPG. The 58MPG trip was from Richmond VA to/from Atlantic Beach NC; a very flat trip. The 64MPG trip was from Richmond to/from Buckhannon WV. It surprised me to get better mileage in the mountains, but then I thought about the regenerative capability of the battery system and it made sense. Going down the mountains, I was adding up to 5 miles of EV driving. I'm loving this car, and I disagree with the host: Efficiency is sexy!
Efficiency is underrated and often misunderstood. Agree fully with you!
Great car, own one, our only car for town and county, and camping. One car is all we need so one less car built saving all those carbon emissions. We use about 2 tanks a year, about 22 gallons. Very little to charge it up. Get 25 to 30 E. Efficient is this car. Ebikes we use help on in town trips. Thanks for all the information and comments.
Just picked up 2020 prius prime in blue magnetism color. The color takes some time getting used to. Excellent mpg and moderate cargo space. Going green!!
I just got one, one week ownership. My Prius is The top of the line. I love it. So far I've got 800 km on half gas tank, which is 2,4 L pet 100 km...
I got one 15 months ago. 600-750 km during tough winter months, 1500-2000 km in summer. Best ever 2200km.
@@Oxmustube I have never gotten below 930km per tank. I often get 1300km with weekend EV trips. My best ever is 1610 km per tank. On 16 hr mountain roadtrip, sometimes up to 75 mph uphill, I still got 3.9L/100km. I am genuinely impressed with its fuel efficiency.
The Heat Pump in the Prius Prime is amazing, Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 2 or 3. Very few EV and PHEV have heat pumps. Some PHEV have to run the engine to get heat. Other EV and PHEV use resistive heater, COP=1 maximum. Even with all-weather, three peak snowflake symbol tires, I can get 54 MPG and 25 miles of range. On the stock NanoEnergy tires I could get 29 miles of EV range, though those tires are pretty bad in other regards my opinion. Because of the small 8.8 kWh battery, it only takes 5 hours to charge on the provided 120v charger. 5 hours for me is short enough I never cared to buy a Level 2, 240v charger. The provided 120v charger is not an emergency charger, I use it every day. I will eventually add sound insulation into the wheel well fenders to make the Prius Prime even quieter.
I agree about the charging time being less than the seven hours stated by Alex. Five hours or just a bit more from fully depleted is what we are experiencing with the ordinary household outlet in our garage.
You'd better off getting a better and quieter car than dump money to fix the NVH issues.
kia and hyandai has heat pumps. model dependent in canada
@@AFlyingCookieLOL When it comes to the Hyundai Ioniq, I think only the Hyundai ioniq electric version has a heat pump. I recall Alex saying the ioniq phev will start the engine when running the cabin heater and thus people with the phev version tend to run the seat heater to avoid engine start.
The heat pump is the only part keeping me from the prime. I've read they dont perform well in under 15° F
Thank you Alex. We absolutely love our Prime and it fulfills all of our needs as a family of 4 with toddlers! We couldn’t agree more with everything said on this video, but it does take us 5 hrs from empty to charge the Prime’s battery pack on a standard outlet. We love it and after “new engine break-in practice” of the gas engine, we have yet to fill it up!
I have never even considered a Prius until I saw this model. This just may be the one that ends up in our family. At my age I am no longer trying to drive like James Bond so this checks a lot of the boxes.
I have this exact same model and color and my license plate holder says 007
RAV4 Prime is gonna be totally mind blowing - I hope anyway.
Yes, 306 hp!
It'll be a tradeoff as the RAV4 won't be nearly as efficient. And with that curved roof you sitll won't be able to haul anything of great size like I could with my old RAV4 (digital TVs and motorcycles for example)
Not as good in my opinion. Mainly because a Prius Prime is built in Japan. Rav4 Prime most likely will be built in Cambridge, Canada or Kentucky, USA. And that makes all the difference why I would purchase a Prius over a RAV
Christian Jardin I prob will just keep my 2008 Rav V6 than.
@@LeoTheShortGuy No one's buying cars these days. Coronavirus hit everywhere and everything. Plus there's a price war with regards to oil between Russia and Saudi Arabia. So gas prices are very low. But it doesn't really help. Because people in many parts of the world aren't going anywhere
The charge port cover gets to rest on the slot directly to the right, it sits tightly. Toyota wouldn't miss this small detail. Alex, you just missed it.
Nope. Didn't work in the 2020, we tried it. The slot to the right is for a DC fast charge port that is not used in America.
You are correct memasterac. I just bought a 2020 and there is a slot to store the port cover when you charge. If you take a second look Alex, it definitely fits in the niche area to the right of the charge port. Thank you for another great informative video! I have one question. On the energy screen, it shows EV range remaining and HV range on battery icon. Are there “separate” battery cells for each drive mode if you will? I hope that makes sense. If not, disregard. 🙂
@@danefog We tried it, it wouldn't stay in there, it just fell out every time...
My 2020 XLE cover fits perfectly on the right side of the change port.
@@AAutoBuyersGuide I agree, the storage place for the cap is not the best design. I have no problem with a dangling cap while the car is charging. Alex, I really like how you keep saying: "Americans are not that concerned with economy".
To be short: efficiency is my interest. Pure EV´s are IMO not "fully there yet" as talking about price and overall long term reliability. They will be, just not today. Looking for old used Priuses atm, new ones are way too expensive in total for my use.
tesla model 3 is a compelling choice for alot of folks. vw are also making massive changes to what they are doing, google 'vw ev rollout', and you will see what i mean. they have waves of ev's coming.
@@-Derp- Tesla model 3 is a lot more expensive than a Prius, the difference in gas savings would take many years.
I got a 2015 used Prius fresh off a lease. Paid a bit more than I would have liked but I like it so far. I agree that Eva are not there yet in terms of price point and charging infra.
Long term reliability is absolutely there. I understand your concern about price though.
CarGurus list prime best prices.
Great animation on engine, pistons,battery, specs. I like this newer version more! I like this Prius Prime the most because of its range. Like you said, the electric range is short and needs charging every day, but the biggest advantage is that you don't have to worry about range anxiety. You can get gas in a pinch instead of worrying about charging. The biggest disadvantage is storage- the storage is so small, I can only fit 1 large suitcase which is not enough. I'm thinking my next car to be either RAV4 Prime or Pacifica Pinnacle to fit more luggage.
If you don't need a lot of cargo space, the Prius Prime is the car to buy (as you stated) for maximum fuel efficiency!
For us, with our daily driving patterns, our Honda Clarity is greener. The Clarity provides 47 miles of EV so as long as we drive our daily pattern it is pure EV. With the Prime we would be using gas every day.
I bought a XLE in December and have over 7200 miles on it. Your previous Prime review helped me to choose this car, thanks and always enjoy your videos.
I like the new visuals, but I wish you would still include all the arrows showing specific maneuverability in the front seat diagram.
It seems like he hired a new production firm. You can see it at the end of the video.
Up, down, fore and aft, tilt (front and back of the seat can be raised/lowered independently) and lumbar support. Finally, the seatback angle. As he said, there are no memory settings, So you hope Billy Barty is not the lot driver when you get your car serviced. (Too far back is EZer to deal with.)
I wholeheartedly agree. I miss the arrows, but love the new look!
@@Poorgeniu5 We do all the production in house but we did use a graphic designer to work with us on the look and feel. DykLaine LLC has always been the parent company of Alex On Autos.
Even though the ev range is 25 miles,I think my commute at 32 miles could still be majority or entirely done in EV because CA traffic on the 5 North 👌🏼
Hughes Le I’m in the same boat as you. My commute is 30 miles so I’m short only 5 miles. I wish Toyota would do at least 60miles before we needed to charge it again .
I have a 2018 and get 40plus battery only. I’m in UK and in a very hilly area so very impressed.
Despite the smallish battery I think the efficiency like how, Alex mentioned, is far superior than another other phev! I would rather have 25-35 miles of EV range with 50+ mpg versus 50miles of EV range amd sub 40 mpg like the volt or clarity
This guy needs to work on his math...
@@bigpete8567 Yes 40 kpc equal to 25mpc
Absolutely fantastic vid, thanks. "This is the rational mans decision". I purchased the 2020 limited Prius Prime 2.5 mounts ago after I saw your Prime video. I have driven it 1,500 miles. I will get a 4,502 federal tax credit and no Washington sales tax on the first $25,000 of the price. I think I am getting about 120 MPG. I had to get the car from Portland Oregon. The local Toyota dealers in the Seattle area are not getting these cars? I love this car!!!! It is doing everything I hoped it would. Most days i drive less than 25 miles.
We bought our 2020 Limited last September in Oregon just as you did. We now have 7500 enjoyable miles on it. Best car decision I’ve ever made.
I have been driving a Prime since 2017 and love it. For routine driving I fill the tank about once every other month since I am EV most of the time.
Just bought a 2010 Prius 150000 42 to 49 mpg don't care what someone else thinks about what I drive I'm putting money in the bank great video
I have a 2012 Plug-in Prius with ~60,000 miles, that has given me zero problems. Mine only got about 12.5 miles on charge when new, and now that's down to about 10. Also, mine does not allow battery-only operation, even when it's set to EV mode (it's more like a preference). This video makes me seriously consider the Prius Prime for my next car, versus the Tesla Y. Our other car is a 30 kWh Leaf, and I'm not sure we want to go EV-only. Thanks for the good job.
You're the best auto reviewer on RUclips. Thanks for all the great videos and your commitment to quality content! Keep up the great work.
I am impressed of how detailed this gentleman is!
Why are people still satisfied with 25 miles per gallon? Now that I’m getting over 55 to 60 miles per gallon and drive just as quietly and efficiently as other cars on the road, I think it’s mostly ignorance/(stuck in our ways) of our human species that we don’t have all cars like this!
Nice review!
I wish they had started making cars this way to get 60 miles per gallon, back in the 1980s.
But apparently the oil companies didn’t want us to have this. Took this long to get an amazing car that can still run on gasoline.
It is also nice to charge it while inside the grocery store.!
All the while, you know will not run out of power (gasoline backup), and continue to charge it at home, therefore, within 30 mile trips you’re not using gasoline!
I love my 2018 Prius Prime. My only complaint is the cargo space in the trunk. It's not a deal breaker for me but there are times that I really really wish to have that space back from the battery.
Excellent as always. Such great commentary that's why I patreon you.
This is by far the best review on a car I've ever seen! Just what I needed, thank you!!
Lovely daffodils in the background! Thanks for explaining the tradeoffs made for greater efficiency for those of us new to plug-in hybrids.
Have 5000 miles now on 2020 LE Prius Prime and love the vehicle.... it is “ efficient” , smooth, comfortable and admit “ quick” in EV mode! I could make one request would be for extended EV range. 50 would be great. My work is 25 miles round trip and an extra 25 would allow for some errands. My friends say then just go all EV but not yet but next vehicle for sure. I’m surprised Toyota is not developing an all EV yet?? Cmon Toyota. Highly recommend this vehicle!
To answer your central question here, yes, I do find it odd that, all in all, Americans don’t seem to get excited about efficiency.
Then again, I’m a 59-year-old Electrical Engineer, so at least stereotypically-speaking, if you were to ask around for somebody with high appreciation for electro-mechanical efficiency, and low appreciation for performance, fingers would start pointing my direction!
Well, if your gas was $7 per gallon such as in Europe maybe you would mind it too. Now if the average US salary was $1000 (net) like in Croatia, that would mean that the actual price of gas here is ~$27 per gallon adjusted for income. And that is the reason why Norway and Netherlands adore hybrids and EVs (they have crazy CO2 tax too on top of the gas prices).
@@nxadventures9510, sorry, I don’t follow you: I might mind ... what?
I really get into the efficiency of my Prius Prime (AKA, Prius PHV).
@@mr88cet I was referring to the sentence in the video that said that Americans do not care about gas mileage due to low gas prices, and gas prices around the world are anything but low, especially Europe, Japan, Korea, etc. which are also the markets in which this car is sold.
@@nxadventures9510, having higher gas taxes would certainly help get our priorities straight.
Then again, FWIW, gas prices vary quite a bit across the US: pretty cheap here in Texas, especially with COVID cutting down travel - around $2/gallon (somewhere around €0.45/liter), but nearly double that, pre-COVID in California, and some other places.
In my personal case though, it’s not just money or emissions; I’m an engineer nerd and a Prius nerd, so high efficiency gets me excited in itself!
Alex, If it's any consolation to you, Prius sales are booming in Canada right now😁 BTW The Car Care Nut Channel just featured a Prius Prime with 341,000 miles!!
Thanks for this review, I currently own a 2019 Volt and was looking for something to switch over to later when the wheels fall off this.
I might have to go full EV when that time comes and with battery tech improvement, it looks like the range might be there when that happens.
Great review and super good information!
Excellent review, as always. So professional and informative!
I'm on that efficiency train with you!
I have one strictly for efficiency. Its not a hotrod. I'm still learning to get the best mileage and I'm doing pretty well.
If you want a power car don't get the prime. Get a Corvette or something
Awesome review! As always very detailed and informative.
I changed over from a 15 year old VW TDI to a 7 year old Prius, and I love it! Low cost of ownership, nothing beats it!
Reliability, Efficiency, Maintenance Frequency & Costs : and this car seems to be the best choice. Thank you for your excellent presentation (as always).
Just a shoutout for this site/channel. Just bought a 2021 Prius Prime (the final choice was between that and an Ioniq PHEV) and this channel was an immense help in narrowing down the choice to those two options, and this video, in particular, made a great case about efficiency, which gave a big nudge in the direction of the Prius Prime. No knock against the Ioniq, but in the end, I simply preferred the feel of the Prius Prime in EV-only mode over the feel of the Ioniq in the same mode. Enough such that I'm prepared to live with the less than ideal ergonomics of the Prius Prime (if it had come down to that criterion instead, I'd be picking up an Ioniq PHEV next week instead--the Prius Plus drivetrain in the Ioniq's shell and interior would have been perfect...for me).
Can you elaborate a bit on this? Did you try both models with the power seats?
As always excellent reviews on car 🚗 plus today you use amazing angle for camera 🎥 on top of the roof so we can see better view 👏👍👍
I commute 50 miles per day and only get gas once a month. Also, the cap clips into that space immediately to the right of the J-plug. It takes just 5.5 hours to charge overnight. I have mounted my 'emergency' charger to the wall. With an oil change frequency of every 10 months and fueling just a month, I can't imagine a cheaper way to commute.
Great review Alex. I still love my 2017 Prius Four, and based that purchase on your review. Keep ‘em coming!
I was tempted to get one of those but the basic price of electric vs gas was cheaper. I almost get to work and back in warm weather.
I've watched so many of your videos, it feels like your twenty two hundred foot mountain pass is part of my own family.
I work 4 miles round trip from work.
Full time 3x a week.
Super market right by my job.
If I really did nothing but go to work, I can go 2 weeks on my 2017 prime.
This year so far I’ve only ran out of battery twice.
I've head gas spols after a few months. Are you doing anything about it?
Alex, your reviews are the best. Thank you!
Good video, now I can't wait to see your review on the new Rav4 Prime! Hope you can do it soon! Thanks
Alex, thank you so much for all the knowledge you put into these videos. I’m looking for a new (used car) and I am all over the place. Hopefully one day soon I will narrower it down. You all will get a kick out of this, currently I’m driving a 2010 Nissan Versa Manual! Basic car as you can get. I will becoming into the 21st century!
There is a port on the right of the charger connection where you can stick/store the cap while you are charging. It's there.
I'm loving his videos, especially showing the dimension comparisons. I really want a head to head comparison with this and the Ioniq plug in.
I'll say this, we've owned about 8 cars in my family and our Prime has 100% been the most efficient as well as most reliable. I don't know how you got your charging numbers though because on 110 we charge in 5 hours exactly everytime. In 2018 and 2019 combined we spent $350 in gasoline......again, very happy with our purchase.
Great video! I can't wait to see the new Rav4 Prime :)
It's gonna be heall fast for a Toyota SUV
Me too. Currently daily drive is a 2013 Volt.
Appreciate your driving with the 3 foot minimum rule used.As a bicycle rider, I want to thank you.
Definitely efficiency, and reliability is what I’m shooting for and from what you’ve explained this car will actually pay for itself in the long run. Thanks for the review!
Remember, 25 miles EV is not the range you will get if you live in colder climates. My Honda Clarity is rated at 47 mile EV range. In the summer it gets up to 56 miles, but down to 30 miles in winter. Toyota should make an all EV prius at that efficiency.
Alex, first of all, thank you for the excelent video - as usual.
In response to your question - the market isnt rational. If it was, we all be driving electric vehicles whith range extenders. As we dont have good produtos of these, in my opinion , Prius Prime is the best car one can have because of the efficiency.
In resume, markets sometimes dont make sense.
Disclouser : I have been driving a full EV for one year and a half (Ioniq, one of the most efficient EVs) , but the charging net got on my system (Portugal). I recently bought a 2017 Prius Prime - best of both worlds ! Ev comute during the week; when I have bigger jouneys, I dont have to loose my mind.
Alex - a couple notes on "efficiency" once we're talking about some electric driving:
1. Differences in electric efficiency are pretty insignificant because all electric driving (even less efficient EVs) are much cheaper per mile than gas powered vehicles.
2. Part of the point of going EV is the driving experience, the early adopter tech experience, and reducing pollution in your immediate area.
3. I suspect many drivers of plug in hybrids want most of their normal weekly driving to be done in EV mode and therefore care about EV range. For example, I'm sure the new RAV4 Prime will be less efficient than this Prius, but if the electric range is enough for my normal activities to all be electric and I can get acceptable fuel economy when I run the gas engine, that's enough for me. The fact that it might use more kWh/hr's per mile than this Prius is pretty much a non-issue, I don't mind buying a few extra cheap kWh/hr's and the grid is pretty clean (esp. if you pay extra for 100% clean power like I do).
if they were to bring back the Prius V in the plug in form I would get it today. I have a 2014 V and love it. It's more spacious than many cross over SUV's. The rear seats slide back and forward even. Great design! Have camped in it with my GF. Still waiting for the ideal car to come.
The rear seats slide back and forth!? I gotta find me a used one somewhere
RAV4 Prime or Hybrid is the Prius V replacement
Alex, your reviews are great!
I drive ~50,000 miles per year. For my daily driver, I have gone from Prius -> Volt -> Model 3.
Efficiency directly impacts my earnings. Switching to the Chevy Volt (gen 1) from the Prius (2008), my costs were only marginally lower, but the Volt was MUCH smoother, better insulated, drove like a more expensive car.
In my experience the Tesla has a similar ¢/mile cost, accelerates to 60 3x faster, handles like a sports car and has the absolute best lane keeping system available.
I care about efficiency, but I also care about performance, software integration, handling dynamics, and yes, even image. The Prius Prime is an excellent car, but it's too one- dimensional for me. The Model 3 allowed me to have the efficiency of a Prius and the performance of a Porsche in the same car.
This vehicle will absolutely be my next choice (if I were choosing my next vehicle today) for exactly the reasons you mentioned and more.
There‘s also another use case I’ve rarely seen mentioned, which maximizes the efficiency of a plug in hybrid like this and helps those with a commute over 25 miles round trip - using EV mode for lower speeds and around town driving, and normal hybrid mode for highway speeds. Let’s face it, a gasoline engine is at its most efficient when cruising at a consistent speed. Maintaining highway speed is also where electric vehicles use the most power. Let the gas engine do what it does best - run at a steady speed - and let the electric drive take care of the rest of your driving. It’s truly the best of both worlds, and how I drive my 2012 Prius Plug-in.
EXCELLENT video, Alex. I think, for most consumers, efficiency and economics are not as important as image, both from a perspective of status, but also from “being green”. The mathematically challenged public will see a 100% EV Tesla Model X P100D as being more green than a Prius Prime, because it uses no gasoline, ever. But if you do the math of the total amount of energy consumed to operate these vehicles, the Prius Prime is VASTLY more efficient and has a lower carbon footprint, when taking into account the average carbon footprint of electricity delivered in the US.
Glad you cleared up the "CVT" misconception! To clarify, though, MG1 (the little 30-HP unit) acts as the "gear ratio" by dragging the engine RPM down and supplying MG2 with energy. In the process of dragging on the engine, MG1 allows the engine to help pull the vehicle, and that's why the total HP number seems so low (MG1 can only drag so hard).
Great review (watching it again)!
Charging times aren’t quite right though: About 5.5 hours on 120V, and 2:20 or so on 240V.
It’s worth pointing out, based upon my 2017, that the 54MPG number is about right (60 is not unheard of), *provided you keep it below 65MPH* ; flat out on the highway at 75-80MPH, it plummets quite a lot, to more like ~48MPG.
I recently bought the Ioniq PHEV. PHEV is incredible. Mine is rated at 29 miles EV I can get well over that sometimes up to 35 miles. In the cold months I got 160 mpg and now that it is warming I have gotten 415 mpg. If you have a short commute get a PHEV. I am super super happy with decision to go this route
I've never gotten as low as 25 miles of range unless it was very cold, wet, and I was driving in the highway. This week, in 60 degree weather and staying off the highway, I got 36 miles. I think that EPA estimate is low if you know how to hyper mile in a Prius.
Not to mention this is one of the vehicles that you can use OpenPilot on. 100mpge and Open Pilot level 2 self driving. I'm thinking a prius prime is my next car! thanks for the awesome review.
You have opened my eyes to the reality man!. I just dropped Tesla 3 from my shopping list.
Sajid Hussain you got one, great job that is a sign of intellect
The prius is certainly a very good vehicle. M3 is backed by hype even Kia and hyandai EVs are 10k cheaper than base model tesla here in Canada and has more range than the base model m3
@The Everyday Boy yeah you are right. I was just thinking about the fuel efficiency. But yes the Tesla 3 performance and the auto pilot equipment seems like a must have gadget .
Im amazed the prius prime gets better mpge in EV mode then the best selling model 3. Even with the prime carrying an dead weight ICE. The prius prime in an under valued. Hated by the EV folks and hated by the ICE folks.
Alex on autos will disagree with you. On a previous post. Alex agreed with me. We are talking about the popular model 3.
Look it up on the epa website. All the popular model 3s get worst mpge. Most are under 130pmge.
The charge port cover fits snugly in the blank to the right when oriented properly. It doesn't "click" into place but there's enough friction to keep it in place.
love your new graphics, and great videos
Another great review. Thanks
The lid that cover the charging port does in fact has a little holster right next to the port. Preventing the lid from dangling.
It's either 110v/220v or 120/240v. The L2 is exactly double the L1 on the same circuit supply {grid}.
Thank you for the excellent video. Truly outstanding
Love the new dynamic visual graphics 💯
Prius still has the best hybrid architecture to date. Coupled with the most thermally efficient ICE on the market. Prius looks are another matter.
The parts and repair of a Tesla 3 are much higher than of a Prius.
Also the general expenses plus the monthly payments of a Tesla 3 are much higher than of a Prius for the same, let's say, 5-6 years of a bank loan.
A Tesla set of tires is around $800 and a real life full charge of of a battery capacity of around 78kwh is around $12 ( 65KwhX 0.20=around $12 on average, depending on the exact kwh price ) while a set of good tires for a Prius is around $160 on the internet and the gas cost for the same driven mileage is about $18 ( 300 miles/52X3=about $18 on average ) so the difference in fuel price on a 15 000 miles driven on average in a year is about $300. Only one monthly payment difference for a Tesla, accounts for all of that ( $500 of a Tesla to a $200 of a Prius ).
A Prius change of synthetic oil and filter ( at 15 000 miles ) is about $20 if you change it yourself. A Prius air filter changed at 30 000 miles is $ 9-12.
A monthly payment of a Tesla car loan is minimum $500 depending on your credit and of a Prius is around $200 minimum with the same credit situation.
If you have a wheel-tire damage ( and it happens because of the very heavy Tesla ) and you have to replace a damaged wheel or tire of a Tesla, god help you !
With a regular heavy car you almost never have a wheel-tire damage ( I have never had one in my life ).
When you do all the calculations correctly, your monthly spending is much less for owning a Prius.
Evidently, the ride quality of a Tesla is much higher.
That's the only real advantage of a Tesla over a Prius.
An approximation ( an average ) of the minimum monthly expenses for a Tesla 3 and a Toyota Prius is like this ( for a 15 000 miles driven per year ):
Tesla: monthly loan payment $500, tires per month $800/2=400/12 months=$33.3, oil=$0, fuel 15000/300X$12/12 moths=$50, engine air filter=$0, full car insurance=$150
Total:$500+33.30+0+50+0+150=$733.30 minimum Tesla expenses per month.
For a Toyota Prius the same expenses per month :
$200+6.60+20+75+0.50+85=$387.10
minimum Prius expenses per month ( read my explanations from above ).
So the difference in minimum expenses per month: 733.30-387.10=$346.20
and yearly: $346.20x12months=$4154.40 per year more expenses for a Tesla.
$4154,40 minimum more.
Does the riding quality of a Tesla 3 worth a minimum of $4154 more expenses per year than a Prius ?
You decide.
I had a 2013 Plug in - there were many freeway rides that I got 58 mpg. City mileage on average is was about 45. My 07 regular Prius was about 53 hwy and 45 city.
For me it’s a 3 fold problem limiting sales
1. Power. Selling a $30,000 car in 2020 with 120 hp is just downright insulting. Passing power is so weak it should be considered dangerous by the federal government (former Prius owner)
2. Styling. Just. Why.
3. Ground clearance. This car is lower than you’d think, 5.1 inches of ground clearance means you’re gonna be scraping it leaving just about any parking lot even if you’re careful.
Love all the new graphics and color scheme!! But I do miss the old order. Doing the driving segment before going over interior really caught me off guard.
Great video overall!!
I just gotta side with my Honda Clarity over the Prius Prime though, truth be told.
Nothing is more sexy than efficiency.
…. Except saving tons of $$$ 😉
Very accurate and honest review. My prius rocks in power mode and shines in fuel efficiency. It is a japanese wonder!
The issue of cargo space can be fixed by a thule roof storage and a wise driving habit.
I'm loving my 2022 Prius Prime XLE! Fantastic car!
I don't think the decline in Prius sales is necessarily about efficiency not being sexy. I just think a lot of buyers still prioritize driving dynamics and they don't want to entirely sacrifice it for slightly better efficiency, at least that's my thinking. I would gladly accept the lower efficiency and higher price of the Rav4 Prime over the Prius Prime. The Rav4 is very efficient, especially for an SUV, and it has enough electric range for my daily commute of 80 miles...AND it's quick and fun to drive. That is the type of plug-in hybrid that appeals to me, one that achieves a nice balance between efficiency and performance. I definitely don't think all plug-in hybrids should be performance oriented, just one trim level in the range should be about fun.
Did my Cleveland OH commute today . Temperature was 15 in the a m and 21 on way home.Left late so had to be a bit heavy on the gas. Full winter conditions. It went 28 miles on all electric until hybrid kicked in. Usually with warmer weather I can get 40 to 45 all electric. Toyota reliability, No way do these other hybrids measure up. Your call
Any Tesla fan who belittles someone for choosing a Prius needs to figure out their priorities.
Can't reason with virtue signallers.
The front of the Prius prime looks pretty good, but that rear end is just horrendous
Then always back in and walk away look at the front 🤣
Why do almost all car reviewers think in the same way when charging with 120v? They only see it in terms of charging a fully dead battery pack which is completely silly most of the time. They ignore real world situations like going on a 15 mile trip to the store and then plugging in your car to top it off when you get home which won’t take nearly as long. But with this car the difference between isn’t as dramatic because of it’s relatively small battery range. Still, seven hours is nothing to charge this battery from dead which could easily be done overnight every day.
On US models, that charging port cover can be easily stashed beside the charging port in the empty DC charging port area, rather than left dangling. Based on my experience, charging time on a 120V outlet is @ 5 1/2 hours. Maybe Idaho electrons are faster than California electrons. 😁.
This didn't work on this 2020 model, the tether is too rigid and would not allow it to stay there.
I think I’d go with a lower trim to get rid of that oversized display and get physical climate controls back.
I've been driving a 2017 Prius Prime Advanced, purchased new. The the Fed Tax deduction was helpful. Some states will also do a rebate. The cover for the plug in does fit into the right side opening. You just sort of hook in top first and it does fit. This is just a great car. I didn't put any gas into it for the first two months I had it. I might use 6 gallons a month as I travel some longer trips to visit family.