A new start for the Prius - Toyota launch in the UK as a plug-in hybrid 2024 Review
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- Опубликовано: 16 сен 2024
- Toyota made a U-turn on their decision to bring the Prius to the UK. in 2022 under 600 units were sold, this new generation heads in a new direction with a fresh look and target audience.
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I’m glad the new Toyota Prius is now available in the UK. Interestingly, it has been on sale in Ireland and Cyprus for about a year (both European RHD markets).
However, there are two EU markets where it’s not available (Spain and Sweden).
Yeah, for €48,000 or +€500/month, shamefully
I was told by a Toyota dealer that the reason it wasn't coming to the U.K. was that, after Brexit, they would have had to do a complete U.K. type approval. Thankfully the authorities have decided that CE is good enough for the U.K. despite the E standing for European.
@@MrDuncl Initially they said low sales of the Prius, but to be fair, that was at a time when the Prius was pretty dated.
@@DaveDVideoMaker The two are linked. They wouldn't want to crash test several cars just to sell a few hundred.
Not having a rear wiper would WIPE the smile off my face!🤭😅
i have got the new Prius, thought there would be an issue wish no rear wiper, but because of the slope of the rear glass window. It keeps very clear of water on it when driving, am very pleased with this car 😁
Thx - I enjoyed this review; as someone who vilified the Prius, this is a welcome change that's come on leaps and bounds.
Rear wash wipe is a must in the Uk...especially in our winters.
Just spoke to Toyota over this car and this is what they said. Just for your information the Plug-In Prius is an online order only with limited stock coming to the UK probably around 400. Due to this the used market for a new one will be very limited and most people would probably keep these for a long time and they will most likely hold their value well due to limited supply.
I'm sure that after a couple of years used ones will start arriving from japan including hybrids. It is difficult to find a used fourth gen which isn''t a used import.
I have a plug in Prius. They were introduced in about 2019. An excellent car.
The CHR has a digital rear view mirror so the lack of rear wiper is not a problem.
Did you forget to mention the plug only charges at 3kW as opposed to the C-HR 7 kW
That looks rather fetching in yellow. I do like a rear wiper though.
I don't agree with your point about the private market. TfL has a new rule where only plug-in hybrids can get a PCO license, and Toyota knows that most of its cars are bought by private hire drivers, so there's no point in launching a normal hybrid as taxi drivers won't be buying them. Hence, they only launched a plug-in hybrid.
Don't understand why new cars have large rims. What if you hit potholes or even rough parts of a road?
I was in the market for a plug-in hybrid. So I wanted something that feels luxurious, has a good driving dynamic and is somewhat cheap. I've gone to Toyota, Lexus, Kia, Peugeot, and so on. Plug-in models always end up expensive, costing around 40-50k. At the time I was driving a 2019 Corolla. Noticed the new 2024 Corollas were lacking on some features that my older 2019 model had. Like the vents for the back seats, rear wiper, and other minor details. So I decided to not pay more for a car that's basically worse than my old car.
A friend of mine recommended to check out BMW. Yes most models are a bit more expensive, but for the same money I would've given for a Prius, I got an unsold 2023 model 545e at a discount (not a top spec, medium one). Ended up paying roughly the same amount of money (difference of 2-5%). Except the BMW is larger inside, has better noise insulation, drives better and faster, the aluminum inside is real and not plastic painted as aluminum, the synthetic leather seats feel better, has vents in the back, has the same EV-only range, has the B58 engine that's in the Toyota Supra, has some neat features like remote engine start, and other minor improvements. The only things I'm sacrificing is reliability, fuel consumption and the choice in color and features. I hope I won't end up regretting the reliability metric, but in all other aspects its a better car for the same price.
Btw I noticed most of the manufacturers I visited are cutting expenses by reducing features that were present in previous models. I really don't like that new trend.
@@lamcho00 the main downside of most “prestige” cars is service costs and limited warranty of 3 years then £800 p.a v 10 year warranty. I am sure you will enjoy the BMW
Rear wiper & Bigger boot space (such as Prius Plus) would be needed to join a shortlist for consideration.
Does it have a rear camera??
You're a very good presenter. Good video.
I appreciate that!
I see on RUclips in 2026 Toyota's Hybrids will start using BYD Hybrid Power Trains, I thought Toyota had the best Engineers in the World
Toyota have done a great job on the styling and have carried it over to the new camry and next year will also apply it to the Corolla, can't wait
Like the look, but lack boot space being so much less than other PHEVs is really poor…
Lovely looking car on the outside, especilly in that colour, but the inside is a little under whelming. It has TOO much grey & black - it's everywhere!!!
Hi Trish, I’ve test driven one as I love the styling. The only issue holding me back, is the awful standard colour. If you purchase the excel with a different colour, it puts into the silly money VED bracket for 5 years. A poor decision by Toyota uk for this year, but hopefully next year’s standard colour will be an improvement.
Still don’t see the point in a plug in hybrid, either go petrol or electric. Toyota are still lagging behind on the EV side with only one EV which no one in the UK is buying, when have you ever seen a BZ4X on the road ?
PHEV’s are the way to go, although 53 miles EV range is not good enough compared to the 70+ of other brands. ps. All PHEV’s are self charging hybrids when the battery runs out. 🤦🏻♂️
Surprised by you TISH being an SUV Girl. I thought with you driving a VW UP GTI that you would prefer low fown cars. I think the rear door handles on this are perfect. They help give it a coupe look. Never had a problem with that type of handle. These have been on sale here in Ireland for around a year now but still not hoo many out there on the wild sadly as thet look great and yes, futuristic. Yes not a word I am found but would happily use it on this.
Great video Tish👍 This car will be perfect for those who can charge their car at home but for those who can’t, either the Corolla Hybrid as you say, or the Civic e:HEV or the new Peugeot 308 Hybrid will make much more sense. I love the Lamborghini-looking wedge shape design that Toyota were going for in this new Prius though!
I got mine today love it
Wow that's amazing 😍🤩 Love From Nepal 🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵
The lack of a rear wiper is Toyota acknowledging that all of these will be bought by Uber drivers. None of whom bother to use their rearview mirror or glance over their shoulders!
It's a shame that there won't be many of these being sold in the UK. I'd buy a used one in 2-3 years if there was going to be a healthy used market for these. Ideal for a high mileage business user like me who often does a lot of miles in a day. That 53 miles would get me to work and back on an office day, and I would still be able to get 50-60 mpg after the lecky runs out on long motorway runs because it doubles up as a self charging hybrid.
No rear wiper is not an issue for .e. for the last 5 years I've driven a car without one. I can still see behind without any trouble. Thinking back when I had a rear view mirror hardly used it.
I love this car. Love the color shown, love how high the hatch opens. Rear door handles are nice and clean. Sadly the version shown is way too expensive ☹
There are air vents for the back but under the front seats on both sides. I Haven't seen even one reviewer which noticed it.
The question is does the UK marker car get the Solar power battery top-up function? I believe it can add 20 miles to the battery range if left for a week in hot sunny weather?
I have a Jaguar XK with a similar roof, and I don’t miss a rear wiper.
I'd say it's an incredibly retrograde move to omit the rear screen wiper. Let's hope the Company rethink this.
Good honest review Tish, why does it look like a New York Taxi in that mustard yellow colour 🚕🚕🚕🚕🚕🚕🚕🚕😂😂😂😂
That Prius looks fantastic wonder what Jeremy thinks 😆, I'm a motability user presently have a Hyundai Ioniq but need to order next month and if this comes on to the scheme I would consider it but it looks like I will be ordering the Kia Niro basically same car
I'd recommend the original Hyundai Ioniq over any Prius tbh.
@@toyotaprius79 have you driven this model yet
Nice presentation, you could do this as a job !! We are near Harleston. Pop round for a cuppa ?
A great car, in the same way many coupe-styled cars are great. A bit modest on interior headroom, and you don’t have to be six-five to notice this…just hit a speed bump at night where the paint’s worn off, and you know why head clearance is important. UK roads also make themselves known, regards low-profile tyres/wheels. I have an earlier generation (3) of the Prius and it has unusually been fitted with wheels from a ‘lesser’ specced model. IE instead of 17-inch ones, it has 15-inch. The actual width of the tyre is very little different, but the ride quality with 2 inches more sidewall, is much improved.
If you needed proof of why Road Tax should be linked to road repairs, it’s traffic density. The fact is, city and urban roads ought to be the best in the country, the money coming in per square metre must be quadruple the general rate in the shires. The situation I’ve found empirically, is this: where there is significant tourism of one sort or another (the Lake District’s popular areas, Cheshire maybe, then up in sparser areas of Scotland, and so on), these are usually a decent level of road surface upkeep.
Yorkshire, our area, is a crock. West Yorkshire is the worst crock - yet with 2 million people in an area about 40 x 40 miles, the road tax income ought to be phenomenal ! But of course, this does not translate in any way to the road network of the area, money from motorists is simply not ring-fenced like that. Thus, essentially, posh areas have decent roads, and less affluent areas have lousy roads. ! Somebody somewhere knows exactly what they’re doing. Our West Yorkshire roads are not only damaging and destroying our vehicles’ suspension, but also casually dangerous. Avoiding potholes has become an ingrained habit, aiming for the best line over the different types of speed control bump, is reflex.
Thus, regularly, oncoming drivers aim to be in the centre line of the road, where the speed humps are three bumps in parallel for example. As these low-profile tyre/wheel combos also jar your skeleton, it’s uncomfortable too, and possibly injurious to some.
Quite literally, these vehicles like this lovely Prius, are designed for civilised roads like Japan has, well-kept networks. Bringing this track-ready suspension setup (!) to West Yorkshire means arranging chiropractor appointments in advance ! Our roads in our area of the UK, are brutal. Drop links are now an annual replaced item - ie they are consumables…as are some bottom ball-joints/knuckle joints. It’s a standing joke. And the danger is real - one blind corner near us, has an awesome hole developing, either you slow to 10 mph, OR you go wide chancing no oncoming vehicles, and this is a regular increased risk on that road, caused simply by poor upkeep.
This can legitimately be said to be an inheritance from the previous government. Circling back to the car, it’s great but irrelevant. I need a vehicle suited to semi-off-road driving, this is simply fact. If I move to Ayrshire in Scotland, or the Highlands, or somewhere like that, I could freely choose such cars as this Prius. I literally wouldn’t dare, purely because of those wheels and tyres. Councils here are on their uppers. So this isn’t going to be a quick fix. You want to drive with any degree of pleasure? Get the heck out of urban parts of Yorkshire. Good vid, superb car from Toyota. Take care all.
Really good looking car. Very sporty.
Yes rear windscreen wipers 👍👍
Gonna do well imo cheers great review as ever
Regarding the previous model I wonder how many came over here used. I work near Southampton Docks and have seen whole transporter loads full of Priuses complete with Japanese auction numbers and dealer stickers etc on the windows. Rain guards on the windows is also a good clue. When looking at used ones on Autotrader it was hard to find U.K. models amongst all the imports. Give it a couple of years and I expect the same will start happening with these.
p.s. At least this one doesn't have the boot floor higher that the load line like the previous PHEV. One look at the load are of that put me off.
Looks like a perfect match to become a New York taxi 😂.
Look really good. This would be perfect for my wife. Nice review.
Who needs a rear wiper when you'll be going so fast. 220hp woosh!
In traffic?
Nothing controversial about the plugin hybrid (or door handles) other than it's +10 years too late. Just a crying shame that it was never built into the Corolla estate since 2018; and a crying shame how such an improved drivetrain is squandered in an impractical, less aerodynamic and expensive 4-door coupe package with chronically bad visibility caused by the A and C pillars.
Like wise the new CHR with poor rear passenger space but in crossover form... That's the real controversy.
sweet looking car n also love the new Dacia one's
It’s a shame taxi drivers now only get the plug in option,I’d much prefer the full hybrid,thanks.
All Toyota Prius models are full (whatever that is supposed to mean), hybrids. The difference with the Prime is its much larger battery that allows EV only range. Our 2024 Prime has almost 6,000 miles on the OD and, we have used just two tanks of fuel in six months of ownership.
Ive done 16k in my EV with zero tanks of fuel @TomLawlor-iq6gm
for your information, people have been comparing the looks of this car to a Lamborghini Huracan!! right off the bat, the shape. I love the more sporty exterior design and how aerodynamic it looks to channel the airflow, and help with overall range. yellow isn't my favourite colour so I'd rather go with Cutting Edge instead. interior has its faults and will take some time to get used to but the overall driving experience is tough to beat. as for the PHEV "controversy" it is understandable but in the end, it's either you want to spend more time and money at the gas station, or you don't!! and this Prius allows you to go the distance and look good while doing it. Toyota has outdone itself with this one, and I hope this car finally comes to the Caribbean.
A rear wiper is nice, but I wouldn't expect one on this car's significant angle window. SUVs tend to have a more vertical surface.
Hi, Tish. How are you?👋🏻
The Toyota Prius is a myth in automotive history. I am sad not to have it in the Spanish market in this new generation.
I completely agree with you on the lack of rear wiper and also about the rear doors handle issue.
It also seems to me that the trunk space is very limited in a car of this size.
Otherwise, I think it's a very good car in terms of design and phev technology. 👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
My uninformed view is that wipers are removed from rear windscreens buy manufacturers if the rear silhouette has a certain drag coefficient, like a Mercedes coupe I used to drive did not have rear wipers and it didn't need them. Rein used to just fall off the rear windscreen, but I have had them in all other cars weather here wind speed was a bit straighter.
Hi, Tish 💙
About the absence of the rear wiper ... and the tricky rear doors handles ... reaaally stupid solutions. 😏
I use to say that every executive director ... from an engineering factory ... must use their product himself ... for a reasonable period of time ... eventually together with his family ... before the launch on the market.
And I'm quite sure that an executive of Toyota ... if he would have used this car with his family ... his wife would have been very upset with him ... after she would have ripped off one or two of her nails - in one of those rear handles ... 😏
Looking interesting at the start but got worse as it went on. Not keen on the rear door handle and not really a family car more of a 2nd car for work and taking the kids to school and just about a big enough boot for the shopping. If it’s looking at families it the young families but not one with pushchairs.
It's very much a halo car with 2+2 seating. A far cry from the practical all rounder that made the Prius popular in the first place.
I could never imagine this Prius being a taxi.
Cute, big wheels, expensive tires, but $33-40K USA, weak 44mi range, Still uses gas, I don't get it
44 miles is plenty for most people most days, no range anxiety. Simples.
It's ok, it's just $7,000 over priced & 6 years late. GM was on the right schedule when they ended the Volt and started the Bolt EV.
Not bothered about rear wipers, I'm retired bus driver so rear view mirror is never used
Mango Yellow 😮
Tish 1997 was 27 years ago, not 25 years ago.
This really confused me lol I was like what? That doesn’t make any sense did she just say that? Had to watch it twice!
@curtisfullman3694 Yes Either she made a mistake with the date or the years gone by. She is only human after all.
You can tell its aiming for the New York taxi market!!
Teeny tiny boot makes it almost useless
It’s great shame it’s nearly £40k! And the premium VED no thanks
Built for the company car depreciation tax write offs. Like most new cars, hence the extortionate high prices in the auto market and the external costs of currency inflation put upon us.
If it's NEARLY £40k then it's not premium VED.
@@pillred5974 yes it is! Even if pre reg u will pay the premium tax my family member brought a 3 month old car £35k but was over £40k new and they have the premium VED
Yellow taxi 🎉👍🏻
But Toyota says that their hybrids self charge, is this an admission that they dont self charge enough.
If it remains self charging after the top up has run out, then that is ideal for taxi use I'd think 🤔
"Self charging" is a marketing lie. C'mon.
Of course it (seamlessly), reverts to a "normal" hybrid when the Traction Battery is spent. And, a very good one.
I wouldn't drive one myself but as a lover of cars I acknowledge that the prius really was a game changer that made self charging hybrids what they are today.
And in answer to your question at the start Tish, unless you are secretly over 70 or moonlighting as a uber driver you are not the target audience 😂😂😂
I'm honestly terrified by drivers of these new Priuses because they're either too old and short to see past those crazy A pillars, and it shows...
You can’t ’moonlight ‘ as an UBER driver.
37 grand! 😂
.. to have people waving their mobile phones at you with confused looks on their faces everywhere you go
37k pounds for a Toyota hybrid sedan is crazy price. no wonder Toyota is having record profits. They are selling cars at ridiculous prices.
All plug in hybrids self charge. Toyota’s marketing team have clearly done a great job in selling this as a Toyota usp
Are you sure? MANY plug-in hybrids I’ve driven, especially from Stellantis, drop to around 20-30mpg once out of electric, Toyotas will continue to run around 50-60mpg
@@AutoSocialUK 100% sure. The drop in mpg is that there is no longer a ‘reserve’ of battery power and is reliant on only the charge created when self charging. Phev’s have a lower mpg when the plug in charge is depleted than non plug in’s due to the extra weight of the larger battery. Most phev’s will only self charge back to 2 mile range before using this charge again
@@richardjohnson5394 Richard, your not getting this.
There is no drop in "mpg" when the Traction Battery of our PHEV dies. During EV operation efficiency is measured in km/miles per kwh. The important part after the battery is spent is how many mpg (or, L/100km), the car delivers as a hybrid.
Our 2024 Prius Prime SE has gone as far as 91km in EV mode (with 6% charge left. The car would have reached very near 100km), on battery ! In hybrid mode we saw 60+mpg. I attribute this to the vastly larger Traction Battery which is able to accept far more charge from kinetic energy than a non-Prime. Thus, our Prime offers MORE mpg than the same trim level in a non-Prime.
You need to understand, any hybrid system is not meant to "charge" its Traction Battery in order to propel the car for more than a few hundred meters. Its function is to collect enough "free" energy to offer a "lift" to the gas engine when it's under load. Thereby, improving economy.
@@TomLawlor-iq6gm when a phev is in hybrid mode and there is more than 2 miles range the car uses battery power to a greater extent instead of the engine or work with the engine. When this is depleted the phev works the same as a standard hybrid hence why it can achieve a higher mpg figure. I have owned and driven several phevs and this is always the case. The original point I made is that all phevs do self charge as well as the ability to plug in. Obviously different manufacturers have different configurations to the levels this happens. When you break in any hybrid it is regenerative. This is not a unique Toyota feature
@@richardjohnson5394 Of course, if you "gain" 2 miles of range in a PHEV, the computer will use that in the best (most economical fashion), every time. That's the premise the car was designed around.
It happens that the 5th Gen. Prime makes the most of that fact and is why we are seeing the best mpg in any class of car in hybrid mode. We owned two Prius non-Primes and our 2024Prime gets way better milage in hybrid mode. Because it has a larger battery.
27 years ago for Spice Up Your Life.
1997 was 27 yrs ago
Finally a prius that looks OK. And not many can get away with the jumper over the shoulder in 2024 lol x
What on God's Earth is a"strong hybrid"? 🤔
Auto journalists as usual not doing their homework.
As hybrids go there's:
Aptly named "MEH" mild hybrids
Series hybrids that are pure generators
Parallel hybrids would have the engine connected to the wheels most of the time where an electric motor is bolted on to an engine's flywheel, transmission or rear axle - most hybrids now are lile this because it's half arsed but still better than "MEH".
And then there's the strong or "Full hybrid" series parallel hybrids where the engine can generate electricity and provide direct torque to the wheels. Toyota is the main player because of patent dominance/misuse but Renault's hybrids are grossly underrated.
It pisses me off we don't get yellow in the US. I would have bought one already if it was available. Now what? I'm expected to buy a car and then spend thousands to paint it? F Toyota.
Ford should have robbed Toyota of that design and SUV'ised it and called the resulting design.... the Capri..................rear wipers are a must for me,tell me how you get rid of the dewey mist that forms on cars during autumn nites.
That steering wheel looks soo old school. Doesnt match modern exterior
Definitely the best looking Prius yet. Terrible colour though and for once nice looking rims without those stupid and awful looking plastic blades.
Should sell well as a company car with low bik.
Like most new cars and "commercial" Ford Rangers. Lovely tax write offs for the company, and inflation for everyone else.
Not likely with such a small boot.
Great news its keeping below that £40k trigger. Boring car , great review.
So in 27 years hybrids have barely evolved. Given better is available for less elsewhere eg. Golf e-hybrid with ~80 miles range or Tesla Model 3, Nissan Ariya, Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro and EV3 they're going to have to discount it massively to sell any. Also, only 7kW charging when A-Class has had 22kW since 2020? Too many resources ploughed in to dead-end of hydrogen engines and fuel cells. Also, new wave of smaller, cheaper EV's will kill Yaris. Really starting to think this could be the end of Toyota with major re-structuring and down-sizing.
Hmm more like a 2+2 than a 4/5 seater car and kids won't enjoy claustrophobia of rear seats. Probably a bit expensive on the insurance too. How many owners will actually bother to plug in? Hope they didn't fiddle the crash test for this model.
Hard agree. It's what makes it a disappointing backslide compared to how the Prius should be good at which is basically being an aerodynamic estate, which is annoying because the new generation's improvement in power, EV range and looks were never necessarily in opposition to practicalities and efficiency.
Toyota has dropped the ball in essence.
Unfortunately when it comes to plugging in, private owners tend to plug in much more often than company car drivers who are encouraged to not care about efficiency and pay everything in the company fuel card. Because that's where the real incentives lie, incentivising fossil fuels.
I wanted one, but phev, nope 👎🏻
Sucks to 👎be you
I am afraid it's just not doing it for me ,not struck on the design plus I think in this country with our dreadful weather you must have a rear wiper so it's only a 5/10 for me 😮
Should be more worried about the poor cabin space and awful blinds spots
No rear wiper. No thanks 👎
There is a digital rear view mirror at least 🤷🏽♀️
25 years ago?🤨
Yer that maths isn’t mathing is it 😂😂
uber bossman is not gonna love this one
If they're an idiot.
Every one talking about a rear wiper 🤷♂️🤷♂️
no thanks i test drove this nonsense and i cant fit in it especially in the back behind drivers chair set to me 1.82m tall
ill stick with my very trusty gen2 prius that still does 60mpg after 18 years
good luck with that car lasting more then 10 years 😂
Very ugly, I prefer BYD seal.
EVs are not selling as good now, it’s slowing down by 2026 all Tesla’s will be half price because getting parts is now a nightmare to get hold of
This should help enlighten you
ruclips.net/video/-kHpRFOswLU/видео.htmlsi=rZI24CrIKY9ozbJk
Perhaps actually look at the current market as a monitor of the health of the economy and consumer spending.
As wealth inequality has grown, new car buyers have (since 2016) dwindled in size and grown older accompanied by a frankly cynical market trend of crossover-SUVs and whatever else that's most profitable in the short term. And we blame EVs for being expensive and slow sellers, but not because they're all predominantly poshed out crossover-SUVs?
These are signs of Market Failure.
EV sales are up 34% in EU. U don’t understand how this misinformation about slumping sales is spreading.
@@jandolejsi8122wrong sales are down in the UK
@@GrahamReid34cite your source because that is simply wrong
Toyota 👎
Someone needs to brush up on their mental arithmetic
😂 look some of us refuse to believe 1997 was 27 years ago OK!!
It is the best looking of all the Priuses. The rear door handles would be better if it was on the doors itself and what's the obsession with rear screen wipers? Just get the government to pave the roads and enjoy a much better drive. Overall it's an excellent vehicle inside and outside, but I wouldn't get one because all electric cars bust into flames and can kill occupants of the car including children. Great review Tish. Hate the outfit, looks like 💩.
And yet it's the most impractical and most expensive.
Stop believing everything that Facebook/Telegraph/TheS*n tells you. Should help the brain cells.
Nice outfit , somehow the Prius still looks gay
The fact you’re using the word gay as a derogatory term says a lot about you
@@podge5555 gay means happy disposition, pretty face , you made it derogatory which says a lot about you
@@v8interceptor134get real you got caught out!
You should have just said it's a hairdresser's car lol.
@@toyotaprius79 nah it’s gay