Toyota Prius vs Prius Prime | What's the difference?

What is the difference between a Toyota Prius and a Toyota Prius Prime? Well that's a question we get asked a lot. Long story short, one of them you can plug in for additional charge, but there's more to it. Watch the video to learn more.

About the 2021 Prius:
The 2021 Toyota Prius has five trim levels to choose from – L Eco, LE, XLE, Limited and the 2020 Edition – with a price tag that starts at $24,525. Toyota Prius models make room for five passengers in a spacious cabin with 27.4 cubic feet of trunk space in L Eco trim levels.

To deliver a fuel-efficient performance, the 2021 Toyota Prius is powered by a Toyota Hybrid System that pairs a 1.8-liter four-cylinder gas engine with a high-torque electric motor to make 121 horsepower. Married to a Continuously Variable Transmission, the Toyota Prius L Eco will earn 58 mpg in the city and 53 mpg on the highway. Prius LE AWD-e and Prius XLE AWD-e models add Electronic On-Demand AWD to deliver capable handling and unrivaled traction.

Toyota Prius entries deliver premium entertainment at every turn with a standard 7-inch Toyota Entune™ 3.0 touchscreen infotainment system with access to Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa and Wi-Fi Connect capabilities. To promote safety, the Toyota Prius comes standard with a suite of Toyota Safety Sense™ driver-assist systems. Available upgrades to the 2021 Toyota Prius features list vary by trim level and include Toyota SofTex® upholstery, a Qi wireless charging system, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, a Head-Up Display and an 11.6-inch touchscreen display.

About the 2021 Prius Prime:
The 2021 Toyota Prius Prime Plug-In Hybrid has a trio of trim levels to choose from – LE, XLE and Limited – with a starting price that stands at $28,220. Prius Prime entries provide seating for five passengers with a cabin that possesses 91.5 cubic feet of passenger space. The liftback Toyota Prius Prime will provide an exceptional 19.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats.

To deliver the ultra-efficient performance you need, the 2021 Toyota Prius Prime employs a potent, powerful and fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid electric powertrain. Toyota Prius Prime entries employ a 1.8-liter four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle gas engine and a 600-volt electric motor with a Lithium-Ion battery and plug-in hybrid capabilities to make 121 total horsepower.

Paired with the Continuously Variable Transmission, the Toyota Prius Prime will earn 55 mpg in the city and 53 mpg on the highway with an EPA-estimated 133 MPGe rating. A 640-mile driving range and a 25-mile all-electric driving range in EV Mode will cater to families on the go. Toyota Prius Prime entries can be recharged in 2 hours, 10 minutes with a 240-volt power source.

For the new model year, the 2021 Toyota Prius Prime will upgrade its safety technology with an updated Toyota Safety Sense™ 2.0 suite of features. Toyota Safety Sense™ 2.0 will add a Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian and Bicycle Detection, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Automatic High Beams, Lane Tracing Assist and Road Sign Assist.

Toyota Prius Prime LE trim levels come standard with LED headlights, automatic climate control, heated front seats and a 7-inch Toyota Entune™ 3.0 touchscreen infotainment system with access to Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa. Upgrades to the Toyota Prius Prime features list include an 11.6-inch Toyota Entune™ touchscreen display, a 10-speaker JBL® sound system, a Qi wireless charging system, Toyota SofTex® interior and much more.

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[pbasswil]

For someone who mostly drives a short commute and/or local errands & shopping, the Prius Prime is almost the ideal car: If you regularly charge overnight, you'll typically rarely need to burn any gas. But on occasional longer trips, you'll have no range anxiety – nor the necessity to plan your trip around charger availability (& meals & pauses around tedious charge times). Downside: In snowy climates, the low ground clearance can be an issue. Oh: Plugin Hybrid shoppers should know that the current Korean plugins don't have heat pumps; so in them, if you need heat or AC, you'll be driving with the gas engine _on._

[beebob]

My prime is charging to 32 miles a charge. Depending on how it’s driven I’ve gone beyond 40 miles before the car switches over to hybrid. Coast into stop signs or red lights. Don’t pounce on the pedal when you start up. Take it easy going down hills because this will charge the battery.
This is a high mileage car and not a hot rod. If you drive it as such you’ll get fantastic results

[jimclark]

That is the most succinct explanation of the differences. Thanks!

[Dawird]

Straight to the point. Thank you for not making it 3-minute video

[HassanIsDriving]

They should make the Prius prime battery even bigger to the point the Prius prime battery can at least take it to 100 miles

[timtoni]

I have owed both. The prime is a much better car. More refined and actually cost less after tax breaks.

[lcarliner]

Generally, the extra weight (and probable slight loss of gas mileage when in the regular hybrid mode) as well as loss storage space makes the extra cost of the plug-in upgrade a poor value. For owners dwelling in multi-family housing, where home charging setups is not allowed, Pure EV and plug-in upgrade is not a viable purchase. Owners, for whom daily travel mileage is less than 50 miles daily, and have access to home charging, will find the upgrade worth while.

[mrcet]

Good summary!

Our 2017 Prius Prime has been awesome! Granted, the reduction in trunk space is definitely unfortunate, but you quickly figure out how to work around it.

Get the top-level, _Limited_ trim! The HUD and completely-automatic wipers and headlights alone are worth the extra $$$.

*Plug-in hybrids don’t make a whole lot of sense unless you can routinely plug-in* . That’s not hard to do though; all you need is an indoor or outdoor outlet. After you get that set up, it takes like 5 seconds to plug-in. Trivially easy!

I can charge routinely at home and at work, and as such, I only go to a gas station about once every 2-3 months, and I only buy 3-4 gallons each time. (That excludes comparatively-rare long-distance road tripping, of course, which can only be done on gas, at 54MPG.)

Bear in mind, however, that 54MPG is about right *up to ~65MPH* . At 75-80MPH or so, wind resistance drops that down considerably, to the mid-40s MPG (although that’s still pretty impressive!).

[toninocars]

The biggest difference is that the plug in Prius suits only specific group of people who has charging facilities and regularly use it on commute less than 25 miles while the standard Prius suits everyone. 👍 both cars are really good .

[egnb]

Prius prime is refined and replacement parts are much more expensive. The regular prius is more economical and cheaper parts.

[maggie_codes]

Thank you! This answered all of the questions I had about both models.

[jonyaragon]

Short, to the point and informative great job my dude

[stephenfiore]

*I have a 50 mile extension cord and I never need gas for my Prius Prime!!!* ….Well the one I want to buy and test drove today

[matthew]

I drive 80 miles one way to work and 80miles back to home five days a week. Which would be better because I have no problem charging my Prius each night but I am not sure which is better for a longer commutes

[yggdrasil]

The difference between a Prius and a Prius Prime is the latter doesn't exist as it is not sold in Australia. Because according to Toyota Australia, Australians don't like to plug things in.

[briand.]

Are both models sharing the same gas tank capacity ?

[PlayBetterSlots]

Unfortunately no Toyota dealer will sell their cars at a reasonable price. They all have added mark up over MSRP for bogus add-ons.

[Tech_Stream]

Wow! Thank you for such a great video! 👏

[andreconsultor]

Melhor carro do mundo, excelente custo X benefício e muitas qualidades reunidas em um espetacular veículo.

[Scottwilliamson-bivi]

Some people are pretty stupid and don’t realize that 25 miles multiplies. Every time you’re driving 25 miles on electric you’re not using gas at all. Every time I get home from going anywhere I plug it out even if it’s only for an hour. In Ohio electricity is much cheaper than gas. I love driving the car when it’s in electric mode. What’s awesome about this car is that when you do drive it as a hybrid it still will go into electric vehicle mode. A lot of the time.