2023 Toyota Prius Prime

Hatchback · 2.0L Plug-In Hybrid I4 · AWD

83/100

AutoVault's overall score, weighted for what a hatchback is actually for — performance, technology, comfort, reliability, safety and value.

Specifications

Engine	2.0L Plug-In Hybrid I4
Horsepower	220 hp
Torque	139 lb-ft
0–60 mph	6.6 sec
Top speed	112 mph
Drivetrain	AWD
Seats	5
Combined MPG	50 mpg (52 city / 49 hwy)
Range	700 miles
MSRP	$32,650
Body style	Hatchback

The verdict

What's good

Drives ~40 miles on electricity alone
Stunning real-world fuel economy
Sleek, genuinely sharp new look
Qualifies for carpool-lane stickers

What's not

Charges only on slow home power
Tight back-seat headroom
Small trunk with charger aboard
Road noise creeps in

The engine

2.0L Plug-In Hybrid I4

The Atkinson-cycle four mostly plays support to the electric motors, but the fifth-generation system finally gives the Prius Prime genuinely brisk, seamless thrust instead of the strained drone of older hybrids.

Built on the M20A-FXS, a hybrid-tuned member of Toyota's Dynamic Force/TNGA engine family, paired with the fifth-generation Toyota Hybrid System and an electronically controlled planetary CVT.

It uses two motor-generators (MG1 and MG2) through a planetary gearset, so the gas engine can drive the wheels and recharge the battery at the same time.
On its 13.6 kWh lithium-ion pack the Prime delivers up to a manufacturer-estimated 44 miles of all-electric range before the engine needs to wake.
Running the Atkinson cycle, the engine deliberately leaves the intake valves open longer to chase efficiency at the cost of low-rpm grunt, which the electric motors quietly cover.

See the rest in AutoVault

The six sub-scores behind the 83 — performance, tech, comfort, reliability, safety and value
Market value today and year-by-year value history
All 6 trims with pricing
Studio photography — exterior, rear and interior
Side-by-side comparison with up to four cars

Open in AutoVault