This site may earn chapter commissions from the links on this folio. Terms of apply.

Every bit Toyota'south armada of hybrid-engine vehicles grows, there's a curious pricing oddity occurring. The new, 2017 Prius Prime hybrid, with 25 miles of battery range plus 615 more miles on gasoline, should be cheaper to purchase than the Prius, which runs simply a mile or two on battery ability.

The pricing discrepancy is simple: The Prius hybrid has sold more than one.7 million cars in the The states since it beginning arrived in 2000. The mainstream Prius hybrid long ago used up its allotment of federal revenue enhancement credits. But there'southward a separate pot of revenue enhancement credits for buyers of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, up to $four,500 for Toyota PHEVs, and the Prius Prime yet qualifies for that.

2017_Toyota_Prius_Prime_Premium_027_5B0BEEB136F473EB2057DD8054D3E7DD175BAF7F

How it happened

The hybrid Toyota Prius runs $25,730 to $32,585 (with $865 shipping) and ranges from the Prius Ii through the Prius Four Touring with the Premium Convenience Package. The PHEV Prius Prime Plus, Premium, and Avant-garde models price$27,965, $29,665, and $33,965, respectively; they have no options other than pigment color. Comparison cheapest to cheapest and costliest to costliest, the Prius is $2,235 less than the plug-in Prius Prime at the low terminate and $1,380 less at the high end. That's list cost to list price.

Toyota says the difference, comparably equipped, is more like $ane,000 to $1,500 less for the hybrid Prius. Either way, the federal tax credit available to anyone ownership a Prius Prime in the U.s. (anyone who files and pays taxes) is $four,500. Depending on which numbers you use, that makes the plug-in at least $2,265 cheaper and as much as $3,500 less expensive.

Prius Prime, silver car, is 4 inches longe rthan Prius but with slightly less trunk space because of the battery pack.

The Prius Prime, the silver auto, is 4 inches longer than the Prius, but with slightly less trunk space because of the battery pack.

Prius Prime vs. Prius

2017_Toyota_Prius_Prime_Premium_021_7421A39C4641164024203FA7BE380B402E17455AThe two cars look somewhat alike from the side. Both carry four passengers comfortably. The Prime's front fascia looks a piffling like the Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicle. The Prime is four inches longer (183 inches long), but loses a little cargo space because of the larger bombardment. The rear window glass on the Prime is actually concave in the middle to improve airflow.

Within, the Prius has room for (and seat belts for) five; the Prime has a permanent eye console and room for 4. The Prime has a huge (except compared with Tesla) eleven.6-inch portrait orientation center stack touchscreen on the Prime Premium and Advanced Models.

2017_Toyota_Prius_Prime_Advanced_029_8FD6BDC1011E061A7B21FC998FB649782DB52B83

Equivalent gasoline economy, solid rubber suites

2017_Toyota_Prius_Prime_Advanced_028_9A07AF3F79BCD39EB6EBA4662FAD269C67E4790BOn fuel economic system, they're shut: The Prius is rated at 52 combined urban center/highway driving. The Prius Prime number, 54 mpg combined (and 133 MPGe blending EV and combustion engine driving). The divergence is a tenth of a gallon every 100 miles. Yous'll probably want to invest $1,000 to install a 240-volt charger for quick fills of the Prime battery (just over 2 hours).

Both the Prius and Prius Prime number come standard with TSS-P, the broad-ranging Toyota Safe Sense system that includes full-range adaptive cruise control, lane difference alert, pre-collision system, and forwards collision warning. All standard. One quirk with both Prius and Prius Prime number is that blind spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert are just offered on the top trim lines, Prius Iv and Prius Prime Premium. Toyota says there'due south a shortage of BSD/RCTA sensors, an explanation we oasis't heard yet from other automakers. Both have the unusual (quirky) instrument console atop the centre of the dash.

2017_Toyota_Prius_Prime_Premium_016_9C741D4093E45048715DA86F218B051E08B7BD39

What do you accept to lose?

With the Prius Prime, anyone who commutes 25 miles or less round trip daily will have nada gasoline costs during the work week (electrical costs are one-third to one-half the toll of gasoline). At that place'south the bigger center stack display, too.

The lesser line with the plug-in hybrid Prius Prime number is that you may exist able to purchase in for $1,000 to $three,000 less, including the tax credit, than the hybrid Prius. Toyota says information technology may brand some internal adjustments on pricing and dealer credits to bring the prices more than in line. That's important, because Toyota's commencement year capacity and sales goal is around 22,000 units for the Prius Prime. Prius will sell at least iv times as many. In comparing, Toyota in 2016 sold 98,866 Prius sedans (the one closest to the Prius Prime), another 14,840 Prius V compact wagon/crossovers, and 20,452 Prius C subcompact hybrids.

Toyota can't handle the flood if everyone decides to swap from Prius to Prius Prime. If yous're interested, get cracking now, and hope dealers don't mess (tinker upward) with Prime pricing.

What near the Prius Prime versus the Chevrolet Volt? Chevy has an 18.four-kWh battery to the Prius Prime'southward eight.eight-kWh battery. Y'all go most 40-plus EV miles with the Volt, 15 more than than the Prius, simply you pay about $three,000 more for a Volt. It lists for about $6,000 more than just the Volt qualifies for a $7,500 credit vs. Prius'due south Prime's $4,500. Volt is quicker; Prius gets better combustion engine economic system (54 vs. 42 mpg).