2024 Toyota Prius Prime Review: The Real-World Numbers Don't Lie

The outlook toward the humble Toyota Prius took a global shift when Toyota revealed the redesign for the 2023 model year. Once the butt of just about every automotive joke, the Prius suddenly started receiving praise for its new makeover. Moreover, some journalists and critics have even started touting that the Prius is cool now. That comes down to the individual perspective, but one thing remains for sure: it's a Prius, and it's going to be great at Prius things.

The Prius Prime is the plug-in hybrid version of the iconic hybrid that is now rapidly approaching its 25th birthday in North America, and when a 2024 Prius Prime SE landed on my driveway, I was actually pretty excited. Not just because of its refreshing looks and practicality, but also because I live in Southern California, and gas is quite expensive here. Naturally, the first thing I opted to do was put Toyota's advertised range and fuel economy ratings to the test.

Toyota says that the 2024 Prius Prime can deliver up to 52 MPG, with electric-only range of up to 44 miles. For many folks, that EV range alone would cover their day-to-day use and then some.

For my first test, I ventured off to San Diego from my location northeast of Los Angeles. In total, the trip worked out to be a little over 300 miles. Fortunately, I didn't run into a ton of traffic, which is a bit unusual for this location. As a result, my average speed stayed around 70 mph. Combining that average speed with the fact that the trip back home is largely uphill, I thought for sure there'd be a less-than-satisfactory fuel economy result. Pleasantly, I was very wrong. Throughout the duration of the trip, the almighty Prius Prime managed an average fuel economy of 52.2 MPG. Dead on.

Following this result, I decided to test the electric-only range. After giving the battery a full overnight at-home charge, the Prius achieved an electric-only range of just over 51 miles on this adventure. However, it is worth noting that a massive downhill portion of the road allowed it to regenerate enough energy for a couple of miles. Still, I do think this is representative of a real-world electric-only test. The simple fact is that I went over 50 miles without using gas.

Hit the EV button, and the Prius will stick to its electric-only drive mode, or at least until the propulsion battery's charge is depleted. I opted to use this mode to test the range. However, the most efficient way to drive the Prius Prime is probably to let it choose for you. It will balance gas and electric drive by itself, maximizing economy without sacrificing performance in most scenarios.

That said, using battery-only mode when driving around town or on your daily commute is a great way to make the most of your fuel tank. It is worth noting that the Prius Prime doesn't accelerate quite like a full-blown battery electric vehicle. It does have a pretty hefty initial jump; however, when cruising, the acceleration under electric-only power is quite underwhelming. Making a pass, especially at highway speeds, is a bit of a chore. If you keep your foot out of it for the most part, driving in standard hybrid mode with a fully charged EV battery will result in the car staying in EV mode until it needs it, anyway.

The 2024 Prius Prime's SE trim is the cheapest of the lineup. Stepping up to the XSE or XSE Premium trim levels add a touch of luxury with things like heated and ventilated seats, premium audio, a larger infotainment system display (for the XSE Premium), and refined upholstery materials. However, the SE also happens to be the only trim level that attains the coveted 52 MPG combined rating. The higher trim models "only" achieve a combination rating of 48 MPG.

While it's great that the cheapest option is the most efficient, there are some annoyances associated with it. For one, there's no hatch release button on the keyfob or in the interior of the car. The only way to open it is to press the button on the hatch door itself.

Another minor but off-putting absence are automatic headlights. For all of Toyota's Safety Sense features like radar cruise control, cross traffic alert, lane keep assist, and blind spot monitoring to be included without automatic headlights seems odd. Especially considering it has automatic high beams. Finally, a bit more superficial, but the aerodynamic wheel covers look awful and, in my opinion, drag the whole appearance of the car back a handful of years.

Given it's the entry-point into Prius Prime ownerships, you'd likely assume the SE trim ($32,975 plus $1,135 destination) features cloth seating and some cheap plastics throughout. Points to you if you did, because that's precisely what you get, though there's nothing ostensibly wrong with Toyota's straightforward materials here. 

Even a basic interior has plenty of features, too. The touch-screen infotainment system is responsive and easy to work with. Hybrid-specific pages like the power map that shows your regen braking, engine, and electric drivetrain use combine with essential features like wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Throughout my week-long experience with the Prius, the infotainment system was functional, cooperative, and crash-free.

Overall, the interior experience is comfortable, quiet, and roomy enough. Cargo space under the rear hatch is plentiful and becomes almost unbelievably vast with the rear seats folded flat. Notably, a special shoutout is in order for the fact that the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime has four individual USB-C ports. Tech nerds rejoice! The automotive industry is listening, and they're hearing that the USB-C revolution is imminent.

I went into this driving experience with the understanding that the Prius can look as cool as it wants, but it isn't going to be fun to drive from an enthusiast's perspective. For the sake of completeness, though, I took the Prius Prime to my favorite windy mountain road. Unbelievably, the smile on my face switched from being ironic to 100 percent genuine. 

The steering is pretty tight, the car is nimble, and the electric drivetrain assistance pulls it out of corners like you wouldn't believe. Sure, there's a bit of a limitation with the tires, selected in part for their efficiency-boosting low rolling resistance. Nonetheless, the Prius Prime held its own just fine, and I had an absolute blast ripping the Toyoto around those tight, twisty corners. Frankly, that's a sentence I never thought I would write.

The plug-in hybrid Prius probably packs a bit more punch than you'd think, too. The electric assistance gives it some pretty peppy zip from a standing start. In addition, the 2.0-liter four-cylinder combines to make 220 horsepower. The result is a sprint from zero to 60 miles per hour in 6.6 seconds. That's quicker and more powerful than the enthusiast-pedestaled Ford Fiesta ST, and also quicker to 60 MPH than a 1976 Lamborghini Countach. Sure, a few decades set them apart, but who's counting?

Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 is standard on all 2024 Prius Prime trims, an array of safety features that in many cases are only available as paid options from other manufacturers. Including all of this makes Prius Prime's price point pretty attractive, though it's worth noting that the cross-traffic alert/pre-collision system is extremely sensitive. When letting off the brake at a light or four-way stop, it triggered nearly every time. That said, it was extremely useful for backing out in busy parking lots. 

Stepping up from the $32,975 (plus destination) price of the base SE trim sacrifices those extra four MPGs for a little more luxury. The XSE trim starts at $36,225 and adds more refined interior upholstery materials, more exterior color options, and makes the larger 12.3-inch infotainment system an option to replace the standard 8-inch touchscreen. 

Going to the top with the XSE Premium starts at $39,670, for which you get heated and ventilated front seats, an 8-speaker JBL audio system, further trim-exclusive exterior color and finish options, and the larger infotainment display as standard.

A plug-in hybrid isn't appropriate for everyone, of course. For those who just want killer fuel economy numbers, the standard Toyota Prius stands by with open arms. With up to 57 MPG combined without ever having to charge, it offers a solid alternative to those who don't have a place to plug. Plus, the standard Prius model is available with an all-wheel drive drivetrain. Even better, it's a bit cheaper than the Prius Prime, with its starting price of under $30,000.

Overall, though, the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime is phenomenal. It does exactly what's promised, with the added — unexpected — benefit of being pretty dang fun to drive. Furthermore, if you're someone who is overtly conscious of what others think of you, there's good news: it seems the era of the stigma against the Prius (and its drivers for being guilty by association) has ended. The automotive world is becoming more enlightened and, with today's fuel prices, it's hard to argue against that sweet 50 MPG number.