Here, we look at how the Toyota Prius hybrid and Prius Prime plug-in hybrid did in tests. Prime has an electric car range of 33 miles, but the base Prius gets better gas mileage on the highway. When it comes to speed, the Prius Prime is the fastest of the two. It has 220 horsepower. The all-new look and much better performance of Toyota’s Prius make it an obvious hit. It is a gas-electric car that has been around for a long time. It was even named one of the ten best cars by Invoice Pricing in 2024. The Prius is definitely a much better car than the one that came before it, but there are many other things about the new model that you should think about. What makes the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid different from the regular Prius hybrid is the most important difference. What are the pros and cons of which Prius? Both the Prius and the Prius Prime look similar from the outside, inside, and in terms of technology, but their drivetrains and battery types are different. One of them can be charged while the other one can’t. We can show how the two are different using our test data. Performance and Speeding Up The non-Prime Prius only has 194 horsepower with front-wheel drive and 196 horsepower with all-wheel drive, so the Prime is better. The Prime weighs 307 pounds more than the regular Prius because its battery pack is bigger, but it starts and goes faster in our tests. The AWD Prius took 7.1 seconds to hit 60 mph, while the AWD Prius took 6.5 seconds. The normal type, on the other hand, was easier to control and stop because it was lighter. The regular Prius is faster, with a 0.87 g skidpad result and a 174-foot stop from 70 mph. The Prius Prime, on the other hand, has a 0.84 g skidpad result and a 179-foot stop from 70 mph. Range and gas mileage Our real-world 75 mph highway fuel-economy test showed that the basic Prius got 49 mpg, while the Prime only got 46 mpg. The regular Prius can also go farther between fill-ups because its gas tank is a bit bigger than the Prime’s. The Prime gets the same highway gas mileage when the battery dies, and the car is in hybrid mode. The best thing about the plug-in hybrid, though, is that it can only run on power. After a full charge, our test Prius Prime can go 33 miles in real life. Is it smart to get a plug-in hybrid? There is a big price difference between the two Prius hybrids because their base models cost just under $30,000 ($29,045, to be exact). The price for Prime starts at $34,070. Before spending the extra few thousand dollars on the plug-in model, there are a few things you should think about. Does your house have a charging method set up? Then the Prime’s electric range will be much more useful to you. If not, you might not be able to charge the car as often since you will have to use public chargers. How long does it take you to get to work? You should be able to drive the Prius Prime for most of the day without ever needing gas as long as you can charge it at home or work, as long as you don’t go over its electric range. Would you like an all-wheel drive? If so, you can cross the Prime off your list since it only comes with front-wheel drive.
