2025 Toyota Prius

The Prius has been one thing over the years: efficient. Not pretty. Not cool. Just efficient. But the fifth-generation Prius, which stunned us with svelte lines and respectable power in its 2023 debut, did something no other Prius — heck, no other compact hybrid — has ever done: It was at once attractive, quick and ridiculously efficient, achieving 57 mpg combined in its most miserly trim. This is the world we live in now. And it's a good one.

Edmunds spotlight: There's already an attractive Prius. Why not a fun one?

Given the Prius' relatively long product cycles, we don't expect any major updates for 2025. After all, the 2023 redesign included not just a new platform and powertrain, but a complete makeover of the Prius' personality. So Toyota doesn't need to do much to keep it fresh. The Prius already shines with modern tech and driver assist features, so maybe — just maybe — Toyota will add performance for the 2025 model year. The brand hinted at the idea with the the Centennial GR Edition Prius concept at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year. A Prius that's both beautiful and truly engaging to drive? We never thought we'd see the former and it happened. So who knows.

Competitors to consider

Hyundai's Elantra Hybrid and Toyota's Corolla Hybrid are probably the Prius' most direct competitors, though neither can match its unique pairing of efficeincy and slick style. If you're after even more electrified driving, you could consider the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, which offers the Prius' looks with 40 miles of all-electric range.

Toyota's ability to surprise the world with innovation, creativity and soul is increasing. Maybe it will shock the world again with a performance-oriented Prius.