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Used 2016 Toyota Prius c Hatchback Consumer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
16 reviews

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Pros
Cons
5 out of 5 stars

Great car but not for shallow people.

Ron R, 01/12/2017
2016 Toyota Prius c One 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
12 of 16 people found this review helpful

The Prius C is built to save gas. Acceleration is slow even if you try and and gun it. It is adequate enough to speed up more than the average car in normal driving. In freeway entrance with two lanes, I'm more than 90% faster than other cars I assume driving normally and not racing me. The battery charging without the plug in, but by the combustion engine is adequate to lower MPG by assisting in acceleration and taking over the stop and go without turning the gas engine on. I've heard people complaining about the braking system. It doesn't take long to get used to it and enjoy the regenerative braking and see the animation of your batteries being charged. If you are childlike in terms of personality you'll probably hate and throw a tantrum, so don't buy it. For the thinking person, it's quite a joy to see how efficient the Prius C is. I see it more appealing to people who eat healthy and understand the importance of quality living and not the junk food crowd who are more into satisfying their hunger and feelings. The CVT continuous variable transmission is awesome. It's actually more efficient and quicker than the regular planetary automatic or manual transmission. The CVT does not have a pause power is constantly applied making it quicker. I heard that CVT was rejected by dumb consumers on regular cars because they wanted the feel of the inefficient of gear shifting. CVT was acutally conceptualized by Leonardo DaVinci in 1490 and was first patented in 1829 for a saw mill. First cat to patent is Daimler Benz in 1886. I got the Prius C one the most basic, for me the car is not for luxury or sport use, it's a way to save money. I got 2 Mercedes, a Ram Hemi, a BMW Z4 and Mini Cooper S for the fun, sport and luxury part of driving. For my cheap side, my family drives the technologically advance, and energy efficient Prius C. You can't help but love it.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

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Edith Burris, 01/31/2017
2016 Toyota Prius c Two 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Do your homework and use all the internet assistance. I was all prepared when I arrived at the dealer and had a pleasant experience.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Steers like a boat & can't get comfortable!

glenn magnussen, 03/27/2016
updated 05/01/2025
2016 Toyota Prius c Four 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
14 of 23 people found this review helpful

The slightest crosswind, or crown in the road sends the car left and right. It could be in part due to the heavy battery ballast under the seats. In addition, the electric assist steering is overdone/too much assist. I've verified the alignment twice, and even scheduled a test drive with the service manager. He told me he didn't think there was anything wrong. Serves me right for thinking I was accompanied by an "expert"! My 94 Corolla wagon with the bent tie-rod steers much better than this vehicle. I am 6 ft tall. The front seats make me feel like I'm sitting in a well/no headroom. You can never get a comfortable driving position. Update 3/31/18: Edmunds wants me to update this review.. The steering wheel has two large spokes (@ 7pm/5pm) on the bottom. There is nowhere to comfortably grip the wheel.These are such a nuisance to anyone without small hands. I have prev given away the 94 Corolla wagon. I now wish I had not. It was so much better than the Prius C. Update: 4/2/19 Status the same...Turns out that the tires that came on this Prius C contained at least one defect. This was apparent at the beginning, and was confirmed when they rotated at 30k. At the beginning I complained to the service manager. He wasn't able to notice the defect in steering, as stated above. Gale Toyota of Enfield CT sold the vehicle. I took the "hit" and bought new tires. The steering is noticeably better, but not befitting a car that cost 28k. Don't buy this car! 10/6/19 Update at Edmunds request...I have increased the rating of acceleration to "OK", and shifting, to "GREAT". The remaining features are unchanged. Update @ request of Edmunds...(4/7/20) Still steers like a boat, and can't get comfortable. While it gets great mileage, I would not buy this car again. Just a little levity for the audience...I visited the dealer for routine maintenance. Outside was the salesperson who sold me the car. He asked me how I was enjoying the Prius. When I began to let him know the issues with it, he promptly found a reason to disappear. There you have it. 10/8/20 Update per request of Edmunds..The uncomfortable seats have worn in, and while the seat (bottom) portion of it is not as stiff, it is just as hot as before, and does not breathe. The seat back shape doesn't have a contour that remotely resembles the shape of someone's spine, so it follows that there is no comfort, here. Update: 4/14/21 Status the same! I'm in the market for a new car, and the bad taste left by the dealership is making me shy away from the Toy Rav4, and looking toward the Subaru Outback. You made your bed, Gale Toyota, and I have moved on. Update at request of Edmunds...10/17-21 The Prius C now has 70k miles. Gas mileage hasn't changed/is 45 highway. Though the car had an extra, 5-year warranty, paid for by me, I am glad to say that (crosses fingers) that so far, other than routine maintenance, nothing has needed attention. (Update at request of Edmunds...10-24-23) At 78k, the Prius is on its' THIRD set of tires (as of 10-2022) The main issue(s), throughout, is a worn left-front tire(s). Afterward, the steering was the same, although the fine people at Town Fair Tire stayed with me, and experimented with adjustments in the steering gear/parts, based on their road tests, and my followup comments to them. The bottom line is, steering, still, isn't correct, but, after their (TFT) assistance, holds the car more stable than before. Though another family member assumed ownership of the Prius C, I can't wait for this car to be gone. UPDATE 10/29/24... A year-and-a-half ago, at 75k miles, I was forced to buy our third set of new tires, because, as stated in my first review, the steering gear/frame/alignment was "off", causing the outside edge of the driver's front tire to wear, prematurely. Also, as stated previously, the car steers poorly. I never could convince the gandus at Toyota to recognize this obvious flaw, which left a bad taste in my mouth, and had convinced me to never buy another Toyota. Too bad, Toyota, you had a chance to make this right, at the beginning. I've had other problems with Toyota "service", such as their tech, forgetting to return the oil filler cap back on that location.. and a tech who replaced front rotors & pads. One of the rotors was not true, and I couldn't convince the manager (he's a gandu, too) that the rotor was defective. To solve the issue, I spent $80 (approx) more, and then replaced it myself. i hear that the Prius C is now defunct, and thank the Lord for this. The car is now 9 years old, and when it comes time to buy new, we'll go to another brand. UPDATE... 4/30/25 The "proof is in the pudding". The Prius C is no longer produced, because word got around that it was an inferior car. As further testimony to Toyota's lack of concern, and possibly repeating something that I've already stated... After pulling up to the Toyota dealer, the nice guy who sold me the car was standing outside on a smoke break. He asked me how I like the Prius. As I began to inform him, he turned sideways, and headed for the door. Goodbye Toyota!

Safety
3 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
1 out of 5 stars
Reliability
4 out of 5 stars
Value
2 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

In the end we bought something else

Mid-Mo Car Shopper, 03/07/2017
2016 Toyota Prius c Four 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
6 of 11 people found this review helpful

My husband and I are both 70. We are conservative, very conservative, and the idea of buying a high-mpg car usually drives our car searching. We were pretty sure we were going to go with a Prius and we narrowed it down to a Prius C Four or a Prius Three Touring. We wanted the amenities of leather seats and a navigation system. We were tired of allowing time to get lost every time we were going to a new location. We drove a Prius C Four first - it was bright yellow, which was probably not age-appropriate, but we liked it, except for one thing . . . the way the engine groaned when you needed it to climb a hill. We loved the car more than we had expected. Then we drove the Prius Three Touring and there wasn't anything about it we didn't like. The price difference between the two cars was about $4000. We were trying to drag out the shopping timeframe to guard against an impulse buying. Our sales person told us about his Prius Four Touring that he had just traded in the day before. It wasn't ready to test drive, but we looked at it and noticed it had the blind spot detectors. It was 3 months old and had less than 4000 miles on it. So the idea of that car was just hanging out on the "back burner" for a week or so. Another dealer let us take either of the cars we were interested in over the weekend. So we took a Prius C Three (they didn't have a four at that dealership) for the weekend. So on Saturday, we took the borrowed Prius C on an outting that took us to the dealership with the Yellow C Four and the Used Prius Four Touring. We drove that yellow car again, and still liked it. Then asked to drive the used Prius Four Touring. Our original salesman was off that day, and they were busy, so they let us drive the Four Touring without a salesperson in the car. We hardly drove off the lot before we looked at each other with eyes of super approval. When we got back to the dealership, the substitute salesperson was nowhere to be found. We waited about 20 minutes and then just left and took the borrowed Prius C back to the other dealership. I emailed the original salesperson and told him we wanted his Four Touring. And two days later we took it home. It still growls a little going up hills from a cold start, but not as much as the C did. In the end, it was the extra safety features that sold us on the car, . . . afterall, we're not as mentally sharp as we once were. :-(

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Persona Prius C

Ulyses Villasin, 02/22/2017
2016 Toyota Prius c Persona Series Special Edition 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
3 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great car and reliable for city driving!!!!

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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