2020 Toyota Prius Prime Review

Name: 2020 Toyota Prius Prime Review
Brand: Toyota
Rating: 4.4 (37 reviews)

Price Range: $22,996 - $29,590

Toyota Prius Prime Limited 4dr Hatchback Exterior Shown

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2020 Toyota Prius Prime Review

byCalvin Kim^{Vehicle Test Engineer
Calvin Kim is an automotive journalist at Edmunds.}

Pros

Outstanding fuel economy, with 25 miles of electric-only range
Comfortable front seats
Priced lower than most other plug-ins

Cons

Slow acceleration and noisy engine
Smaller cargo area compared to the regular Prius

What's new

Adds fifth passenger seat
Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa and satellite radio now standard
Two USB ports added for rear-seat passengers
Part of the fourth Prius generation introduced for 2016

Overview

The Prius needs no introduction. Its claim to fame is its amazing gas mileage, efficiency-first styling and space-age interior. And while the interior and styling have changed over the years, the Prius' retains its fuel-sipping tendencies, which are even better in the Prius Prime.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime LE 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $2.93 per gallon for regular unleaded and $0.14 per kWh for electricity in Virginia.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Virginia

$54/mo

$155/mo

Avg. Midsize Car

Calculate my fuel costs

With the regular Prius, you can only fill up its gas tank. But what if you could separately recharge its battery pack for even better efficiency? The Prius Prime answers that question. It has a bigger battery and can drive in full all-electric mode for 25 miles or so. For many people, that's more than enough for around-town driving. Once the battery is depleted, the Prius' hybrid powertrain takes over and delivers excellent fuel efficiency.

We also like that Toyota has addressed a couple of issues on the 2020 Prius Prime. It now has a rear bench seat with a fifth seat and comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa. The latter is an appealing substitute to Toyota's native Entune infotainment system.

There are still a couple of downsides, including tepid acceleration and a small cargo area. But on the whole, the Prius Prime is worth checking out if you're shopping for an affordable and efficient plug-in hybrid.

Notably, we picked the 2020 Toyota Prius Primeas one of Edmunds' Cheapest Electric Cars and Best Gas Mileage Cars for 2020.

Which Prius Prime does Edmunds recommend?

All Prius Prime models feature the same powertrain and basic layout, so opt for the XLE trim. It gives you a decent set of extra features while keeping the price reasonable. Its notable add-ons compared to the base LE are its standard navigation system, larger touchscreen, simulated leather upholstery and a wireless smartphone charger.

2020 Toyota Prius Prime models

The 2020 Toyota Prius Prime is available in three trim levels: LE, XLE and Limited. All share the same hybrid powertrain with EV mode and perform identically, so the differences among them boil down to features. The LE is obviously the value play of the range, but it has a decent list of standard equipment. The XLE, meanwhile, brings a few key comfort-oriented items. The Limited level adds a lot of features that will surely appeal to tech-savvy buyers, though they come at a big increase in price.

All Prius Primes have a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine paired to a plug-in hybrid system. Total system output is 121 horsepower, delivered to the front wheels through a specialized continuously variable automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard. All-wheel drive (Toyota's AWD-e system) is only available on the regular Prius.

The EPA estimates the Prime can drive up to 25 miles using pure electric power. Fully charging the battery takes 5.5 hours using a 120-volt power source or a little more than two hours with 240 volts (Level 2 charger).

The LE starts you out with features such as LED headlights, automatic climate control, keyless access (driver's door only) and start, heated front seats, a 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, a USB port, and a six-speaker sound system. A suite of advanced driver safety aids, called Toyota Safety Sense P, is also standard.

Stepping up one rung to the XLE trim level puts you into the Prius Prime's sweet spot. It includes a power driver's seat, an 11.6-inch central touchscreen and upgraded infotainment system, simulated leather (SofTex) upholstery, keyless entry on the other three doors, and wireless smartphone charging.

The Limited trim level adds a premium audio system, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, a heated steering wheel, an auto-dimming mirror, a head-up display, a smartphone app with a charge management system and remote-control climate operation, automatic wipers, and a semi-automated parking function.

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

5/5Excellent

#1 out of 28 among Midsize Cars

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Toyota Prius Prime from 2008-2022.}

$356/yr

vs. $415/yr
for Average Midsize Car

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

0.28x/yr

vs. 0.87x/yr
for Average Midsize Car

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

4.4%

vs. 10.2%
for Average Midsize Car

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2020 Toyota Prius Prime.

5 (67%)

4 (22%)

3 (2%)

2 (4%)

1 (5%)

4.4

37 reviews

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Most helpful consumer reviews

Snazzy looking! Some pluses and some minuses

Bill Albany, NY, 12/15/2019

2020 Toyota Prius Prime LE 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)

Great looking car. Ran wonderfully in EV mode when I left the dealer. Range was about 30 miles. Pretty good. I have yet to get the EV mode fully charged since then. 3 weeks in my MPG is about 48.5 mpg. Looking for Santa to buy me a Level 2 110 charger. Should be able to charge the car overnight every night. For Toyota engineers, some recommendations: The LE info display is less … distracting than on the other models, but c'mon -- it's positioned too far below the windshield and to far from the driver for safe driving. Real buttons are also safer than touch screens, too. I'm very concerned. Would like to see that ergonomically safety engineered so that it takes less attention away from the business of driving! Also, the location of other buttons and utilities in the interior are awkward to find when driving, and worse at night. The USB location is really dumb and hard to find in daylight, even harder at night! Blind spot visibility is better than on the RAV-4 but still not great, and the side mirrors must double duty to compensate for the small range of view out the rear windshield. Also, NO REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER? In a snow storm last week, the lack of a rear wiper was a bother, and the rear window heater couldn't melt the snow -- it kept shutting off every 4 minutes, too! This is the first Toyota I've had in 20 years without a rear wiper! WTx? Under gas, the gearing seems inconsistent. Not sure I've figured out why. I'll pay more attention and see if the service folks can fix something. Finally, the voice command system is slightly better than the system on the 2017 RAV-4s, but very flawed compared to what I had on my 2014 Prius. Is Toyota's voice recognition technology falling behind what it was six years ago? How could that be? Another drawback is the Prime's shrunken cargo capacity. I understand the room needed for the EV battery, and accept the compromise. But it does limit the utility of the vehicle. If the model had a sun roof, however, then at least I could feel a bit less claustrophobic, and maybe even bring back taller items from my landscape supply store occasionally. Finally, the car swings wide when parking! Oy! Have some sort of warning when the fenders are getting near an obstruction. I was very surprised at the space needed to safely parallel park or to pull out of head-in parking spaces when there were other cars or obstructions alongside. Check out the Volvo and Nissan surround vision and alert system. If Nissan can have it, why not Toyota? Recommendations: For future models --engineer the interior so knobs and switches and displays are located closer to the driver and in safer, less distracting locations. Also, add a rear wiper, a better read defroster, and better warning systems of what's at risk of damaging the car's side and front and rear fenders and of what's in the blind spots

Great Car for the Money

Great Car for the MOney, 12/07/2019

2020 Toyota Prius Prime Limited 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)

WE mouth the Limited version in order to get the advanced screen and electronics. With the $2,000 credit and the $4,500 federal tax credit, the price of this car dropped to $25,000. The plug in works easily and gives a good 26 miles on electric only power. The range with the hybrid is wonderful. The interior is clean in design and comfortable. The screen takes a little getting use …

Highly recommended

Dave in Florida, 08/24/2020

2020 Toyota Prius Prime XLE 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)

Bought this car because I wanted something that reduced my gasoline consumption substantially, but wasn't ready to go all-electric. Suits my setup very well. I charge overnight in the driveway on a regular plug (schedule easily with the in-car timer), then drive to and from my office, a total of 21 miles round trip. When the car first arrived, it would indicate 22 miles of electric …

101 mpg over 12000 miles.

SuperHerm, 12/08/2019

2020 Toyota Prius Prime Limited 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)

The greatest hybrid ever built is even better for 2020. Don't bother with a Tesla. You can go to Niagara Falls, Massachusetts and Washington from New Jersey and you won't need a 2 to 3 hour break to charge (assuming others haven't beat you to the charger).

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime, so we've included reviews for other years of the Prius Prime since its last redesign.

See all 37 reviews of the Toyota Prius Prime

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2020 Prius Prime Highlights

Trim:

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$27,600
EV Tax Credits & Rebates	$4,125 Based on income
Engine Type	Plug-in hybrid
EPA Electric Range	25 miles
Combined MPGe (Electric + Gas)	133 MPGe^{MPGe is the official metric that the EPA uses to measure the efficiency of alternative-fuel (including electric) vehicles. Just like regular MPG shows how far a car will travel on one gallon of gas, MPGe shows how far a vehicle will drive on 33.7kWh of electricity - the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline. Combined MPGe is the combined total of 45% city MPGe + 55% highway MPGe.}
Cost to Drive	$54/month
Total Charging Time (240V)	2.0 hours
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	19.8 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the Prius Prime models:

Toyota Safety Sense: Bundles a variety of standard driver safety aids, including forward collision warning and mitigation.
Safety Connect: This subscription-based emergency assistance telematics system includes a variety of services.
Blind-Spot Monitoring: Alerts the driver if a car is in an adjacent lane when a turn signal is activated.

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Good
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Acceptable
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Good
Side Impact Test – Updated
Not Tested
Roof Strength Test
Good
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Good

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2020 Toyota Prius Prime Review

Pros

Cons

What's new

Overview

Which Prius Prime does Edmunds recommend?

2020 Toyota Prius Prime models

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Most helpful consumer reviews

Snazzy looking! Some pluses and some minuses

Great Car for the Money

Highly recommended

101 mpg over 12000 miles.

2020 Prius Prime Highlights

Safety

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