2021 Toyota Prius Prime Review

Name: 2021 Toyota Prius Prime
Brand: Toyota

Price Range: $16,186 - $29,990

Toyota Prius Prime Limited 4dr Hatchback Exterior Shown

Average

7.2

out of 10

edmunds TESTED

The Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid is comfortable and easy to drive, just like the regular Prius. And if you can regularly recharge the battery, it's easy to take advantage of the car's 25 miles of all-electric range. The Prime's larger battery reduces cargo capacity somewhat, and "fun!" is not an adjective in the car's vocabulary, but otherwise it's good where it matters.

See all features & specs

Price & Payment

Select year

Average price: $24,833

Min$

Max$

See listings

Appraise My Toyota Prius Prime

Toyota Prius Prime model years

Toyota Prius Prime for Sale

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
Ride can get unsettled on bumpy roads

What's new

Enhanced capability of some advanced driver aids
Base LE model now includes Android Auto connectivity
Part of the fourth Prius generation introduced for 2016

Overview

Written by automotive expert Christian Wardlaw

Updated: 8/5/2021

Caution is a prudent approach to life, and sometimes it is better to dip your toes into the pool rather than to dive right in. If you've been thinking of giving an electric vehicle a try, a plug-in hybrid is a good way to find out if EV ownership could work for you. And the 2021 Toyota Prius Prime is one way to sample EV living without committing to it completely — or spending a bunch of money.

Continue reading Edmunds Expert Rating below

For sale near Ashburn, VA

18 listings

Sort by:

2021 Toyota Prius Prime
LE 4dr Hatchback
$16,186
fair price
$21 above market
- 136,750 miles
- 25 mi est. electric range
- 55 City / 53 Hwy MPG
- 19 mi away
- Back-up camera
- Bluetooth
- Keyless Entry/Start
- Upgraded Headlights
- Tire Pressure Warnin...
Close
Located in Manassas, VA
Features and Specs:
54 Combined MPG (55 City/53 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN:
JTDKAMFP1M3190896
Stock:
INC2749
Certified Pre-Owned:
No
2021 Toyota Prius Prime
LE 4dr Hatchback
$17,900
great price
$1,767 below market
- 78,974 miles
- 25 mi est. electric range
- 55 City / 53 Hwy MPG
- 179 mi away
- Back-up camera
- Bluetooth
- Keyless Entry/Start
- Upgraded Headlights
- Tire Pressure Warnin...
Close
Located in East Windsor, NJ
Features and Specs:
54 Combined MPG (55 City/53 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN:
JTDKAMFP2M3189708
Stock:
2M3189708
Certified Pre-Owned:
No

See all for sale

Distanced from the more popular Prius hybrid, the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid wears unique styling details but uses the same five-door hatchback body style that's characterized Toyota's fuel-sipper for nearly 20 years. The two cars share interiors and equipment, though only the standard Prius offers an electronic all-wheel-drive system as an upgrade from front-wheel drive.

The primary difference between a Prius and a Prius Prime is the powertrain. With the Prime, you get an estimated 25 miles of electric driving range at speeds up to 84 mph. This is good for shorter commutes and running errands near home, and, according to Toyota, you can easily recharge the battery in 5.5 hours using a standard household outlet. If you're out driving and the Prime uses all of its electric range, it automatically switches to gas-electric hybrid operation just like a standard Prius.

If you're wondering if you can live with an electric car, a Prius Prime is a good way to find out. But it's not the only affordable plug-in hybrid, and you might find some of the alternatives more appealing. Check out our Expert Rating below to get our in-depth take on the 2021 Prius Prime.

Edmunds Expert Rating

edmunds TESTED

by the Edmunds Experts

Average

7.2

out of 10

We drove the 2021 Toyota Prius Prime on our test track and on real roads. Our Edmunds team conducts rigorous independent vehicle testing, driving 500,000 miles a year.

Performance

6.5/10

How does the Prius Prime drive? You're not buying a Prius Prime for its performance. In Edmunds' testing, our Prius Prime Limited test car accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 10.8 seconds, which is slow no matter how you look at it. Merging onto the highway or passing at higher speeds takes quite a bit of time, throttle and determination. We also tested its emergency braking performance. It stopped from 60 mph in 128 feet, which is slightly below average for a vehicle of this type. The Prime is also pretty tepid when it comes to agility and handling precision.

On the upside, the Prime has an easy-driving nature and smoothly transitions from EV mode to hybrid gasoline-engine power. And should you do most of your driving in EV mode, you'll find there's adequate acceleration for city traffic.

Comfort

7.5/10

How comfortable is the Prius Prime? The front seats are softly padded and should be comfortable for the long haul. Taller drivers, or those with long legs, might find the seat bottoms to be a few inches too short. The cabin is generally quiet unless you floor the gas pedal, at which point the underpowered engine gets rather raucous.

Another downside is the Prius' ride quality over broken pavement and concrete expansion joints. The impacts from these types of bumps can make the car feel jittery. Since the car is so quiet, this road noise is more noticeable than it would otherwise be in a non-hybrid. The climate control works well and has clever touches such as the ability to isolate the system in favor of the driver to aid in fuel efficiency.

Interior

7.5/10

How’s the interior? The Prius is a fundamentally easy car to get into and drive. Aside from the puzzling shifter design, all other controls are immediately familiar. The driver's seat has a wide range of adjustability, but taller drivers will likely want a bit more range of adjustment from the steering wheel. Space up front is expansive. Tall rear passengers will feel a little more cramped because of the Prius' sloping roofline.

Visibility is a mixed bag. Forward visibility is excellent, but the view over your shoulder is hampered by the thick roof pillars. Some drivers might also not like the view out back because of the split rear window design. The instrument cluster is also quirky because it's mounted in the center of the dash rather than being right in front of you.

Technology

6.5/10

How’s the tech? Our test Prius Prime had the upgraded 11.6-inch touchscreen display, which is a lot of screen real estate for a car in this price range. Unfortunately, it suffers from cluttered virtual buttons, unsophisticated graphics and clumsy menus — you'll be fine sticking with the base 7-inch screen. The native voice control system is unintuitive to use too.

On the upside, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration is standard, and sound quality from the upgraded JBL audio system is better than average. The Prime comes standard with a full suite of advanced driving aids too. Most of them work well, but the adaptive cruise control is very conservative. It's both slow to accelerate and quick to brake for other vehicles.

Storage

7.5/10

How’s the storage? The Prius Prime's cargo area is compromised due to the larger battery pack, which raises the floor and makes its 19.8 cubic feet behind the rear seats merely adequate. You can always fold the rear seats down if you need more cargo area; just be aware that the load floor isn't flat like it is in a standard Prius. Inside, there's enough in-cabin storage for the daily odds and ends. If you tend to fill your cupholders with personal items, you'll appreciate the large door pockets, which can double as water bottle holders.

Child safety seats are fairly easy to load in and out of the Prius Prime. LATCH points are easy to find, but the low rear roofline means you might have to stoop quite a bit to get seats and infants in and out.

Fuel Economy

8.5/10

How’s the fuel economy? The Prius is known for its frugality, and the Prime adds the ability to travel an estimated 25 miles on electric power alone. After the battery runs out, you can expect to get 54 mpg in combined city/highway driving. We took our Prius Prime on our standardized evaluation route and traveled 27 miles on electric power and then averaged 63.3 mpg over the remaining miles on the gasoline engine. Both results indicate that the EPA estimates are easily attainable.

Value

7.5/10

Is the Prius Prime a good value? Our Limited trim test car stickered for around $35,000 and came with the larger touchscreen, a head-up display (displays important information in your sight line on the windshield), the upgraded audio system and a few additional driver aids. Overall, we think you get an appropriate number of features for your money.

Even though the Prius' interior feels well built, some cabin materials are a little too plasticky for its price. We're not particularly fond of the shiny plastic trim either — it tends to collect dirt, scuffs and fingerprints. As for warranties, Toyota gives you its regular coverage, which includes eight years/100,000 miles for the hybrid components. You also get Toyota's two free years of scheduled maintenance, and as a Prime owner, you get roadside assistance for three years.

Wildcard

7.5/10

The Prius is not fun to drive, and it's doesn't feel particularly upscale. But it's easy to drive, practical, comfortable in the daily commute, and of course highly fuel-efficient. The Prius has become an icon representing an eco-conscious lifestyle and has defined what you should expect from a fuel-efficient car.

Should you find fuel economy data entertaining and want to turn the Prius into a first-person driving game to see if you can beat your driving efficiency score, you're likely to find the Prius Prime endlessly entertaining.

2021 Toyota Prius Prime trim level differences

Toyota sells the Prius Prime in three trim levels: LE, XLE and Limited. Each version shares the same body style and powertrain, differing only in equipment. A 1.8-liter gasoline four-cylinder engine pairs with a plug-in hybrid system to make a total of 121 horsepower, but the electric drive motor supplies immediate torque to make the car feel lively as you accelerate from a stop. Compare the 2021 Toyota Prius Prime trim levels in-depth.

Which Prius Prime trim does Edmunds recommend?

Within the Prius Prime lineup, we recommend the XLE trim level. For a modest bump in price over the base LE trim, the XLE installs synthetic leather seats, an upgraded infotainment system with an 11.6-inch display, and a navigation system. It also offers longer free trial periods to connected services and a driving coach that learns your habits and recommends ways to improve efficiency.

Cost to Drive

Monthly estimates based on costs in Virginia

$67/mo

$199/mo

Avg. Midsize Car

Calculate my fuel costs

See Edmunds pricing data

Has Your Car's Value Changed?

Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.

Year

Make

Model

See pricing history

Reliability

The 2021 Toyota Prius Prime has a 3 years / 36,000 miles basic warranty and no recalls. RepairPal gives it a reliability rating of 5 out of 5, ranks it #1 out of 28 among Midsize Cars. Below you’ll find our owner reviews.

Reliability Rating by RepairPal

5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent

#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

$356/yr

vs. $415/yr
for Average Midsize Car

Frequency

0.28x/yr

vs. 0.87x/yr
for Average Midsize Car

Severity

4.4%

vs. 10.2%
for Average Midsize Car

Recalls

There are no recalls for the 2021 Toyota Prius Prime

Warranty

3 years / 36,000 miles Basic Warranty

Basic Warranty: 3 years / 36,000 miles
Drivetrain Warranty: 5 years / 60,000 miles
Hybrid component Warranty: 8 years / 100,000 miles
Rust Warranty: 5 years / unlimited miles
Roadside assistance Warranty: 3 years / unlimited miles
Free maintenance Warranty: 2 years / 25,000 miles

Toyota Prius Prime Reviews

Owner Reviews

4.3

41 reviews

5(63%)

4(22%)

3(3%)

2(5%)

1(7%)

See all 41 reviews of the Toyota Prius Prime

Write a vehicle review

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

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 2021 Toyota Prius Prime, so we've included reviews for other years of the Prius Prime since its last redesign.

2021 Prius Prime Features & Specs

Trim:

MSRP (New) Excludes Destination Fee	$28,200
EV Tax Credits & Rebates
Engine Type	Plug-in hybrid
EPA Electric Range	25 miles
Combined MPGe (Electric + Gas)	133 MPGe
Cost to Drive	$67/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

See all features & specs

Safety

Our experts like the Prius Prime models:

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

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall4 / 5
Driver4 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover4 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover10.7%

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

People who viewed this also viewed

Toyota Prius
5.0 average Rating out of 3 reviews.
Starting at $28,550

See Toyota Prius Inventory

Toyota Camry
3.9 average Rating out of 13 reviews.
Starting at $29,600

See Toyota Camry Inventory

Honda Civic
4.5 average Rating out of 17 reviews.
Starting at $24,695

See Honda Civic Inventory