2020 Toyota Prius Review

For two decades, the Toyota Prius has been the go-to choice for both eco-warriors and drivers simply looking to save money on fuel costs. But new rivals are debuting every year, and even the mighty Prius must innovate to stay on top. Last year, Toyota made some changes to bolster the Prius' appeal, such as improving the cabin materials and adding optional all-wheel drive. This year, the 2020 Toyota Prius continues the theme of improvement with a revised touchscreen and — finally — the introduction of Apple CarPlay.

This generation Prius offers a comfortable ride quality, roomy seating and generous cargo space. Acceleration is no more than adequate, but it might be worth the trade-off if it means you only have to fill up once or twice a month. Though estimates vary slightly by trim, the EPA rates the Prius at 50 mpg or higher in combined driving.

Overall, we applaud Toyota's commitment to keeping the Prius fresh. But that isn't to say it's the best. Its sluggish acceleration is no longer the punchline it once was, but rivals are quicker and only marginally less fuel-efficient. We particularly suggest checking out the Honda Insight for its more satisfying performance and more traditional styling. Other options might include the new Corolla Hybrid or the Kia Niro.

Notably, we picked the 2020 Toyota Prius as one of Edmunds' Best Gas Mileage Cars for 2020.

What's it like to live with the Prius?

To learn more about the Toyota Prius of this generation, read about our experiences from living with a 2016 Toyota Prius. After its debut, we went out and bought one, holding onto it for almost four years and racking up more than 30,000 miles. We cover everything from this hybrid's real-world fuel economy to seat comfort and cargo space. Please note that the 2020 Toyota Prius differs from our long-term 2016 model in that the newer model has updated styling and more standard features. It's the same generation, though, so most of our observations still apply.

The 2020 Toyota Prius is a four-door hatchback hybrid that seats five passengers. The front-wheel-drive model is available in four trim levels: L Eco, LE, XLE and Limited. The Prius AWD-e is offered in the LE and XLE trims.