2024 Toyota Prius Reviews, Pricing & Specs

When Toyota redesigned the Prius in 2023, the automaker retained the car’s familiar wedge-shaped profile, but designers penned distinctive and appealing styling for the aerodynamically optimized bodywork. The good-looking 19-inch aluminum wheels are particularly attractive.

Inside, the Prius is still quirky, but the instrumentation moved from the centre of the dashboard to in front of the driver. The digital panel is tucked close to the windshield, and depending on how you position the seat and steering wheel, you might not be able to see all of it. Get the larger of the two infotainment touchscreens, and the volume knob might as well be located in the next province.

Unfortunately, hard plastic is the rule rather than the exception. It leads to creaks and squeaks while making the Prius look and feel flimsy, even if the components might ultimately prove durable in the Toyota tradition. Padding is thin where you might rest your elbows or prop your legs while driving.

Toyota made no changes to the 2024 Prius. It continues in Canada in XLE and Limited trim levels, and prices range from $40,645 to $46,785, including the $1,860 destination charge and other fees. Our U.S.-specification XLE test vehicle had numerous options, starting with its Supersonic Red paint ($255). (Note that some features shown, including the 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system and glass roof, are exclusive to the Limited model in Canada.)

As a part of last year’s redesign, the Prius got a significant power boost, and now Toyota brags about acceleration times as much as it does fuel economy. The Prius will make the run from 0 to 96 km/h in seven seconds flat.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Under the hood, you’ll find a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that works with an 83-kilowatt electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack that recharges via brake regeneration. A second 30-kW electric motor powers the rear wheels to create electric AWD.

The hybrid system’s combined output measures 196 horsepower. Natural Resources Canada rates it at 4.8 L/100 km in city driving, 4.7 on the highway, and 4.8 combined, making it one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles you can buy today without a plug.

As mentioned before, there is a plug-in hybrid powertrain available as well. It comes in the Toyota Prius Prime and offers between 64 and 72 kilometres of electric driving before reverting to gas-electric hybrid propulsion. But that’s a separate model, and this review is about the standard Prius.

While we’re on the subject of fuel economy, our test car averaged 4.9 L/100 km on our mountainous testing loop. Note that we obtained this result without trying to maximize efficiency. In other words, we drove the car like most people would. Imagine how much gas money you could save by owning a Prius.

That’s always been true, but the savings previously came with dynamic compromises. Toyota has banished most of those in the latest Prius. From its underlying architecture engineered to enhance handling to its remarkably energetic acceleration, driving enjoyment is no longer the sacrifice you must pay to own one of the most efficient cars money can buy.

Unfortunately, Toyota still has some work to do in this regard. For example, the steering feels more like a video game than real life. In addition, the Prius’s continuously variable transmission (CVT) can still groan and drone when accelerating hard or climbing a mountain grade, and the Sport mode doesn’t seem to do much of anything. Also, the ride lacks isolation and smoothness when driving over patched or crumbling pavement. Lastly, the dramatic windshield pillars and relatively small windows can make it harder to see out of this car. Other than that, there’s nothing significant to complain about in the driving dynamics department.

In exchange for the Prius’s dramatic exterior styling, the interior feels more snug than previous-generation versions of the car. After ducking to get in without smacking your head on the roof, you settle into a comfortable driver’s seat. The base of the windshield seems like it’s a mile away, and so do the gauges.

Near as we can tell, Toyota is trying to split the difference between a head-up display and a traditional gauge display to help reduce driver distraction without pushing the car’s price too high. But in pursuing this noble cause, the automaker relies on a tiny 7-inch display panel crammed full of information. Also, depending on how you prefer to sit, the steering wheel can block part of the display.

Ultimately, the approach doesn’t work. The display needs to be larger, with more white space between the different data elements. Toyota also needs to improve the display’s relationship with the steering wheel and driving position to ensure it is visible at all times.

The seemingly never-ending windshield pillars sweep dramatically up into the roof, reminding us of a Lucid Air. And, like the Lucid, they induce a little bit of claustrophobia. You might also feel that way if you ride in the rear seats of the Prius, which seem cramped and confined but are comfortable enough for two.

Storage space is adequate, and Toyota innovates with a wireless smartphone charging slot to the right of the shifter. However, that slot will collect a lot of dirt, dust, and grit over time, and it’s not easy to clean.

According to Toyota, you can load 575 litres of cargo into a Prius. But with the cargo cover in place, it accommodates just two full-size suitcases. Remove the cover, and you can pack more stuff, but it blocks the hatchback’s window and the added luggage is visible from outside. There is compartmentalized storage under the trunk load floor, but it isn’t shaped to accommodate larger items.

Note that Toyota offers an optional digital rearview mirror for the Prius. This camera-based feature gives the driver a 180-degree panoramic view of what’s behind the car when the cargo hold is packed to the roof. However, it’s available only with Limited trim.

We’ve already covered the folly of the Prius’s 7-inch digital instrumentation panel. It is too small, too crammed with data, too far away from the driver, and the steering wheel might block a part of it.

Moving on to the Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system, it comes with an 8-inch (XLE) or a 12.3-inch (Limited) touchscreen display. Highlights include Bluetooth connectivity and streaming, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and four different connected services plans with complementary trial subscriptions of varying lengths.

Service Connect and Safety Connect have the longest trial, at up to 10 years. Safety Connect includes automatic collision notification, SOS emergency calling, and more. Remote Connect is free for three years and offers guest driver monitoring, remote vehicle start and stop, and a find-my-car feature among other functions.

Drive Connect requires a subscription from the start with the XLE grade and has a three-year trial in the Limited trim. It activates the Prius’s cloud-based navigation, digital assistant, and concierge services. Our test car had them, and they work well. But we’re not sure they’re worth paying for the subscription compared to simply using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Limited trim offers an exclusive eight-speaker JBL premium sound system. In our experience, JBL components aren’t satisfying unless you prefer bass-heavy music. But even then, they leave something to be desired. Our XLE test car’s six-speaker sound system was adequate at best.

In addition, if you spring for the Prius Limited, you can add a 360-degree surround-view camera system and a semi-autonomous parking assistance system.

Every 2024 Prius has Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0) plus a blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert. The TSS 3.0 package of safety features equips the car with adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, automatic high-beam headlights, and a road sign recognition system.

We extensively used the Prius’s adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assistance on a longer highway drive. It smoothly managed the variable traffic conditions, though in heavy traffic when other motorists cut into the gap ahead of the Toyota, it occasionally braked too hard for too long, irritating the people following the car.

Also, TSS 3.0 does not offer a hands-free Traffic Jam Assist function, and the steering wheel lacks sensors. So, if you don’t periodically input steering, the lane-centring assist technology threatens to turn itself off because it presumes you are no longer holding the wheel.

As for crash-test ratings, the 2024 Prius earns high marks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the car five-star ratings in every assessment except for rollover resistance, for which the Prius gets a four-star rating. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) calls the 2024 Prius a Top Safety Pick+ for the 2024 calendar year.

The 2024 Toyota Prius is affordable, safe, practical, and exceptionally fuel efficient. It is easily one of the most cost-effective vehicles you can buy, and now it offers reasonable acceleration, enjoyable driving dynamics, and appealing style.

Sure, there are a few nits to pick, and the dramatic design appears to force a few compromises regarding visibility, comfort, and cargo space. But when it comes to bang for your buck, it doesn’t get much better than a new 2024 Prius, especially if you want the PHEV powertrain in the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid.

There are alternatives, though. If you’re not interested in the Prius but still want a Toyota, you could consider a Camry Hybrid or a Corolla Hybrid. Shop outside of the Toyota nest, and the Kia Niro could serve you well. There’s a new 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid coming soon, too.

Note: Images show a US model.