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The Prius we were told we couldn't have goes on UK sale after all – and it's good

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It’s two years since the wraps came off the Mk5 Toyota Prius and the company told UK buyers we wouldn’t be able to buy it.

Sales of the previous model had slowed dramatically to fewer than 600 a year, as private Prius buyers had quickly migrated to the cooler-looking Toyota C-HR, while private hire buyers were being nudged towards Toyota Corolla estates – a move that suited them because it had more luggage space and that suited Toyota GB because the Corolla is British-built.

But finally here we are, and the model name that, I think it’s fair to say, got the great car-buying public used to a degree of electrification finally returns to the UK. In short, enough people wanted it.

In some markets, it's offered as a series hybrid, but in all European markets including the UK, it's a plug-in hybrid only.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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Toyota Prius review 2024 02 panning

Quite a lot of things have happened to the Prius since its launch in 1997, when “I drive a Prius” was a badge of honour worn by those who wanted to virtue signal about how much they weren’t into cars.  Now low and sleek – sufficiently wedgy-profiled that Toyota is inclined to call it a coupé – I wonder if it’s actually becoming an enthusiast’s car. I wouldn’t have expected that two and a half decades ago. The car is 4.6m long, a length that used to position the Prius between the C-segment (VW Golf) and D-segment (Passat), but with the market diversifying as it has, those sectors are less defined today. It’s a wee bit shorter (46mm) than the Prius that went before it but has a longer wheelbase (50mm), and while moving the apex of the roof is mainly to aid aerodynamics, it must also boost rear head room.

INTERIOR

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Toyota Prius review 2024 04 dash

The interior lacks some of the exterior's wow factor, but that's no great surprise in a class that is not exactly renowned for spectacular cabin design.

Better news comes from the number of physical controls on the dashboard, including those for the heating and ventilation. A large touchscreen for the infotainment atop the dashboard is clear, with good graphics, and a further driver display is pushed a long way back almost to the windscreen, which makes it sit nicely in your eyeline and probably saves Toyota the cost of fitting a head-up display in the process. 

There’s plentiful rear leg room, but the boot is only 284 litres with the seats up, so let’s still point the Uber drivers towards a Corolla wagon.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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Toyota Prius review 2024 12 boot

Power comes from a 2.0-litre engine that makes 150bhp, mated to a 161bhp electric motor, with a total system output of 220bhp (because they don’t both blow maximums at the same time). The previous model made only 121bhp so that’s quite the boost – enough to give the latest car a 0-62mph time of 6.8sec.

This is an un-Prius-like kind of performance. It drives through Toyota’s electronic continuously variable transmission, called E-CVT, but it doesn’t act like a traditional CVT with pulleys and cones and whatnot.

It’s a brilliantly clever system that lets the drive motor and engine spin at whatever speed they need, via a planetary gearset. It has proven to be exceptionally reliable, as well as efficient. The plug-in battery sits beneath the rear seats, 13.6kWh of it, giving a 53-mile WLTP electric range. There are drive modes that will alter the blend of electric and petrol driving but the short of it is that, as was ever the Prius case, it’s designed to feel as un-weird as possible for a buyer not used to it. 

And it's a very pleasant drivetrain. For the most part, you’re able to nip around on electric power, given the substantial EV range; the typical journey is shorter than its abilities. When the engine does fire, it can be a bit grumbly, and the refinement drops under heavier acceleration, but that's the case with many hybrid systems. 

RIDE & HANDLING

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Toyota Prius review 2024 15 panning

The particularly good thing about the Prius is that, this time, there’s something about how it drives for the likes of you and me. At 1545kg, the Prius is a respectable weight by modern family hatch standards, particularly electrified ones, and with a height of just 1420mm and a low centre of gravity, plus smooth, light but accurate steering, there’s enough to like.

It doesn’t have Ford Focus levels of incision or poise, but against much of the overheight, overweight dross offered to buyers, it’s pleasurable, as well as relaxing, to drive.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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Toyota Prius review 2024 01 front action

Our drives in the Prius so far have been too brief to work out a precise mpg or miles per kWh rating, but traditionally, the Prius is an efficient car. Plus it's low and sleek and light, which will improve its efficiency compared with an SUV

The way plug-in hybrids divvy up electric versus petrol miles are very use-case specific. And it only really makes sense if you can charge the vehicle regularly.

VERDICT

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Toyota Prius review 2024 17 rear static

The Prius has come a long long way since that first dumpy-looking iteration that showed off a very novel drive system but didn't want to seem too weird doing it.

It still has one of the best hybrid drive systems on sale but has added a dose of dynamism and sleekness to this generation of car that has been missing in every one until now. It no doubt helps that much of the market has moved away from making cars like this, to concentrate on higher-riding crossovers and SUVs, but it has left the Toyota as not just a good-looking, but also a smooth-riding and not unenjoyable family hatchback. It's a car that's too good to only be a passenger in the back of.

Matt Prior

Matt Prior
Title: Editor-at-large

Matt is Autocar’s lead features writer and presenter, is the main face of Autocar’s YouTube channel, presents the My Week In Cars podcast and has written his weekly column, Tester’s Notes, since 2013.

Matt is an automotive engineer who has been writing and talking about cars since 1997. He joined Autocar in 2005 as deputy road test editor, prior to which he was road test editor and world rally editor for Channel 4’s automotive website, 4Car. 

Into all things engineering and automotive from any era, Matt is as comfortable regularly contributing to sibling titles Move Electric and Classic & Sports Car as he is writing for Autocar. He has a racing licence, and some malfunctioning classic cars and motorbikes.