What Is Toyota's Prime?
If you want a plug-in Toyota hybrid, you go for Prime.
May 24, 2024 | 3 min read
Toyota
Toyota offers a variety of gas-electric hybrid models, and almost every mainstream vehicle in the automaker's stable can be had with an efficient hybrid powertrain. Some consumers, however, are specifically seeking zero-emissions options that can travel farther using electric propulsion. Toyota's solution for these consumers is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
PHEVs improve upon regular hybrid vehicles by using a larger electric battery to provide a longer zero-emission range and then switch to an efficient gas-electric powertrain when that battery is depleted.
This description may sound exactly like a hybrid to some, so to help reduce confusion, Toyota has branded its PHEVs with the Prime nomenclature.
Toyota
Toyota Prius and RAV4 Plug-Ins Are Now Called Prime
Toyota plug-in vehicles have been around for a long time, with the first all-electric RAV4 offered in a limited fashion from 1997 to 2003 and then again from 2012 to 2014. Compared with the electric vehicles (EVs) of today, however, these early all-electric vehicles offered low range, slow charging speeds, and less advanced batteries.
Toyota's early plug-in hybrid models were more successful, with the Prius PHEV arriving in the U.S. in 2012. The first Prius PHEV had an EPA rating of just 11 miles of all-electric range from its 4.4-kWh lithium-ion battery, and it delivered 50 mpg city and highway combined when that battery was depleted.
In 2016, Toyota announced that the plug-in Prius for the 2017 model year would be significantly updated. Offering up to 25 miles of all-electric range, it was even more efficient than the outgoing model in its gas-electric mode. This upgraded model became the Prius Prime in 2017.
Toyota
A Look at the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime
The Toyota Prius Prime was redesigned in 2023. It now features 220 horsepower, thanks to the combination of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor. With a 13.6-kWh battery, the SE model offers up to 45 miles of all-electric range before needing to rely on its gas-electric hybrid powertrain. The other two trims can travel up to 40 miles on battery power.
There are three trims of the Prius Prime, which start around $34,000. That's about a $5,000 premium over the regular 2024 Prius, but there are some key differences. For example, the plug-in Prius has more than 20 additional horsepower over the regular Prius.
Additionally, there are no shared trim levels between the Prius Prime and the regular Prius, so there are some differences in equipment. The regular Prius can be equipped with an AWD powertrain, while the Prius Prime is front-wheel-drive only.
Toyota
A Look at the 2024 Toyota Rav4 Prime
Toyota also offers the RAV4 Prime. The plug-in hybrid compact crossover first went on sale in 2021 and has received a few updates since then. It features a combined net 302 horsepower from its all-wheel-drive gas-electric powertrains and can travel up to 42 miles of all-electric range when fully charged.
With a starting price of about $45,000, the RAV4 Prime SE is a whopping $12,000 more than an entry-level RAV4 Hybrid LE and about $9,000 more than a comparably equipped RAV4 Hybrid SE. That said, the Prime features 83 more horsepower than the standard RAV4 Hybrid.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Related articles
View more related articles