Can you think of the car you have spent most of your adult life being driven in? We’re not talking about your time behind the wheel, or whatever your parents bundled you into the back of growing up, but in your time as an adult.
It’s probably not something you’ve consciously considered, but have a think, and we can guarantee the Toyota Prius is probably it – whether you’ve realised it or not. Taxi drivers absolutely love them.
There are a lot of reasons for this. From their perspective, previous Prius’ are incredibly reliable, offer mega-low running costs thanks to their hybrid powertrain and have always been effortless to drive.
And for you, the passenger, they’ve spacious enough to handle a 15-20 minute brain-fogged ride after a night out and comfortable enough to keep a kebab and booze-filled stomach in check. You may never have realised it, but the Prius is a very important car for pretty much all of us.
2024 Toyota Prius, front 3/4
Yet, here in the UK, it’s not one anyone other than taxi drivers has seemed to consider in recent years. Maybe it’s the minicab association, or the (perhaps unfair) years of its being hailed as the face of wet flannel, performative eco-consciousness.
This is probably why this fifth generation of the hybrid was originally never destined for these shores, with Toyota citing falling demand following its 2022 reveal. Clearly, something or someone had other ideas and a U-turn means it’s now here.
On the literal face of it, we’re glad that Toyota had a change of heart. In pictures, it looked like the Prius had finally started to chase some form as well as function, and it delightfully translates to the flesh as well.
2024 Toyota Prius, rear 3/4
It follows the same corporate design as seen on the C-HR crossover and, to a lesser extent, the BZ4X EV but it works really well here. Finally, the Prius is a good-looking car when you’re sober and getting behind the wheel – not just when you want to get into the back of it and home at 2am.
The interior design doesn’t feel quite as inspired. As is pretty much the Prius norm, there’s a lot of dull, hard-wearing plastics and a lot going on control-wise across both the steering wheel and dashboard. It does at least feel well-screwed together, and points for a separate climate control system rather than putting it into the infotainment system.
That system itself is user-friendly too, although I’m going to have to roll my eyes at it being 2024 and still not having wireless Android Auto.
2024 Toyota Prius, interior
None of this will really matter to those climbing into the back, which is going to be the most-used bit of the Prius realistically. Legroom is decent, but headroom is somewhat compromised by the sweet-looking sloped roofline. It’s just about OK for my 5’10” frame but those blessed enough to be taller than me may find your necks craning a little more than you’d like.
Another downside for its cabbing credentials is the 284-litre boot space which, although is a little up on the 191 litres of the old plug-in Prius, isn’t great. Those looking for more space from a Toyota hybrid would be better served by a Corolla.
Of course, that more streamlined shape and slightly compact dimensions that have a bit of a compromise on practicality do help efficiency from the plug-in powertrain. There’s only one choice in the UK (some markets can have a ‘self-charging’ setup or an AWD PHEV), with a nat-asp 2.0-lite four-cylinder paired up with a single motor, drawing power from a 13.6kWh battery pack.
2024 Toyota Prius, rear 3/4
The figures that matter here are the easily achievable 60ish MPG we got over a week of driving which included some standard motoring journalist lead-footedness, and a quote – depending on which trim and therefore size of wheel you go for – of up to 53 miles on a single charge. That’ll get most inner-city cabbies through most of a shift without calling upon the petrol engine, but also probably your commute to and from work too.
Yet, it’s not painfully slow either. Actually, it’s pretty nippy. Toyota says it’ll do 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds and we don’t doubt that. Even considering the CVT, it’s responsive too.
‘Fun’ probably wouldn’t be the way to describe how it drives, but it’s not mind-numbingly boring in the way the Prius has been previously. It may just be years of dreary crossovers playing with the senses, but there’s a surprising bit of engagement to the steering and the chassis feels remarkably in check for an economy hybrid.
Does it make you want one, though? Well, if you’re a taxi driver, yes – it does everything the old Toyota Prius could do, just improved in pretty much every manner.
Even if not though, there’s now a bit of genuine appeal to this fifth-generation car. It looks great now, drives better than ever and no matter how hard you try, it’s always going to offer a decent return on fuel economy.
Its £37,150 retail price is pretty par for the course for this size of plug-in hybrid in 2024. Not that it really matters because realistically, it’s seeing the Prius on a list of company cars that will most likely lead you to one. You don’t have to be a minicab driver to consider ticking that particular box now.
