Long-term test: Toyota Prius Excel

Verdict

I am quietly blown away by the latest Toyota Prius. It’s as economical to drive as it is entertaining and throws head-turning looks into the bargain. It’s very well made, surprisingly practical given its rakish shape, and high in quality beside most rivals. After 800 miles, I’m already smitten. 

• Mileage: 5,350miles
• Efficiency: 68.3mpg

I never thought I’d say this, but I’m already a huge fan of the new Toyota Prius that has just joined our fleet. It looks great, drives miles better than I expected, is way more refined than I thought it might be – and it returns a genuine 65mpg+ in everyday driving. As such, it’s an extremely easy car to like, and a difficult one to find fault with. 

Ours is the top-spec Excel model, which comes on 19-inch wheels and has just one option, which is hard to miss because it comes in the form of Mustard Yellow metallic paint that costs an extra £655. This brings the total-as-tested price to £40,545, in return for which you get what is, I believe, one of the smartest, most relevant cars £40k can buy right now.

The powertrain is a plug-in hybrid set-up, as before, but Toyota has increased the outputs – and therefore the performance – substantially for this latest version. You now get 220bhp from the combined efforts of a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a 13.6kWh lithium-ion battery with an electric motor and a CVT transmission. 

Used - available now

2020 Toyota

Prius

34,720 milesAutomaticPetrol1.8L

Cash £19,799

View Prius

2020 Toyota

Prius

33,500 milesAutomaticPetrol1.8L

Cash £18,795

View Prius

2018 Toyota

Prius

48,532 milesAutomaticPetrol1.8L

Cash £15,295

View Prius

2020 Toyota

Prius

60,000 milesAutomaticPetrol1.8L

Cash £20,614

View Prius

That’s enough to propel the 1,610kg Prius to 62mph in a claimed 6.8 seconds and to a top speed of 110mph, with official CO2 emissions of just 17g/km. At my test average (so far) of 68.3mpg, that gives a theoretical range of over 600 miles from the 40-litre fuel tank, while in EV mode the claimed range is 53 miles. In reality, that figure is around 40 miles, while the on-board computer suggests a fill is required after not much beyond 450 miles because it doesn’t want to let you get anywhere near running out. 

Even so, 500 miles or so is pretty tidy when the tank costs little more than £30 to fill at non-motorway petrol stations. To top up with electricity takes around five hours and costs me £6 at my nearest public charging point. The Prius doesn’t offer rapid charging, so it needs an overnight stop ideally. Which is fine if there’s a charge point on your driveway or nearby, not so fine if not.

The elements that have surprised and delighted me most so far – apart from the incredible fuel consumption, which is this car’s USP – are the ride and the quality of the cabin. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t expect the damping to be anything like as good as it is. It’s proved to be a super-refined car to drive on the increasingly poor road surfaces of Brighton and Hove, and it’s almost eerily calm and quiet on the motorway.

5

As for the cabin, I’m similarly amazed by how well made and high in quality the Prius feels. Equivalent-priced cars from VW, Ford and even Mercedes do not seem as top end as this. In many ways the Prius feels like a Lexus, with great seats, a lovely precision to all of its controls, plus a high level of equipment on offer, all of which comes as standard.

I’m learning to like the small instrument display, but suspect I will always wish it was a bit bigger, and a bit nearer. The 12.3-inch main central touchscreen is just fine, on the other hand, and appears to offer all the functionality you could want from a vehicle that contains this much technology. I haven’t yet been bamboozled by what’s on offer, which is a result considering how complex the Toyota’s features are.

Bottom line, I’m quietly blown away by how good this latest Prius is – not just as a car to drive, but as a machine to simply climb into, understand, and use each day. It appears to offer a unique combination of technology, economy, ecological awareness and good old-fashioned driver appeal, albeit in a contemporary kind of way. In short, I love it to bits so am struggling to find serious fault with anything. So far... 

*Insurance quote for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.

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