In the early days of hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius stood out as an icon. It was heralded as the harbinger of a new green revolution, with celebrities jumping on the bandwagon to showcase their green credentials. It was also derided by the gas-guzzling set as a virtue-signaling nonsense car and a black mark on combustion’s good name. Hybrids were a hot-button issue, and the Prius was at the center of it.
Fast forward to today, and hybrids are common, and even dominating in some sectors. Meanwhile, the fifth-generation Prius is racking up sales with a sleek new look and a plug-in hybrid option. I decided it was time to compare the Prius of today with the awkward model from before the craze.
We’re going to dive into the figures and see just how far the Prius has come from its early days. We’ll examine whether the Prius is still a smart, economical option, and how it’s position has changed over the years. Calculators at the ready, let’s go!
PRICE: 2024 Prius v. 2001 Prius
The 1997 Toyota Prius was effectively a new class of car entirely, and was the first modern hybrid car on the market. However, it would only reach North America in late 2000, having just been beaten to the US by the original Honda Insight. It sold for $19,995, which pencils out to $36,407 in 2024 dollars. As a guide, Corolla cost just $13,753 for the 2001 model year, or roughly 25,042 today. In that year, the US median family income was $42,228 in 2000, equivalent to $76,890 today.
The 2024 Toyota Prius starts at $29,840 by comparison. That’s quite a bit cheaper than the original 2001 model, leaving the two virtually lineball after 23 years after accounting for inflation. Median family income was $74,580 in 2022, the closest year that the Census Bureau has released data for. Adjusted for inflation in the last two years, it’s equal to $79,083 today.
Fundamentally, the price of a Prius has changed for the better in the last 23 years, and median incomes are ever so slightly up. Price-wise, the Prius is a good a deal now as it was then. It’s always been a costlier option than conventional ICE-powered vehicles, though the idea is that greater fuel economy would offset the higher purchase price. However, appealing to the customer’s wish to reduce their carbon footprint has often been a bigger selling point for Toyota’s hybrid offering.
POWER & WEIGHT: 2024 Prius v. 2001 Prius
Let’s talk propulsion! The 2001 model used a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. It was capable of running on the Atkinson cycle, where variable valve timing was used to hold the intake valve open longer, which lets some air flow back into the intake manifold during the traditional compression stroke. This cuts the effective compression ratio of the engine while leaving the expansion ratio intact, and due to fancy thermodynamic reasons, improves efficiency at the cost of some power. The power tradeoff doesn’t matter so much when you’ve got an electric motor to fill in torque and add power. The Prius started the trend of hybrids using Atkinson cycle engines, and many later hybrids followed in its footsteps.
The 2001 Prius netted 70 horsepower and 82 foot-pounds of torque from its gasoline engine. Meanwhile, the electric motor could put out 44 horsepower at maximum, along with a mighty 258 foot-pounds of torque right from zero RPM. The motor was powered by a relatively low-tech nickel-metal hydride pack of just 1.78 kWh capacity. Set up in a parallel hybrid configuration, either the motor or gasoline engine could drive the front wheels. The electric motor also provided regenerative braking to recharge the battery. Peak combined output came in at 101 horsepower. Meanwhile, the model weighed in at 2,765 pounds.
The newest Prius debuted in late 2022, and no more would it make do with limited power figures. The 2024 model instead rocks a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine good for 150 horsepower and 139 foot-pounds of torque on its own. With the addition of two electric motors, it delivers a combined output of 194 horsepower. Those were entry-level sports car numbers back in the day, and now you’re getting them on one of the most famous “green” cars of all time. You can also upgrade to a heavier all-wheel-drive trim which gets a rear electric motor, with a small bump in combined output to 196 horsepower. Curb weight is 3,199 pounds.
The Prius Prime is the plug-in hybrid model, and it’s even more impressive. It has the same 2.0-liter engine, but gets more powerful motors and a larger 10.9 kWh lithium-ion battery. The combined output is an impressive 220 horsepower. However, the Prius Prime does pay a weight penalty, coming in at a heftier 3,536 pounds. It’s also only available in front-wheel-drive form.
The 2001 Prius achieved a power-to-weight ratio of 0.036 horsepower per pound. Meanwhile, the new Prius offers 0.061 horsepower per pound, while the Prius Prime dials in at 0.062.
Naturally, the higher power output of the current Prius nets serious gains in the real world. Where the original Prius took over 13 seconds to hit 60 mph, the new model will do it in just 7.1 seconds. The Prius Prime is even quicker, making the sprint in just 6.7 seconds. That’s equal to a 2005 Mazdaspeed Miata—the one with the turbo! The Prius Prime is so good, in fact, that it can beat the 2001 Prius on electric power alone—achieving the dash to 60 mph in 11.7 seconds according to Car and Driver.
Economy: 2024 Prius v. 2001 Prius
But what of the Prius’s key feature—fuel economy? Well, the original Prius achieved 41 miles per gallon as per current EPA rating guidelines. That was a nice leap over the 30 mpg achieved by the contemporary Corolla.
The new Prius is altogether more capable though, delivering 57 mpg combined. The Prius Prime is a more complicated proposition, by virtue of its ability to run up to 44 miles on electricity alone. It achieves a rating of 114 mpg-e from the EPA, or 48 mpg relying on gasoline alone. The latter figure is likely lower given its weight penalty to the standard Prius. As a guide, a 2024 Corolla Hybrid will deliver 47 mpg combined. That pencils out to using approximately 0.3 gallons more gas than the Prius over a 100-mile drive.
Options: 2024 Prius v. 2001 Prius
When automakers are releasing something out of left field, they like to keep the options list tight. If initial sales are low, having a huge amount of variants and options adds unwelcome costs. For the launch of the Prius in North America, Toyota indeed kept things simple. It was well-equipped from the start, with keyless entry, alloy wheels, air conditioning, automatic climate control, power windows, and ABS as standard. It rocked an AM/FM cassette unit, but you could upgrade to a CD player if so desired. A navigation system was also available.
Today, the Prius is a well-established model with a rich assortment of trims. Still, the base models are well-equipped. You get six USB-C ports for charging, push-button start, and an 8-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You also get a backup camera as standard, along with the Toyota Safety Sense collision warning system.
You can upgrade the Prius substantially if you so desire, too. Higher trims get a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, premium JBL audio, and a panoramic 360-degree view camera system. Other available equipment includes a glass roof, digital rearview mirror, and heated front and rear seats. There’s also the ability to upgrade to electric all-wheel-drive, with 2024 Prius models able to be configured with a rear motor option. However, the plug-in hybrid Prius Prime doesn’t offer that choice.
Stepping Up
Ultimately, the new Prius is a bold step forward over the original model. Since its launch, it was a gas-sipping hero for the environment, which prioritized function over form. Today, it’s a stylish street crawler with good economy and good power.
Realistically, buying a Prius today gives you a lot more than you got in 2001. You get an altogether more complete car that’s faster and better looking to boot. The better fuel economy is money in your pocket, too. To say nothing of the convenience of wireless phone charging, modern infotainment, and all the other comfort features available on the new one. Fundamentally, none of this is revolutionary, it’s just a sign that the Prius is absolutely moving with the times.
At the same time, the Prius is no longer the darling choice of the climate-conscious set. There are plenty of full EVs on the market that use no gasoline at all. Plus, there are a million other hybrids on the market, too—even from Toyota itself. Once a standout in the Japanese automaker’s range, you can now get everything from a Corolla to a Tundra with a hybrid drivetrain.
In that context, it’s almost surprising that the Prius still exists in Toyota’s lineup. Where it once commanded over 236,000 sales in 2012, it hasn’t broken the six-figure mark since 2017 in the US market. It crested 30,000 units a year in 2022-2023, and should do so again in 2024. Still, it’s nowhere near the volume seller it once was. It’s sales numbers are stunted on by the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, year in, year out, and the hybrid SUV sold a full 161,125 units in 2024.
You can get the same fuel-sipping technology on the rest of the company’s range, so it’s hard to imagine why the Prius persists. And yet, it does, with a unique style and positioning all its own.
Whether the Prius will exist long into the future is a vexed question. Toyota’s plans for the ever-more-electrified future remain opaque. But for now, it’s economical transportation that looks hotter than ever, with more punch to boot. The Prius was always efficient, but in the last few years, it got cool. That’s not a bad thing.
Image credits: Toyota
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