Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
As with all plug-in hybrids, the Toyota Prius Plug-in's fuel economy will vary dramatically depending on how diligently you keep the battery charged and how many short, electric-only journeys you make.
Even on a long-distance trip, though, you can achieve 60mpg if you drive in a relaxed style. In fact, with a fully-charged battery, close to 100mpg is possible, even if your journey exceeds the official electric-only range, which is 25 miles. The range is likely to be even longer around town, where average speeds are lower.
Euro NCAP hasn’t tested the Prius Plug-in for safety yet, but it has almost every technology imaginable. You get automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keep assistance, adaptive headlights, road-sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control with Lane Trace Assist, which helps keep the car in your lane on a motorway.
Toyota as a brand finished in joint fifth place (out of 30 manufacturers) in our 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey. That's higher than almost every brand that sells hybrids, although Hyundai was joint third and Lexus came first.
The Prius Plug-in comes with a three-year manufacturer’s warranty as standard. It can be extended up to 10 years or 100,000 miles if you have your Prius Plug-in serviced annually at a Toyota franchised dealer. The battery pack in the hybrid system gets a separate policy that covers you for 15 years.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
