In 1997, Toyota released the Prius — the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car — in Japan, with a U.S. version following in 2000. There have been five generations of the compact car since, but one of its most interesting iterations came in the form of the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid in 2012. This promised the gasoline equivalent of 87 miles per gallon in combined driving mode, 49 mpg in hybrid mode, and an all-electric range of 15 miles when driving at 62 mph. At the time, Toyota simply adopted the more straightforward Prius Plug-in Hybrid name to differentiate the Plug-in model from the standard Prius Hybrid.
However, after the launch of the second generation Prius Plug-in Hybrid in 2016, Toyota decided to use the “Prime” designation to represent the model in a bid to prevent people from mistaking it for a pure electric vehicle. The “Prime” naming convention was also applied to other Toyota plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, such as the incredibly resilient RAV4 Prime. Cut to the 2025 model year, and Toyota decided to drop the name, opting instead to refer to the Prius plug-in hybrid electric vehicle as simply Prius PHEV. The automaker explained it made the decision to replace the Prime branding with PHEV for a similar reason “Prime” was adopted in the first place: to help customers more easily identify the model’s power train.
New name, same old Prius
While it’s taken up a whole different label, the Toyota Prius PHEV doesn’t change much about the car it replaces. This means you get the same power train as found in the Prius Prime. It’s a M20A-FXS inline four-cylinder 2.0-liter gas engine, mated with two electric motors and motivated by a 13.6-kWh lithium-ion battery pack to produce 220 total horsepower — 20 more hp than the facelifted Honda Civic Si.
That combination is good enough to get the Prius PHEV from zero to 60 mph in a claimed 6.6 seconds, deliver an electric-only range of 44 miles, and return an average fuel economy of 52 mpg in hybrid mode. In addition, you can find the same standard amenities, such as cloth seats, automatic climate control, a heated steering wheel, an 8-inch touchscreen display, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. If you’re after extra luxuries, the midrange XSE trim on both models has a power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, and a wireless smartphone charger.
As the top-tier Prius PHEV trim, the XSE Premium adds even more niceties, including a 12.3-inch touchscreen, an eight-speaker JBL audio system, ventilated front seats, and memory settings for the driver’s seat. Sadly, it is out of reach for under $40,000, considering pricing starts from around that price before delivery, processing, and handling fees come in. The lower trims are doable, however. The base-spec 2025 Prius Plug-in Hybrid SE begins at around $33,000 while the XSE is set at around $37,000.
