Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £18,370 to £21,230
Improved drive, low emissions, real-world improvement in fuel consumption, clear head-up display.
Intrusive road and wind noise, limited rear headroom, expensive.
Vastly improved Prius is finally a credible rival to any diesel hatch and the best hybrid money can buy.
The new Prius has been designed and developed with a sole focus on fuel saving.
All components are lighter, more compact with less internal friction.
On paper the Prius is best in class for running costs. Nothing its size is currently capable of 72.4mpg while emitting just 89g/km of carbon dioxide. This means it benefits from free road tax and if you run one for business you will pay the lowest 10% for Benefit-in-Kind company car tax. The Prius also remains congestion charge exempt.
In the real world a frugal diesel hatch may still pip the Prius for fuel economy, however, because of the extra weight of the electric motor and batteries. This new, bigger 1.8 should narrow the gap though.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Toyota Prius
wrote on 01 02 2007
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