Is the Toyota Prius the true Car of the Year?

The fifth-generation Toyota Prius has just won the Car of the Year award in the United States and Canada.

The North American Car of The Year title was awarded to the new Prius by a jury composed of 50 automotive journalism experts from all types of print, online, and audiovisual media in the United States and Canada. An accolade that the second generation of Prius had already received in 2004.

Since its debut in 2023, the fifth-generation Prius has notably restored the reputation of what many still see as the quirky black sheep that introduced electricity into the automotive flock.

Toyota’s fifth-generation hybrid technology offers the ideal combination of the performance of a true electric vehicle with the ease of use of a hybrid. Electric for daily driving thanks to its 12.6 kWh battery, which provides an 86 km range without consuming a single drop of gasoline, and thermal for longer trips with its 40-liter tank.

In France, the Prius has just received a nice boost. Initially too expensive at its launch in early 2023, especially compared to a Tesla Model 3 “phase 1” which was already cheaper (then €41,990) and discounted by €5,000, the Japanese model’s value was not clear.

Since then, the American model is no longer eligible for the bonus, and its starting price has increased by €1,000… while the price of the Toyota Prius has dropped by €2,000. It finally raises the question of whether the Japanese car has suddenly become the perfect vehicle.