That's Progress: How the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime Compares to the Original 2001 Prius

You have to start somewhere. For the now-iconic Prius nameplate, the underwhelming first step wasn't the Prius that became our 2004 Car of the Year, but a small sedan that arrived a few years before. A couple decades later, the Prius' influence is so strong that Porsche once admitted there might not have been a 918 Spyder without the Toyota.

By now, we're all familiar with the newly redesigned Prius, but how well do you know the original model? With our yearlong review Prius Prime test car in mind, let's dive into the car's humble beginnings.

The Quickest Prius We've Ever Tested

We expect automotive progress over 20-plus years, but this is wild. The 2001 Prius sedan managed a MotorTrend-tested 13.2-second 0-60 mph time thanks to its 97 combined-system hp. Today, our 2024 Prius Prime long-term test car—representing the most advanced version you can get today—is the quickest Prius we've ever tested, with a 6.3-second 0-60 time.

With 220 hp, the 2024 Prius Prime is no longer a one-dimensional green-mobile. The plug-in hybrid provides swift acceleration for passing that won't merit a glare from your front passenger after a sudden burst of speed.

What's especially interesting is the 2024 Prius Prime's acceleration under EV propulsion alone. We've tested the Toyota hitting 60 in 10.5 seconds, or only 0.4-0.5 seconds behind the last-generation Prius Prime with its gas engine turned on. That 10.5-second time sounds slow, but most will never notice even when driving normally. There's no need to be gentle with the throttle, and the car is programmed to keep it in EV mode unless you pin the pedal to the floor for multiple seconds.

"They've done a fantastic job eliminating the sensation of an underpowered engine straining at its limits for 10-plus seconds," said testing director Eric Tingwall. "Some of that is the result of just giving it more power, but the NVH [noise, vibration, and harshness] and power delivery improvements are key to that."

In real-world driving, we agree. We also find the plug-in hybrid Prius Prime slightly more refined to drive versus the standard hybrid.

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New Prius Costs Less Than the Old One*

We're used to increased prices these days, which is why the Prius' journey presents an interesting twist to that narrative. Starting at $20,485 back in 2000 for a 2001 model, that figure comes to just over $37,000 when adjusted for inflation.

A 2024 Prius LE today starts at just over $29,000 while a 2024 Prius Prime SE costs about $34,000 (our car is loaded at around $43,000). Not bad for a car that's more spacious, quicker, better to drive, and doesn't have a gauge cluster like the one in the 2001 model, which looked like it was "pulled from a mid-80s Oldsmobile."

Ouch. The 2024 Prius Prime's 7.0-inch display feels visually cluttered at times, but it's certainly not as dated as the one in the 2002 Prius when matched against its contemporaries. We wish the 2024 Prius' driver display were bigger, but we've learned over a couple thousand miles that altering a couple settings somewhat cleans it up when you're feeling information overload.

Why a 2003 Civic Hybrid Demolished the First-Gen Prius

Just 1.7 inches longer than a modern Toyota GR86 coupe, the original Prius rolled on 14-inch wheels and hasn't aged as well as other small sedans. In a comparison between a 2002 Prius and a 2003 Civic Hybrid, easy-on-the-eyes styling was one of many reasons we handed the victory to the Honda. That and the Prius sedan's cramped interior, its "broken chicken wing shifter" that felt cheap and partially obscured some controls, poor handling, and road noise.

Toyota was the mpg champion in the test, earning 41.2 mpg over a 250-mile loop versus the Honda's 39.4 mpg. As Toyota realized with the new Prius, we want an mpg-meister to excel at more than just fuel economy.

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Huge Safety and Size Changes

Safety test results weren't great for the original Prius. In five NHTSA crash tests rated out of five stars, a fully tested 2002 model earned a trio of three-star ratings and a pair of four-star ratings. The 2002 Corolla, Echo, and Honda Civic all performed better. Today's Toyota Prius is a 2024 IIHS Top Safety Pick+, a challenging designation to earn.

The Prius makes safety look good, too.

Longer, lower, and wider than the original U.S.-spec sedan, the 2024 Prius has a drag coefficient of 0.27 for base trims and 0.29 for the rest of the lineup—that latter figure matches the original Prius sedan.

2024 Toyota Prius length/width/height: 181.1/70.1-70.2/55.9-56.3 inches

2002 Toyota Prius length/width/height: 169.6/66.7/57.6 inches

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To Plug In or Not to Plug In?

Even in the last six months, we've seen plug-in hybrids take on a more significant role in automakers' future plans. There's the 690-mile-range Ram 1500 Ramcharger and General Motors' upcoming return to plug-ins.

Plug-ins haven't always been so fashionable. In one of the earliest Prius sedan brochures, Toyota brags about how its hybrid system is self-contained and "never has to be recharged by an outside source."

Today, plug-in hybrids provide the best of gas cars and EVs for buyers willing to spend a bit more than a standard hybrid. I can drive our 2024 Prius Prime on blissfully quiet EV power alone, recharge at home, and have the car ready for EV-powered around-town errands the next day or a gas-fueled road trip across the state.

The brochure on the original Prius talks about how the car can reduce noise and emissions, going so far as to quote a former American Lung Association CEO. When you remember how few hybrids existed in the early 2000s, it puts this approach into perspective.

Let's set the scene another way: In April 2002, Toyota bragged about owning 90 percent of the world's hybrid market. 90 percent! Now supported by a number of other Toyota hybrids , the new Prius expands beyond the original's appeal by being more fun to drive and attractive, as well.

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MPG! Tell Me About the Mileage

The original U.S.-spec 2001 Toyota Prius came in at 42/41/41 mpg city/highway/combined. The initial rating was 52/45/48 mpg, but the EPA made changes since then. In 2008, the organization accounted for the use of AC, quicker acceleration, and colder temperatures, while the 2017 changes made minor adjustments to capture more prevalent powertrain technologies like turbocharged engines and hybrids more accurately.

That said, the 2024 Prius Prime comes in at 52 mpg combined for a base SE and 48 mpg as an XSE, while still lugging around the hardware making its plug-in hybrid nature possible. And that's before you use the EV range, which is officially rated at 39-44 miles depending on model.

Sometimes, progress really is great.

For More on Our Long-Term 2024 Toyota Prius Prime XSE:

• We're Testing a 2024 Toyota Prius Prime XSE for a Year: Will We Get EV Envy?