Now there’s the Kia EV6 and soon to arrive EV5, the Mustang Mach-E, the Subaru Solterra and its Toyota bZ4X twin, while the Polstar 4 is coming, too. Price and features This Toyota Prius in top-spec I-Tech form costs a whopping $45,825 before on-road costs, which is a tall order, especially given the fact that the technical advantage this car once had to help justify its price-tag has been lost to the rest of Toyota’s range. An equivalent Corolla hybrid, even in top ZR trim, can be had from just $34,695, and even the much larger Camry in its highest hybrid SL trim is more affordable, at a suddenly cheap-looking $42,790. All three Toyotas are sourced from Japan. Not a good start in the value battle, then, especially since those other Toyotas are not just hybrids, but great cars in their respective segments. The Prius I-Tech’s most direct rival is the similarly shaped and sized Hyundai Ioniq Premium, which can be yours from $40,390 with competitive equipment. Hyundai is not only hunting Toyota with this car, but flexing its deep pockets by selling the Ioniq in Australia as not just a hybrid, but a PHEV and a full EV, too. Thankfully, the I-Tech comes with some decent gear, sporting 17-inch alloy wheels, a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, digital radio, a 4.2-inch digital information display, a holographic head-up display, full LED lighting with auto-levelling, leather-appointed seat trim, auto dimming rear vision mirror, wireless phone charging, 10-speaker audio, and improved interior trims over the base car. The I-Tech also scores a larger boot capacity and an improved safety suite compared to the base Prius. More on that in later sections of this review. Is the Prius “good value” then? It's still a no, as all of this equipment can be had in bigger, more mainstream Toyota models, and far more affordable rivals. It’s a shame Toyota hasn’t brought the Prius’s cost down in the five years since this generation launched, because in today’s market it makes less sense than ever. That said, there is a certain niche audience for this car. One that will always love its little innovations, like the fact that it has one of the lowest drag coefficients on the market, its stellar fuel-consumption number, and its claimed 40 per cent thermal efficiency. Under the bonnet The Model Y Long Range is all-wheel drive thanks to a motor powering the front wheels and another turning the rear ones. Together the motors have a combined output of 378kW and 493Nm which is an enormous amount of power and torque for a family SUV like this and that means the 0-100km/h time is also a pretty quick 5.0 seconds. Under the bonnet It wouldn’t be a Prius without Toyota’s signature hybrid synergy drive technology. In this most original case it consists of a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which uses the more thermally efficient but less powerful Atkinson combustion cycle, producing 72kW/142Nm, paired to a set of electric motors on the front axle, which can produce up to 53kW/163Nm. Combined system output is rated by Toyota at 90kW, driving the front wheels only via a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). This system is the same one now also employed in the C-HR and Corolla hybrid grades. The Prius’s electric motors source their power from an older design nickel-metal hydride battery (instead of the more modern lithium-ion setup) located under the boot floor. Efficiency The Model Y Long Range’s name suggests it's the version for those looking for the maximum distance they can travel on a full charge and it is the smart choice in the line-up. That said, the extra range isn’t all that much more than the other grades. Tesla says the Long Range with its battery fully charged can travel up to 533km and has a combined cycle energy efficiency of 16.9kWh per 100km (WLPT). A range of 533km is impressive but only 78km more than the entry-grade Model Y and just 19km more than the top-of-the-line Performance. How accurate are Tesla fuel efficiency figures? Well, my own testing over a combination of all types of driving saw the trip computer report an average of 16.8kWh/100km. Tesla says one of its 250kW Superchargers can add up to 275km of range in 15 minutes. Efficiency The Prius’ sandpapered hybrid drive, low drag number, weight reductions, and low-rolling-resistance tyres add up for a stellar official/combined fuel-consumption figure of just 3.4L/100km. While its signature hybrid tech might be available on other Toyota’s, it’s here where the Prius still shines, undercutting the others by almost a whole litre every 100km. But can it live up to that promise in the real world? Over my week of what I would consider to be reasonable ‘combined’ driving conditions; with plenty of traffic, freeways, and suburban driving, the Prius returned a stellar figure of just 4.0L/100km. This is not just one of the lowest figures I have ever achieved on a test car, it is even lower than the Corolla Hybrid that I tested over a three-month period. I couldn’t get that car below 4.9L/100km, despite by best attempts. For a true rival comparison, my week-long test of the Ioniq hybrid in 2019 had the Korean managing a fuel number of 4.6L/100km. You need not worry about kWh energy consumption for the Prius, as its hybrid system’s software manages the state of battery charge on the fly. It will simply run the engine to charge the battery if levels drop too low, although it always feels good to make the most of the motor’s regenerative braking to keep the battery topped up. It’s clear that the Prius is still the king of hybrid, then. At least for the time being. All Prius models have 43-litre fuel capacities and are able to consume base-grade 91RON unleaded. Driving CarsGuide hasn't been alone in criticising the Model Y’s overly firm suspension with potholes and bumps seeming to unsettle the vehicle easily. But Tesla says it's updated the suspension to a more ‘comfortable’ tune and we had a chance to test it. So, is it more comfortable now? Yes, but it could be better. There appears to be softer absorption in the suspension but anything other than small bumps are still prominent. Body control remains a bit jelly-like in that there’s too much jiggling and leaning when driving normally, even on typical suburban roads. At this price point we'd expect the ride to be more comfortable and settled. But this is unlikely to be a deal breaker for most people. Otherwise, the Model Y drives like most electric cars with instant and quick acceleration, direct steering and it’s all done in silence which makes commuting far more pleasant than idling in the traffic with a petrol or diesel engine and a transmission constantly shifting from first to second and back. And apart from not using petrol or diesel that's the appeal of electric cars; how easy they are to drive. What would make life even easier is a head-up display or driver’s instrument cluster because the current central screen set-up, which shows the speed in a fairly small size in the display's top right corner, is far from ideal. There have been cases reported on Australian Tesla forums where displays have broken making the car illegal to operate and if this happens out of warranty the repair can be costly. Be aware, too, that the 'Full Self-Driving' abilities of the Model Y are restricted in Australia. The law states that some autonomous tech can be used, such as adaptive cruise control with lane changing, but you must keep your hands on the wheel. Driving The Prius was responsible for popularising Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, and fittingly, it still feels like the best execution of the technology on the market. That instantly available torque from the electric motor is sleek, quiet, and easy. It feels as though the Prius can make more extended use of purely electric drive than not only its rivals, but all other Toyota and Lexus hybrid products. Despite its awkward exterior looks, the ride and handling of the Prius are excellent, thanks to its robust TNGA-C underpinnings (in fact, the Prius was the car to debut this platform for Toyota). It tilts into corners nicely, despite a frumpy ride height, and deals with bumps in its stride. This is a comfortable car, and the Lexus influence here is undeniable. The steering characteristics are also smooth and responsive. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the Prius is fun to drive, but it is certainly comfortable and compliant. What the Prius lacks is the lower, firmer, and more aggressive ride and handling characteristics of its Hyundai Ioniq rival, perhaps a telling insight into the trajectory of each brand. These characteristics add up to an around-town driving experience that really is a breeze. It’s quiet in the cabin and at times genuinely hard to tell whether the car is using its electric motors or the engine. When it comes to bursts of acceleration, the Prius might surprise you. Using both the motor and engine in tandem, I found that the Prius can sprint from the line with an alarming urgency, more so than its Corolla sibling. With the same tech behind the accelerator pedal, it’s hard to imagine why. Once the electric motor has reached its strictly defined limit, though, the engine breaks in with a vengeance, and this car does have an anaemic follow-through when the electric components fall to the wayside. As in other applications of this drivetrain, the 1.8-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine can be thrashy and noisy when a lot is asked of it. Of course, driving in such a sporty manner is hardly the point of the Prius, and where it really excels is in that day-to-day traffic grind, where the hybrid system works largely in the background to maximise the time spent with the engine off. The best part? While you can really fall into the hybrid system’s addictive fuel-saving displays, which really encourage hypermiling, this is a set-and-forget system. You can drive the Prius like any other car, and it will be trim on fuel consumption anyway. It’s not like I was trying awfully hard to attain my weekly figure of 4.0L/100km, so I’m sure it can do better over the long term. Safety The Model Y was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2022, scoring incredibly well for occupant protection for adults and children. The advanced tech on board includes AEB, lane keeping assistance and blind-spot warning. Great all-round camera vision is offered by the Model Y, too, which is very much needed for rear vision given the back window's modest viewing aperture. For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts in the second row. The Model Y doesn’t have a spare wheel, but there is a puncture repair kit. Quick note about the lack of physical buttons. I found not having easy to access physical climate control dials distracting. Most of the car’s other functions are also housed in the media display and I feel this is a potential safety issue. Safety The Prius wears a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating to the 2016 standards, although even in today’s market it has a great active-safety suite. Standard modern active features on all Prius models include freeway-speed auto emergency braking with pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, and auto-high beams. Our top-spec I-Tech adds blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert, for an overall excellent suite. All Prius varaints are also equipped with seven airbags consisting of the standard front, side, and head, as well as a driver’s knee airbag, and the standard array of electronic stability and brake controls are also present. Ownership When it comes to ownership the Tesla Model Y is covered by a four-year/80,000km warranty which falls short of the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s five-year, unlimited kilometre cover and Kia’s seven-year, unlimited km promise on the EV6. As for the battery warranty, Tesla will cover it for eight years or 192,000km, which is better than Hyundai’s eight year 160,000km deal and seven years or 150,000km from Kia. The Model Y has condition-based servicing, meaning it will tell you when it wants to go to a Tesla workshop. Ownership Toyota’s range-wide warranty currently stands at five years or unlimited kilometres, which is really the accepted industry standard and matches its key Ioniq rival. Annoyingly, however, the Prius needs to adhere to six-monthly or 10,000km service intervals. Said intervals are capped to $165 per visit for the first six visits under Toyota’s “service advantage” program, after which time you fall back to Toyota genuine servicing with significant price hikes to $221.97, and $425.47 for the next two services covering four years or 80,000km. A year of roadside assist is included, after which time you will need to subscribe to Toyota’s program, from $89 a year. While Toyota’s offering is on par with many, it’s hardly the cheapest or most comprehensive we’ve seen. Interested in a Tesla Model Y? Insurance Quote