Overview & Reviews

The Toyota Prius has long been America's most popular hybrid vehicle thanks to its high fuel economy, reasonably affordable pricing and practical nature. Now Toyota has expanded the Prius family with the Prius V wagon. Aimed at families, the Toyota Prius V is based on the regular Prius hatchback but offers considerably more cargo capacity.

Basically, the Toyota Prius V is a Prius with a longer, wider and taller body, paired with the same gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain as its smaller sibling. While the Prius V is slightly less fuel-efficient than the original and no more fun to drive, the added practicality is considerable. Hybrid shoppers looking for a vehicle that's as environmentally friendly as it is functional will likely be quite pleased with the Prius V.

Current Toyota Prius V
The Toyota Prius V is a four-door wagon that's offered in three different trim levels dubbed Two, Three and Five. All are powered by the same gasoline-electric hybrid system, which pairs a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with a pair of electric motors and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) for a total output of 134 horsepower and 153 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy is excellent for a vehicle this size, with an EPA-estimated 44 mpg city/40 mpg highway and 42 mpg combined.

Standard feature highlights for the Two trim level include 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry/ignition, automatic climate control, a fold-flat front passenger seat, sliding and reclining 60/40 split-folding rear seats, Bluetooth and a six-speaker sound system. The Three adds a rearview camera, a navigation system and Toyota's Entune smartphone integration system. The Five gets 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, upgraded upholstery and heated front seats. Optional for the Three and Five are a panoramic sunroof, while only the Five can be had with adaptive cruise control, an automated parking system, upgraded navigation, a premium sound system and a pre-collision safety system.

Behind the wheel, the Toyota Prius V drives much like the original, which is to say the ride quality is smooth, handling is predictable if unexciting and the steering has a light touch that makes for easy maneuvering at slow speeds. A Power mode makes for better acceleration in demanding situations like passing or climbing a hill, while an Eco mode helps maximize fuel economy, albeit with a noticeable drop in performance.

Inside, the Prius V's controls are large and easy to use. Sadly, taller drivers still have to contend with a steering wheel that's placed too far away. There's a telescoping column, but it doesn't extend nearly far enough. And as with the standard Prius, the Prius V's cabin design is plainer and less ambitious than you'll find in other wagons. Materials quality is spotty; some of the plastics are nicely grained, but others look cheap. Fortunately the Toyota Prius V excels as a wagon. The passenger-friendly rear seats slide fore and aft and recline for greater comfort. With the rear seats folded, the spacious 67-cubic-foot cargo hold (along with the fold-flat front passenger seat) provides SUV-like utility.

Used Toyota Prius V Models
Since its debut in 2012, the Toyota Prius V has remained essentially unchanged.

User Reviews:

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  Best Vehicle I Have Ever Owned - 2013 Toyota Prius v
  By giantsfan58 - September 22 - 12:11 pm

  After driving a 2nd Gen. Prius for 6 years, I foolishly traded it in for a 2012 Kia Optima EX. After 11 months I came to my senses and traded that in for a 2013 Prius v. The v drives great, is comfortable and can haul a lot of cargo. I cant speak for the other models, but the 5 has everything I would ever want. They say MPG is 44 City and 40 Hwy, but I average 45-47 MPG per tank. You need to drive it a bit differently than a traditional gas engine car, but once you learn the technique it is easy to outpace their estimates. The sound system is fantastic and the bluetooth is crystal clear. The moon roof is a great feature. This vehicle has it all.

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  GREAT CAR BUT ROUGH RIDE - 2016 Toyota Prius v
  By Ralph Cataldo - August 21 - 8:01 am

  If you want a large SUV Hybrid with lots of room, good mileage, but not the price of Luxury car this is a good one. However I love the car but it does not ride smoothly. It is quite bumpy and does not absorb bumps and spots in row good at all. It has excellent mileage if you use the ECO setting. Of course the ECO setting you have to realize the power will be much lower when you need acceleration. The storage is outstanding, gas mileage outstanding, room inside car. I do NOT like the back up camera. It peeps when in reverse and has the color guide to how close you are when backing up. However it lacks beeping sound to warn you how close you are getting. It also lacks a birds eye view. If Toyota would improve the ride, fix the camera (instead of annoying beep beep beep to beeping when getting close to a perfect car for those wanting great mileage, large cargo space, comfortable seats, and a good quality car.

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  Prius Vs need MODDING! - 2013 Toyota Prius v
  By vpower - June 17 - 11:32 pm

  I bought my Prius V for its roominess and fuel economy. Then I found it lacked a lot in handling. Better than a Prius sedan but lacking. Luckily I found "Juiced Hybrid" in Redwood City, CA and the parts I needed to make it go better and handle. Ive installed: 1. an underfloor center brace 2. 17" ENKEI RPF1 wheels and will install: 1. front and rear sway bers 2. strut tower bar 3. front underbody stiffener bar 4. cold air intake system Ive installed some electronics mods: 1. Prius V specific LED fog lights 2. LED running lights (in the grille) 3. shark fin antenna (body color matched) 4. LED interior lights 5. hard-wired line for my Garmin GPS

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  Awesome economical utility wagon - 2013 Toyota Prius v
  By strangefingers - June 7 - 5:31 pm

  So Prius v wagon or Jetta diesel wagon... though generally I much prefer Germanic driving dynamics, dollars and sense said same mileage with regular gas vs high cost of diesel fuel and likely lower maintenance costs. Thus the Prius. Handling was below par and crosswinds/truck buffeting was downright scary at times. Without going crazy, for less than $800 complete, a Cusco rear sway bar, Tanabe front and rear springs (10% +/- stiffer and less than an inch lower) with 7mm wheel spacers in front and 5 mm in the rear and the little golf cart that couldnt became the go cart that could! Stable at all speeds, cruising "sweet spot" on secondary roads and highway rose 10 mph comfortably. Awesome!

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  Great Family car except... - 2013 Toyota Prius v
  By txpriusvowner - March 18 - 4:37 pm

  Great overall design and gas mileage for a family vehicle.

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  The most versatile high MPG hybrid - 2012 Toyota Prius v
  By jcihak - January 26 - 7:21 am

  When we went looking for a car that got both high real MPG and had good utility, we had few choices. It was either a sacrifice of MPG or cargo space. The Prius Vs only competition is the C-Max, but in the real world the V gets better mileage and has a lot more cargo room. . Although the Prius V is not a standout car, its the one that met all our needs, and left us pleasantly surprised. . We got the Model 5 with the 17" wheels. It handles much better than any Prius I ever drove before. I think the trade-off is a big turning radius and expensive tires. However, the big tires do not seem to hurt mpg. . The engine is noisy when pressed, but still manages even on long highway hills.

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  Wonderful car desperate for console re-design - 2014 Toyota Prius v
  By DN Word - January 4 - 7:25 am

  If you want a sporty and responsive car that uses less gas than a lot of others and is great fun to drive, this is a car to consider seriously. I am very glad I bought this car, even though I can never exceed 46 mpg regardless of where I happen to be driving (mountains, freeway, city). I would happily give it five stars if it werent for the climate controls, digital displays and virtually useless navigation (for which I paid well over a grand.) I dont even mind that rear window visibility is a little awkward because the backup camera is so wonderful. And the storage area is larger than it appears, even though you will have to move anything you have in there to change a tire, but how often, really, does that happen? And what car, these days, is any different in that respect? That fifth star is missing because of the center console and digital displays. Want to see your odometer reading? You must toggle through mind-boggling displays hunting for it. And I have yet to figure out how to get the front window defogger to adequately function. Maybe its not functioning at all? The heating and cooling are stupidly hard to operate (dangerous even, if you consider you are usually driving when you want to adjust them), and not very effective, but maybe thats because I havent yet learned to operate them after more than a year of reading the monster manual. For years, Toyota made a simple three-dial control that was so intuitive and really gave you what you wanted in the way of heating or cooling. Guess that went away with the speedometer dial that could be seen in peripheral vision, rather than the despised digital speedometer, which must be read, and more frequently, since the engine makes so little sound to indicate variations in acceleration. Too bad Toyota made a five-star car and equipped it with a 2-star interior console.

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  A review from Quebec... - 2012 Toyota Prius v
  By sergag - December 29 - 7:26 pm

  First I apologize abouut my bad english. I have the basic canadian version, slightly different from yours. Already drove 4000 km (2500m.) with it, mostly on highway. Average mileage, cold temperature: 52.3miles/Imp. gallon (160oz.). Best mileage: 72.4 miles/imp. gallon (on 20 miles) Best electric autonomy: 3.4 km. (2.1miles). Better than what figure in owner manual.

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  Prius is worthy !!!!! - 2016 Toyota Prius v
  By Dave Hewitt - November 29 - 4:47 am

  My second Prius......very happy w/car...I knew it didnt have blinding acceleration before I bought it....lots of leg room. Would highly recommend window tint and getting a windshield eyebrow tint installed...sun beats in at eye level....just the right size for around town driving...no problem on freeway going 75-80

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  EXCELLENT Fuel Mileage - 2012 Toyota Prius v
  By gregff - September 30 - 5:49 am

  I drive 55 miles one way to work. 5 days a week. I bought the car Oct 19th 2013 and as of 3/15/13 have over 15000 miles. Most of the driving is up and down hills, none are big but all are long grades. About 10 miles is flat. I am averaging 40-41MPG. Ride is excellent road noise is not a problem. Only Complaint I have is the Rear speakers do not have any volume. Dealer has looked at it and says ALL Prius V have the same issue, no fix.