2019 Toyota Prius

2019 Toyota Prius Overview

Is the 2019 Toyota Prius a Good Used Car?

Yes, the 2019 Prius is a good vehicle. It stands out in our hybrid and electric car rankings for its exceptional fuel economy and large cargo hold. On top of that, this Toyota impresses with its handsome and spacious cabin.

However, performance is where this hatchback falters. There’s almost no steering feel, and while its electric motor helps it take off quickly from a stop, it struggles to accelerate at higher speeds. Still, unless you’re after a sporty driving experience, you probably won’t be disappointed.

If you're not committed to a Prius but still want to stick with a Toyota hybrid, consider the 2019 Camry Hybrid or 2019 RAV4 Hybrid. On the other hand, you might want to look at the 2019 Honda Insight, a hybrid sedan with mpg ratings that rival the Prius’.

Compare the Prius, RAV4 Hybrid, and Insight »

Why You Can Trust Us

Our goal is to make shopping for your next car as easy as possible. You'll find everything you need to know about this vehicle in our comprehensive review. It combines concrete data like fuel economy estimates, horsepower specs, and cargo space dimensions with 40 professional Toyota Prius reviews.

We’ve been reviewing cars since 2007, and our Best Cars team has more than 75 years of combined automotive experience. We also award the Best Cars for the Money, and Best Vehicle Brands on an annual basis. To ensure our impartiality, a third party handles our advertising, and we don't accept expensive gifts from automakers.

How Much is the 2019 Toyota Prius?

Based on listings for the 2019 Toyota Prius, the average list price is $19,028. Prices range from $23,770 to $32,200 and vary depending on the vehicle’s condition, mileage, features, and location.

See the Best Used Car Deals »

How Much Does the 2019 Toyota Prius Cost to Own?

We currently do not have projections for this hatchback’s five-year costs for gas, insurance, taxes, fees, repairs, and maintenance.

2018 vs. 2019 Toyota Prius: What's the Difference?

For 2019, Toyota introduced all-wheel drive as an option for the Prius. It also refreshed this vehicle’s exterior styling and renamed its trim lineup.

Compare the 2018 and 2019 Prius »

Here are the key changes for the Toyota Prius since it was redesigned for 2016:

• 2016: fully redesigned with more cargo space; a new platform, suspension, and powertrain; higher-quality interior materials; and improved fuel economy (54/50 mpg from 50/46 mpg)
• 2017: Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P) suite of driver aids made standard, including forward collision warning and adaptive cruise control
• 2018: 11.6-inch touch screen became available
• 2019: all-wheel drive made available; refreshed exterior styling; renamed trims

If you're considering an older model, be sure to read our 2016 Prius, 2017 Prius, and 2018 Prius reviews to help make your decision. Also, check out our Best New Car Deals and Best New Car Lease Deals pages to learn about savings and discounts you can find on new vehicles.

How Reliable Is the 2019 Toyota Prius?

The 2019 Prius has a predicted reliability rating of three out of five, which is about average.

Read more about Prius reliability »

2019 Toyota Prius Recalls

There have been 3 safety recalls issued from NHTSA.

See more information on Toyota Prius safety recalls »

Which Used Toyota Prius Trim Is Right for Me?

Previously, Toyota named the Prius’ trim levels with a number, such as the Toyota Prius One, Two, and so on. For 2019, Toyota changed the Prius’ trim levels to be more in line with the naming scheme of other Toyota vehicles. There are four trims: L Eco, LE, XLE, and Limited. All-wheel drive is available in the LE and XLE.

The base trim has lots of safety features, making it a good pick. You might also consider the XLE for its comfort add-ons.

• Toyota Prius L Eco: Standard equipment in the L Eco includes a 6.1-inch touch screen, a six-speaker stereo, three USB ports, Bluetooth, automatic climate control, proximity keyless entry (driver’s door only), and alloy wheels. A rearview camera is also standard, along with the Toyota Safety Sense P suite of driver assistance features, which comes with a pre-collision warning and braking system, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high-beam headlights.
• Toyota Prius LE: The Toyota Prius LE adds blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, active park assist, and a rear window wiper.
• Toyota Prius XLE: The XLE gains SofTex synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats, an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat (six-way in AWD models), a heated steering wheel, qi-compatible wireless device charging, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and larger alloy wheels. It’s available with adaptive headlights, a head-up display, and a moonroof.
• Toyota Prius Limited: The top-trim Limited adds a navigation system, an 11.6-inch touch screen, a 10-speaker JBL stereo, satellite radio, and HD Radio. It also gains the XLE’s options, minus the moonroof, which remains available.

See 2019 Toyota Prius trims and specs »

What Does Toyota's Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Cover?

Toyota offers a certified pre-owned program for vehicles six years old or less and with fewer than 85,000 miles. Eligibility is determined by the vehicle’s initial sale date. Toyota provides a one-year/12,000-mile limited warranty on all its certified pre-owned vehicles, and it extends the original new-car powertrain warranty to seven years from the initial sale date or 100,000 miles. Each CPO Toyota must pass a 160-point inspection. Additional benefits like a CarFax vehicle history report, towing, and roadside assistance may be available, so read the Toyota warranty page carefully.

Toyota’s CPO program is about average for an affordable carmaker, according to our research. Hyundai and Kia both have better programs.

See the best CPO programs »

How Safe Is the Prius?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the 2019 Prius an overall safety rating of five out of five stars, with five stars in the side crash test and four stars in the frontal crash and rollover tests.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named this Toyota a Top Safety Pick, giving it the highest rating of Good in five crash tests and the second-highest rating of Acceptable in the passenger-side small overlap front test. The Prius also received an Acceptable rating for how well its headlights illuminate the road ahead.

The IIHS uses a different scale for grading collision avoidance features. This hatchback got the highest rating of Superior for its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention tech.

Standard advanced safety features:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Pre-collision warning and braking system
• Automatic high-beam headlights
• Lane keep assist
• Lane departure warning

Available advanced safety features:

• Front and rear parking sensors
• Parallel and perpendicular park assist
• Blind spot monitoring
• Rear cross traffic alert
• Adaptive headlights
• Head-up display

See Prius safety scores »

2019 Toyota Prius Versus the Competition

Which Is Better: 2019 Toyota Prius or 2019 Hyundai Ioniq?

The 2019 Hyundai Ioniq is a great vehicle. It stands alongside the Prius as one of the most fuel-efficient cars on the market. The Ioniq gets 55/54 mpg, compared to 54/50 mpg for the Toyota. The Ioniq can be had as a plug-in-hybrid or an electric vehicle. It also comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, neither of which are available in the Toyota. Add in the Ioniq’s higher safety score, and it’s easy to see why it’s the better hybrid.

Which Is Better: 2019 Toyota Prius or 2019 Toyota Prius Prime?

The 2019 Toyota Prius Prime is a plug-in-hybrid vehicle that ranks neck and neck with the Prius in the hybrid and electric car class. As a plug-in, the Prius Prime can run on electricity alone. It has an all-electric range of 25 miles, and its combined city/highway EPA rating of 54 mpg falls right in line with its hybrid sibling. The Prius Prime has a higher predicted reliability rating than the Prius, but the regular Prius has a larger cargo hold and can seat five people, compared to the Prius Prime’s four. The Prius also has an all-wheel drive option, unlike the plug-in. Choosing between these two Toyotas is a matter of preference.

Compare the Prius, Insight, and Prius Prime »

2019 Prius Performance

How Does the 2019 Toyota Prius Drive?

This hybrid will get you from place to place without issue. Although it’s far from fast, the Prius should have enough power to satisfy most shoppers. The transition between gas and electric power is smooth.

This vehicle has a smooth, composed ride. It’s stable around turns, but there’s not much steering feedback, which keeps it from feeling sporty. However, this hybrid is one of a few small cars available with all-wheel drive.

• Powertrain: 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor with a combined 121 horsepower and 105 pound-feet of torque
• Drivetrain: standard front-wheel drive; available all-wheel drive
• Transmission: continuously variable automatic (CVT)

Does the 2019 Toyota Prius Get Good Gas Mileage?

This Toyota’s EPA estimates are phenomenal, both among small cars and hybrids.

• Prius Eco, FWD: 58/53 mpg city/highway
• Prius, FWD: 54/50 mpg
• Prius, AWD: 52/48 mpg

Read more about Prius performance »

2019 Prius Interior

How Many People Does the 2019 Prius Seat?

The 2019 Prius seats five people. Both rows have plenty of head- and legroom, even for 6-foot-tall occupants. The seats are comfortable, and while the sloping roofline can hamper rear visibility a bit, overall visibility is still good.

Having been lightly refreshed for 2019, this Toyota has improved cabin materials. Soft plastics give it an air of class, and some available features, such as the 11.6-inch touch screen, have a Tesla-like feel.

Standard seating features:

• Cloth upholstery
• 60/40-split-folding rear seats

Available seating features:

• SofTex synthetic leather upholstery
• Six-way (AWD) or eight-way (FWD) power-adjustable front seat
• Heated front seats
• Heated and synthetic leather-wrapped steering wheel

How Many Child Car Seats Fit in the 2019 Toyota Prius?

This hatchback has two complete sets of LATCH car-seat connectors for the rear outboard seats. There’s also an upper tether for the rear middle seat, which can borrow lower anchors from either side. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave this LATCH system the highest rating of Good+ for ease of use. The "+" indicates that the system is among the easiest to use.

2019 Toyota Prius Features

The touch screen is responsive and has a logical menu layout, but there’s no support for Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. The gauge cluster mounted in the middle of the dashboard might take some time to get used to.

• Standard infotainment features: Toyota’s Entune infotainment system, a 6.1-inch touch screen, Bluetooth, three USB ports, and a six-speaker stereo
• Available infotainment features: an 11.6-inch touch screen, navigation, satellite radio, HD Radio, a 10-speaker JBL audio system, and wireless device charging
• Additional standard features: push-button start, proximity keyless entry, and automatic climate control
• Other available features: a moonroof

See 2019 Toyota Prius specs »

Read more about Prius interior »

2019 Toyota Prius Dimensions

Toyota Prius Cargo Space

Most front-wheel-drive Prius models have 27.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. The LE trim and all-wheel-drive models have 24.6 cubic feet. The rear seats fold down for extra space. Whether you’re comparing this Toyota to other small cars or to other vehicles in our hybrid and electric car rankings, those are great totals. For instance, the plug-in 2019 Toyota Prius Prime – another small hatchback – has 19.8 cubic feet of space.

2019 Toyota Prius Length and Weight

• Length: 15 feet
• Curb weight: 3,010 to 3,220 pounds

Where Was the 2019 Toyota Prius Built?

Toyota built the 2019 Prius in Japan.