2017 Toyota Prius Prime vs Tesla Model 3

One of the most exciting new vehicles coming to the 2017 model year from Toyota is without a doubt the all-new Prius Prime. With the Prius Plug-in having been benched for the past couple of years, it needed something big and new to really bring it back into the limelight, and the Prius Prime is definitely what the model needed. Adapting many of the same updates and enhancements that the regular Prius received for 2016, and adding even more incredible technologies, features and more. We thought we’d see how it will potentially measure up to another highly-anticipated vehicle, by comparing the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime vs Tesla Model 3.

Advantages of the 2017 Toyota

This is definitely one of the more difficult comparisons we’ve ever tried to conduct, as not only are we comparing two vehicles that still have a lot of information hidden in the dark, but we’re comparing an affordable plug-in hybrid to an all-electric luxury sports car. But we wanted to see what the Prius Prime has to offer that the upcoming Tesla Model 3 doesn’t, so we pressed forward anyway.

One huge advantage that the Prius Prime does have over the Model 3, like plug-in hybrids always have over all-electrics, is a much larger overall driving range. On one charge – with a full tank of gas as well, of course – the Prius Prime can drive a whopping 965 kilometres, while the Model 3 can only travel 346 km. In that same breath, the Tesla can travel 346 km… even though it’s an all-electric vehicle. That’s essentially unheard of, and the Prime can only travel 35 kilometres in all-electric mode.

The Prius Prime delivers a 2.0 l/100km fuel efficiency equivalent, which is pretty impressive in our opinion. But again, the Model 3 is an all-electric vehicle, so it doesn’t have a fuel efficiency equivalent. One final thing we looked at was the interior, in which the Prius Prime delivers an incredible 11.6 in. display audio screen. We thought for sure that would blow the Model 3 out of the water, but we soon discovered that the Tesla actually has a 15 in. screen in its center console. However, this center screen replaces the instrument cluster as well, which we see as a pretty big drawback.

If you’re interested in more information about the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime or want to get behind the wheel, be sure to schedule an early test drive right here on our website or by giving us a call at the sales desk.