Anyone who wants one is looking for a plug-in
The Toyota Prius once symbolized a new generation of cars. With its hybrid drive he was one of the pioneers and although the model was sometimes the center of ridicule, there is nothing to detract from its enterprising and progressive character. But where have they gone? How popular are they still on a website like Gaspedal.nl? A small tip of the veil: the Prius has been overtaken left and right by newer, better and more exciting hybrids, especially from Toyota itself.
The Prius as a precursor
Go back to 2000. Six years before the publication of An Inconvenient Truth, in which the general public was introduced for the first time to climate change as a result of human actions. Formula 1 still raced with screaming V10 engines and the car industry still happily used diesel. That year, Toyota introduced the Prius, which used a hybrid drive. It was the second generation of this model that really caught on with the general public and relied more on the combination of a battery pack and a fuel engine. Over the years, this somewhat clumsy-looking liftback became a symbol for economical driving. Sometimes the target of ridicule, sometimes very consciously bought by people who already saw the trend coming.
The Prius never left
The Toyota Prius is still made, but it is no longer as prominent as it was in the first ten years of this century. The Prius has now been joined by a huge number of hybrids, which use the same trick with at least as much success. And the design of those newer hybrids is cooler, more practical and – let’s be honest – more beautiful than that of the old Prius. So where do those early forerunners now stand on the used car market?
Popularity is hard to find
The second-hand Toyota Prius is not doing too well. If we look purely at the most sought-after Toyota used cars on Gaspedal.nl, we find the Prius in tenth place in the period January 2023 to January 2024. If we look for the most sought-after hybrids from the same period, we find the Prius in 38th place. Fortunately for Toyota, the hybrid Yaris and the RAV4 are doing excellently, in places one and two. If we narrow down the search even further and look specifically for hybrid Toyotas, the Prius is still not a high flyer, in seventh place. In other words, Toyota has produced hybrids that are much more successful and much more sought after. However, it is the Prius that paved the way for this new generation of hybrids.
No surprise with additional search terms
Buyers who are looking for a second-hand Prius are looking for few surprising options. The most common keyword among Prius searchers is “plug-in,” which is more or less the basis of this car, and the most searched for option is the tow bar. In other words: the average Prius buyer doesn’t want anything crazy about his Toyota, but just an economical, affordable car to take on holiday.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl