10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Toyota Prius Crowds Out Lexus RZ
Electric vehicles get a whole lot of headlines but still represent a waxing-and-waning fraction of U.S. car sales that currently sits at around 10%. While life has objectively gotten a lot more manageable for EV owners in the past decade, with thousands more public charging stations added every year, switching to all-electric still feels like taking the plug-in plunge. For change-averse Americans, that’s why hybrids present a more palatable transitional choice on the path to a possible all-electric-all-the-time future — fuel economy without the range anxiety of giving up gas entirely. The Toyota Prius continues to stand as a beacon on that path, balancing fuel economy, daily-driver practicality, style and price for bet-hedging buyers.
Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Dodge Charger Sixpack Makes Its Case, Tesla Cybertruck Settles
In one of Cars.com’s most popular articles of the past week — reviewer Jennifer Geiger’s comprehensive critique of the 2025 Prius — we tell you how this hybrid among hybrids protects its rep as a reasonable compromise for car shoppers, as well as the things about it that may just make you think twice. Making the grade are gas mileage, specifically the Prius-lineup-best EPA-rated 57 mpg combined; surprisingly eager acceleration, confident handling and generally normal-feeling driving characteristics; forgiving bump absorption; user-friendly infotainment system; generous suite of safety tech; and hard-to-beat sub-$30,000 starting price (all prices include destination charge). Falling short are the Prius’ ho-hum interior appointments; coolness-over-comfort exterior styling that cuts into headroom, visibility and child-safety seat accommodation; and an annoyingly positioned gauge cluster and other components.
“Overall, the Prius is an excellent pick for value-minded hybrid shoppers so long as they’re ready to make some comfort and ergonomics trade-offs,” Geiger concludes in her review.
For our full take on the 2025 Toyota Prius, follow the link below to the No. 2 article on this week’s countdown of most read stories.
If you’ve already made the jump to all-electric and are looking to spend significantly more, however, you may want to check out our pricing report on the updated-for-2026 Lexus RZ. The electric SUV gets 23 more horsepower at the base and 36 more miles of total driving range on a charge, along with an expanded lineup with a new entry-level model (the RZ 350e) and the new range-topping, high-performance RZ 550e F Sport. The power and performance upgrades aren’t free but instead start the 2026 bidding at $3,200 higher than the outgoing model. That puts the price at $47,295 to start, rising incrementally across the four middle trims to top out at $58,295 for the F Sport.
For full details on pricing for the 2026 Lexus RZ — including a trim-by-trim breakdown of features and equipment as well as powertrain specs and driving-range estimates — follow the link below to the No. 3 news story of the week.
Beyond all that, we’ve got headlines on the Hyundai Palisade, Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Solterra, Mazda CX-90, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. 2026 Hyundai Palisade Review: Growing Gains
2. 2025 Toyota Prius Review: Big on Mileage, Small on Space
3. How Much Is the 2026 Lexus RZ?
4. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?
5. Here Are the 10 Cheapest New Cars You Can Buy Right Now
6. How Much Cargo Space Does the 2025 Toyota 4Runner Have?
7. 2026 Subaru Solterra Review: Necessary Improvements
8. How Much Is the 2026 Mazda CX-90?
9. 2025 Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain Review: Wearing Your Dress Shoes On a Hike
10. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
