Toyota's Prius Still MPG Champ

Is the traditional Prius still on top? We took it on a road trip, and in terms of fuel economy, the answer is a resounding yes.

The 2012 Toyota Prius is EPA-rated at 51/48/50 mpg city/highway/combined. The EPA lists “unofficial MPG estimates from vehicle owners” that are a smidge higher, with an average rating of 51.6 mpg. How did this overachiever perform for me? It surpassed all of the above.

During a 324-mile trip, I drove normally and averaged 53.6 mpg. I spent about 75% of those miles at highway speeds, and the air conditioning was on during the entire trip. The hatchback was also loaded with two adults, one child and lots of weekend gear.

Part of the appeal of the Prius family is choice. The tiny Prius c offers better city gas mileage (53/46/50 mpg) in a much smaller package, and the larger Prius v offers more space without sacrificing too many precious mpgs (44/40/42 mpg).

Up next is the Prius Plug-in, which offers a promising 95 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent). It will be available nationwide next year. But for now, the plain-old Prius is still hard to beat when it comes to gas mileage.

Related
Research the 2012 Toyota Prius
2012 Toyota Prius V, 2012 Prius Plug-in Priced at $26,400 and $32,000
More Toyota News on Cars.com