2017 Toyota Prius Prime Electric Vehicle Leaps Ahead of the Pack In Sales

Toyota’s former Plug-in hybrid Prius was among the top-selling electrified vehicles in America during its run. It was the second-leading seller among all EVs in 2012 and the fourth most popular car in America with a plug in both 2013 and 2014. During that span, there were months when the Prius Plug-in was the top EV seller overall. Can the new 2017 Prius Prime return Toyota to that stature? It is well on its way.

- See Our Earlier Prediction “Prius Prime Returns To The Fast Lane”

In November, its first partial month of sales, the Prius Prime PHEV sold a respectable 781 units. That sales number put the Prime ahead of 22 other electric vehicle models on sale in the U.S. Even with just a limited inventory available due to the partial month, the Prius Prime still outsold the BMW i3 and Ford C-Max Energi. In November, five EV models in total outsold the Prius Prime, but only two affordable EVs had higher sales.

In its second month of sales, while still ramping up to full production, the 2017 Prius Prime has sold 1,641 units in December. Had Toyota’s Prius Prime been on sale all year and maintained that monthly rate of sales for the full year it would have made the Prime the second leading seller among affordable EV in America behind just the Chevy Volt. Ford’s December sales numbers are not in yet (it takes Ford longer to report sales than GM and Chevy), but it looks like The Prius Prime Plug-In will be the third leading seller among affordable EVs after the Leaf and Volt, both of which had a strong month.

The new Prius Prime is again eligible for a California HOV lane sticker now that the state has come to its senses. This makes the Prius Prime an attractive and viable affordable alternative to battery-electric vehicles with limited range and higher price tags. The Prime is also eligible for a Federal Tax deduction and state rebate in California and other participating states. We will watch the sales of the Prius Prime closely in Q1 2017 to see how it fares against the other exciting EV entering the marketplace, the Chevy Bolt.

Related Story: Prius Prime Tops Tesla Model S, BMW i3, and Nissan Leaf in Efficiency