After 2,000 Miles In My $37K 2024 Prius Prime XSE, The Weak Paint, Easy Dents And Poor Build Quality Make Me Miss My 2021 Camry, Toyota's Latest Hybrid Is A Disappointment

By any measure, buying a car is a courtship. It’s the dopamine hit of the test drive, the giddy flirtation with the options list, and the solemn handshake under the fluorescent lights of the showroom. But just like dating someone because your friends said “they’re perfect for you,” sometimes the honeymoon phase wears off faster than expected. That’s precisely what happened to one 2024 Prius Prime XSE owner who took to the r/prius subreddit like a confessional booth, posting what amounts to a breakup letter. And like many relationships gone sour, it wasn’t one big betrayal, it was remorse by a thousand paint chips.

“I bought a 2024 Prius XSE Prime about two months ago, and for the first time in my life, I have buyer's remorse over a car purchase. Sure, it gets amazing gas mileage, but the paint and the body of the car are poorly made and weak. I’ve only put 2,000 miles on the car and it’s covered in rocks chips, scratches, and dents. It makes me want to cry because what is this car gonna look like at 50k miles?

Of course, no one told me that they knew the paint was poor and the car was prone to dents before I dropped $37k on the car. Now, dealerships are like, “It's water-based paint and an environmentally made body, what did you expect?” For the money and Toyota branding, I expected it to hold up longer than 2k miles. I go out of my way to avoid highways, I park far away, I baby the car, and still, every day it’s something else. I looked into PPF but was quoted anywhere between $6k-$9k, and at that price, I’d rather get a different car.

Other things I dislike about how much I paid: the wireless charging doesn’t work, the ventilated seats are super weak, the inside materials are also prone to scratching, the leather on the seats is cheap, and CarPlay is glitchy compared to other cars. After driving it for 2 months, there’s also way less cargo space than I realized, and larger people complain the car is uncomfortable.

I miss my 2021 Camry and I wish I never traded in. Just venting out of frustration and praying the dealership is forgiving at trade-in.”

That isn’t just buyer’s remorse, it’s a digital cry of disappointment, dressed in Toyota red and bruised by gravel. And it struck a chord because it runs counter to the brand’s entire identity. Toyota doesn’t trade in heartbreak. It builds its reputation on dependability, on a kind of quiet competence that, frankly, most automakers would kill for. But here, the paint is flaking early, the body is bruising easily, and the inside feels like it was assembled with materials that might lose a fight with a denim jacket.

2024 Prius Prime XSE: Advanced Gas-Electric Powertrain & Regenerative Braking Features

• Utilizes a seamless gas + electric powertrain that switches between or blends engines to optimize efficiency, reducing fuel use and emissions.
• Charges the hybrid battery using captured braking energy, essentially enabling the car to recharge during slowdowns, boosting fuel economy in urban driving.
•  An intelligent control unit decides when to use the gas engine, electric motor, or both, maximizing efficiency while maintaining smooth acceleration.
• The lineup includes standard full hybrids and plug-in versions (PHV), the latter offering up to ~40 km of pure-electric range before switching to hybrid mode.

And the owner isn’t alone. Others chimed in, not with pitchforks, but with quiet affirmations that something feels off. One user, TweatyB, noted vertical tears in the front door weather stripping at just 500 miles. Another kandyce1409, praised the styling and mileage but called the wireless charger finicky, the Android Auto setup confusing, and the glass roof a summer death trap: “The glass roof turns my car into an OVEN now that it’s summer. Like, take your breath away hot.” 

But the most sobering realization? This isn’t unique to the Prius. Another commenter, bincaughtstealin, pointed out that complaints about thin paint and fragile exteriors are rampant across forums for Honda, Subaru, and even Toyota’s own broader lineup. 

Eco-Friendly Water-Based Paint on the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime: Durability Trade-Offs Explained

The move to water-based, eco-friendly paint, mandated by modern emissions and environmental standards, maybe the right thing for the planet, but it comes with a trade-off in durability that many buyers aren’t warned about. Especially not before signing on the dotted line for a $37,000 hybrid with a badge that once stood for bulletproof longevity.

Where does that leave the Prius Prime? In a curious space between aspiration and application. Yes, the car gets superb fuel economy. Yes, it looks better than any Prius before it. But as Consumer Reports pointed out, the aggressive, aerodynamic redesign comes at the cost of usability, low seating positions, tight headroom, and a more claustrophobic cabin experience compared to previous generations. The car asks for sacrifices. But what it gives back doesn’t always seem worth the compromise. At least not for owners who measure quality by more than just MPGe.

Toyota Prius Sales History: Key Growth Periods, Peak Years & Recent Trends

• The Prius debuted in 1997 and saw a gradual but steady rise in sales, reaching over 120,000 U.S. units by 2000 as environmental awareness grew.
• It hit its sales apex around 2010, with over 400,000 units sold worldwide that year, benefiting from fuel price spikes and green vehicle incentives.
• Sales gradually waned after 2014, slipping from roughly 500,000 annual global sales down to around 300,000 in recent years, due to growing competition in the hybrid and EV space.
• Even as EVs gain ground, the Prius still sells solidly, still moving hundreds of thousands each year, especially in markets like Japan and parts of Europe.

And then there’s the insurance. Multiple owners on the subreddit, each with clean records, reported steep increases in premiums after switching to the new Prius. Not because they downgraded from clunkers, but because the increased vehicle value (and tech load) jacks up replacement costs. You move from a $30k car to a $37k one, and suddenly the monthly bill climbs into absurdity. "Insurance is such a scam," wrote kandyce1409. And whether you agree or not, that cost stings harder when paired with soft-touch plastics that scratch if you breathe on them.

The tragedy here isn’t just about a single Prius owner missing their Camry. It’s about the widening gap between expectation and experience. The Prius Prime is still a technological marvel in many ways, hyper-efficient, modern, and genuinely stylish. But for those who expect Toyota’s legacy of overbuilt, under-hyped dependability, this latest chapter may feel like the brand has taken a turn toward the superficial. And that hurts not because it’s offensive, but because it’s unexpected.

Maybe the lesson here is this: every car, like every relationship, demands compromise. But the best ones? They make those compromises worth it. When the quirks become features, not flaws. When the miles add up, and so does your trust. For this Prius owner, the magic never took hold. And as they scroll through listings, hoping to swap their heartbreak hybrid for something with fewer caveats, we’re reminded that in the car world, like in love, sometimes the one that got away had everything you needed all along.

Image Sources: Toyota Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.