Solar charging 223 PS 2023 Toyota Prius PHEV goes on sale in Japan, priced like an Alphard

Following its world premiere in November 2022, the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant of the fifth generation 2023 Toyota Prius has now gone on sale in Japan.

With this latest PHEV variant, the Japanese market Prius is now available in 3 engine options – 140 PS 1.8-litre hybrid, 196 PS 2.0-litre hybrid, and 223 PS 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid. All power output figures are total system output of the engine and electric motor.

Prices start from 4.6 million Yen, which is about the price of an entry variant S grade Toyota Alphard 2.5L. The regular 1.8-litre hybrid starts from 2.75 million Yen while the 2.0-litre hybrid starts from 3.2 million Yen.

For reference, the most expensive Toyota Camry 2.5 Hybrid tops out at 4.5 million Yen, for the WS Leather Package variant.

The Prius PHEV has a claimed fuel consumption of 30.1 km/litre (or 3.3-litre/100 km) when riding on 17-inch wheels. Variants with 19-inch wheels can do 26 km/litre (or 3.8-litre/100 km). Figures are as tested under the stricter WLTC test cycle.

A full charge takes 4.5 hours when using a Japanese domestic 200V / 16A power socket, and is sufficient to deliver an EV-only driving range of 105 km (when using 17-inch wheels) and 87 km (when using 19-inch wheels).

The Prius PHEV’s charging port is located at the rear fender, on the driver’s side, opposite of the fuel filler. Japanese market models will use Type 1 charging socket.

The Prius PHEV also comes with a second-generation solar charging system on its roof. Toyota claims it is possible to generate up to 1,250 km of electric-only driving range per year, calculated based on Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association Labeling Guidelines.

There’s also a battery EV-like V2L feature that turns the Prius into a mega powerbank. Since it’s a hybrid rather than a battery EV, the engine will fire up to top up the battery's charge, allowing the Prius to power an average Japanese household for 5 days, much longer than any other battery EV’s V2L.

Toyota says with a full tank of petrol and a fully charged battery, the Prius PHEV’s 1,500 W socket can deliver 10 kWh (400 W per hour) per day, which is the average power consumption for an average Japanese home. This is especially useful in Japan, where earthquakes and power cuts are a common risk.

There are no plans to introduce the fifth generation Toyota Prius in Malaysia. Japan’s Tsutsumi plant is the world’s only source of the Prius and our local taxes will make the imported Prius too expensive.

For now, UMW Toyota Motor’s hybrid line-up is limited only to the locally-assembled (CKD) Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, priced at RM 142,000.