Toyota Prius+ (2012-2020) interior & comfort

A series of revisions have kept the interior of the Toyota Prius+ reasonably up to date, but it lacks much in the way of design flair and some might not feel comfortable with the centrally mounted instrument display. On the other hand, being able to drive around for limited periods in near-silence on electric power only makes it very relaxing inside. It’s also pretty quiet on the motorway, and as long as you don’t ask for too much acceleration, it’ll stay that way.

Toyota Prius+ dashboard

As soon as you sit in the Prius+, you’re reminded only too obviously that this is based on the previous Toyota Prius. The interior just doesn’t have the class or quality that the more recent hatchback does. What the two cars do have in common is that the main instrument display sits centrally, so there’s nothing directly ahead of the driver.

The theory is that this position requires you to refocus your eyes less, but many will find it awkward. To make matters worse, the LCD readouts are like an 80s alarm clock, lacking the upmarket feel many buyers seek.

Equipment, options and accessories

There are just two trims in the Prius+ range: Icon and Excel. However, the cheaper Icon is so well equipped that there’s no real need to go for the more expensive Excel, unless you desperately want sat nav. Standard equipment on the Icon includes 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic lights and wipers, air-conditioning, keyless entry and a rear-view camera. It’s also fitted with the Toyota Touch 2 infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity, DAB and a CD Player.

On top of this, Excel trim adds a self-parking system, larger alloy wheels, sat nav, heated seats and part-leather upholstery. Other than adding sat nav to the cheaper model, options are limited to metallic paint (priced between £550 and £800) and two option packs.

These are the £350 Protection Pack, which adds worthwhile features such as a boot liner, mudflaps and a rear bumper protection panel. The £550 front and rear parking sensors are another worthwhile addition, although for a car costing around £30,000, they really ought to be fitted as standard.

Infotainment, apps & sat nav

Toyota’s Touch 2 touchscreen system is fitted to all versions of the Prius+ and you operate most of the functions through it. It’s one of the better systems on the market and easy to use, with big shortcut buttons arranged on either side of the screen. These allow you to jump straight to, say, the sat nav, stereo or phone functions without needing to go through a home page.

If you choose the top Excel trim level, not only do you get sat nav as standard, you also have access to several apps. You need to create a My Toyota account and have a suitable Bluetooth-enabled phone, but if you do, you can use apps that give you information about the weather and parking. You can also get real-time traffic information from TomTom and use Google Street View.