Browse over 9,000 car reviews

Tesla Model Y vs Toyota Prius

What's the difference?

VS
Tesla Model Y
Tesla Model Y

$55,900 - $82,900

2025 price

Toyota Prius
Toyota Prius

2021 price

Summary

2025 Tesla Model Y
2021 Toyota Prius
Safety Rating

Engine Type
0.0L

Inline 4, 1.8L
Fuel Type
Electric

Unleaded Petrol/Electric
Fuel Efficiency
0.0L/100km (combined)

3.4L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Interior looks too basic
  • Higher prices amid more competition
  • Autosteer only in 'beta' form

  • Polarising exterior
  • Dorky central instrument cluster
  • Not so engaging to drive
2025 Tesla Model Y Summary

As recently as this time last year, Tesla was riding high. It was the darling of the electric vehicle world, the leader of the pack thanks to its colourful leader, Elon Musk.

Fast forward to now and so much has happened to Tesla in the last year it’s hard to know where to start. Sales have declined around the globe and Musk has become one of the most polarising human beings on the planet.

But that’s only part of the story, and part of the reason Tesla’s sales have dropped. The cold, hard reality of the automotive industry has also hit the American brand for the first time in its existence. A large part of the brand’s success has come from bucking the automotive industry norms, but now it appears to be dawning on Tesla that there is a reason why the rest of the industry does things the way it does.

Until now the brand has been seen as new and different, but as its cars, most notably this popular Model Y SUV start to age, they have become stale after five years on sale. So, Tesla has reverted to the tried and tested method of a mid-life facelift and other upgrades to make the Model Y look new and more appealing to buyers.

Will this be enough to turn around the sales slide? It’s hard to quantify exactly what impact Musk’s political stance is having, so we’ll stick to telling you about the car. Because, to be frank, regardless of how you feel about the owner of the company, if the product doesn’t appeal to customers, then it simply won’t sell.

View full pricing & specs
Interested in a Tesla Model Y?
2021 Toyota Prius Summary

What to say about the Toyota Prius in 2021? A car that was once a technology trailblazer seems now to have become properly retro, even while it’s still being built and sold.

The awkward-looking wedge, an eco-punk icon, not only brought Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive to the masses, it also debuted the brand’s excellent TNGA architecture and set the scene for the company's absurd hybrid success, which now sees the RAV4 version topping the sales charts.

So, after all these years (25 to be precise), is the Prius’s time finally over? Or does this quaint hybrid hero still have more to offer? I took a top-spec I-Tech for a week to find out.

View full pricing & specs
Interested in a Toyota Prius?

Deep dive comparison

2025 Tesla Model Y 2021 Toyota Prius

Change vehicle