New Toyota Prius to return to the UK, Australian revival unlikely

The UK division of Japanese car giant Toyota has backtracked on its decision to not sell the new Prius, with the fifth-generation hybrid pioneer due to go on sale in British showrooms next year.

When the new-generation Prius was revealed 12 months ago, Toyota’s UK arm said it would not be sold locally due to a shift in buyer preferences towards SUVs and the car-maker’s other hybrid models.

However, earlier this week, UK publication Autocar reported the Prius would return in 2024, which was later confirmed in a Toyota statement to rival outlet Auto Express.

According to Autocar, sales of traditional and plug-in hybrid vehicles have increased year-on-year in the UK, making the new-generation Toyota Prius – which offers both kinds of the technology – more appealing for new-car buyers.

While the Prius will return to the UK and is being sold in other right-hand-drive countries – such as its home market of Japan – it is unlikely the hybrid model will be sold in Australia.

The previous-generation Toyota Prius was axed from Australian showrooms in May 2022 due to sliding sales figures, and the new model was ruled out of a local return when it was revealed six months later.

Despite being a pioneer of mass-market hybrid technology, Toyota Prius sales peaked locally in 2008 and never recovered, hitting an all-time low of just 77 examples sold in 2021 and 44 delivered in 2022.

For context, Toyota sold 7654 examples of the Camry Hybrid and 17,585 Corolla Hybrids in Australia last year – accounting for 80 per cent of each model’s mix.

While the new Toyota Prius is unlikely to be sold in the car-maker’s Australian showrooms, it could become a popular ‘grey market’ import from Japan, given the demand for electrified models which aren’t officially sold locally.