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With the humble Toyota Prius dropped from sale, we go over the hybrids left behind by history.


It’s a shame to see off the nameplate which paved the way for the electrification of mass-market cars in general, with the humble Prius arguably one of the most important cars of the last quarter-century.

It’s a sign of the times that the most important hybrid vehicles today wear SUV-shaped body styles. The popularity of pioneers such as the Toyota Prius and Hyundai Ioniq has waned in recent years, with their places taken up by hugely-popular high-riding alternatives such as the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.



Here’s some of our favourite hybrid vehicles which, too, fell into obscurity, and were dropped from sale in the Australian new-car market.





Mercedes C300 and E300 BlueTec diesel hybrids 



While the first-generation model pictured above has gained a cult following – and hasn’t been forgotten – its five-door, Civic-based successors never achieved the same status in the history books.



Unsurprisingly, the Lexus LS hybrid in showrooms today has a more frugal 3.5-litre V6.

Are there any forgotten hybrids we’ve… forgotten? Let us know in the comments.

Tom started out in the automotive industry by exploiting his photographic skills but quickly learned that journalists got the better end of the deal. He began with CarAdvice in 2014, left in 2017 to join Bauer Media titles including Wheels and WhichCar and subsequently returned to CarAdvice in early 2021 during its transition to Drive.

As part of the Drive content team, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.

He understands that every car buyer is unique and has varying requirements when it comes to buying a new car, but equally, there’s also a loyal subset of Drive audience that loves entertaining enthusiast content.

Tom holds a deep respect for all things automotive no matter the model, priding himself on noticing the subtle things that make each car tick. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t learn something new in an everchanging industry, which is then imparted to the Drive reader base.

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