2021 Toyota Prius Prime vs. Tesla Model 3
2021 Toyota Prius Prime vs. Tesla Model 3
Overview
The Prius Prime is a plug-in hybrid four-door hatchback with impressive range, and the Tesla Model 3 is an all-electric compact four-door sedan. While these cars have different powertrains, they are similar in other ways. Let's take a look at the Toyota Prius Prime, compared to the Tesla Model 3.
The Powertrains
The Prius Prime has a plug-in hybrid powertrain made up of a 1.8-liter four-cylinder gas engine and an electric motor. These combine to generate 121 horsepower. Toyota offers two different batteries, with the larger one enabling the Prius Prime to travel up to 25 miles on pure electric power. The gas engine kicks in when needed, and the total range is up to 640 miles. All Prius Prime models come with front-wheel drive and use a smooth CVT. The Tesla Model 3 uses one or two electric motors that generate 340, 447, or 580 horsepower, depending on whether the car has one or two motors and which battery it has. The max range with this model is 353 miles with the long-range battery and two electric motors. The Tesla comes standard with all-wheel drive, but you can choose a rear-wheel-drive option.
Safety Features
Every Prius Prime comes standard with Toyota's Safety Sense 2.0 suite of advanced safety systems. The 2021 version of this group includes a pre-collision alert system with bicyclist and pedestrian detection, a full-speed radar cruise control system, automatic emergency braking, and lane-departure warning with steering assist to help keep you in your lane. The top-level Limited comes with a color head-up display, and it adds parking sensors, a parking assist system, and a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert. The Model 3 comes standard with automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. It also comes with pedestrian detection and a blind-spot monitor. Tesla offers its Self-Driving Capability for an added price, but even this technology requires a driver to pay attention. The Toyota Prius Prime is the clear winner in this match up.
Charge Time
While the pure electric power you get with the Tesla might be intriguing, it can take up to four days to recharge the battery. Tesla offers several types of charging, and you can reduce the time to 10 or 11 hours with a 240-volt outlet. You can only get a faster charge than this by finding a Tesla Supercharger station. You can use a standard outlet to charge the Prius Prime in just 5.5 hours, and with a 240-volt outlet, it only takes about two hours.