Why is Prius Prime so much cheaper in Canada?

middle tier is close to a tesla price, I will pick a tesla instead

 

So the TJA needs an official traffic report to allow its use.

 

But not hands off the wheel.

 

You should see the European prices!

 

Those usually include the VAT. Then there is the impost tariff on the Prime.

 

The difference from 2022 to 2023 Prime for the top trim is actually $8000; The MSRP for the 2022 “Technology” model in Canada was $39,000, before any rebates or fees. Toyota Canada now includes freight & dealer fees in the price shown on Toyota.ca (about $3200), and bakes this into the posted price, which is $50,204 (may vary slightly by province).

However if we back out the fees to make an apples to apples comparison, the MSRP is actually ~$47,000. In addition to this, the larger battery (AER) bumps it up to a larger federal incentive - from a $2500 to $5000 (and possibly qualify for more provincial incentives too) - which means the actual difference is $5500 over the prior model. Not insignificant of course and still an “expensive” vehicle, but at least there are a lot of enhancements that come with that added cost.

 

Because, you can't get them in Canada......no allocation....LOL

 

Not sure about that… I have seen a couple of regular Prius driving around, and I will have my Prime in August.

 

Hmmm… I had no idea. I didn't bother looking at the Prime since I figured the price premium wouldn't be worth it. However, given its pricing in Canada after $5000 rebate, the Prime actually competes with the regular Prius. I went on the site to build out the Prius Prime XSE Premium and to my surprise the Prius Prime XSE Premium at $45,459.50 was actually cheaper than the the Prius Limited at $46,204.50.

But then I realized why. All the non-Prime Priuses are AWD in Canada, whereas the Prime is FWD with no AWD option. That's too bad. Coming from the 2012 Plug-In, a Prius Prime AWD would have been the perfect upgrade. Oh well, it looks like when I finally do upgrade (2024 or 2025?) it may be the (non-Prime) Prius AWD.

We live by a hill and my wife's RAV4 Hybrid AWD has no problem with it in icy conditions. In contrast, my FWD 2012 Prius Plug-In sometimes slips going up the hill after a winter melt and refreeze.

 

Yeah, Prime comes out slightly cheaper than the regular Prius in Canada after the federal rebate, and would be several thousand less if you are in a province that has provincial incentives as well.

Also, who knows, maybe if you wait a year or three, Toyota may find a way to stuff the AWD drivetrain into the Prius Prime. . Or just try to get your hands on a RAV4 Prime.

My area is pretty flat, so AWD is not that important to me personally. Some good snow tires for the winter and I am good to go.