Toyota Drops Prime Name From Prius And RAV4 PHEVs For 2025

[Tragic Bronson]

Toyota Drops Prime Name From Prius And RAV4 PHEVs For 2025 | Carscoops

The automaker believes that the new name will help consumers "more easily identify the powertrain choices" among Prius and RAV4 models

www.carscoops.com

The automaker believes that the new name will help consumers "more easily identify the powertrain choices" among Prius and RAV4 models

• Toyota has renamed the PHEV versions of the Prius and RAV4 for the 2025 model year.
• The two models abandon the Prime moniker but remain largely unchanged.
• The 2025 RAV4 PHEV is priced at $425 more compared to its predecessor.

Toyota has dropped the “Prime” nameplate for its 2025 Prius and RAV4 Plug-in Hybrids in the U.S. and Canada. Going forward, these models will be aptly referred to as PHEV or Plug-in Hybrid, matching the straightforward naming conventions already embraced in Europe and Japan. While both cars will feature the PHEV badge with a blue dot on the body, Toyota’s literature will also use the term “Plug-in Hybrid”.

The company claims that the change to the plug-in hybrid abbreviation is “intended to help consumers more easily identify the powertrain choices among Prius and RAV4 models.” The Prime label had been part of the Prius since 2016 and the RAV4 since 2019, but now it’s out with the old and in with… well, the more basic.

Goodbye blue emblem

In addition to the name change, the electrified SUV has also bid farewell to the blue Toyota oval emblem, which once signified hybrids, PHEVs, EVs, and FCEVs. Toyota began phasing out this feature last year in the 2024MYs, swapping it out for a blue dot on the trunk or tailgate

Aside from the rebranding, the 2025 Toyota Prius PHEV and 2025 Toyota RAV4 PHEV remain virtually unchanged from their predecessors. In terms of looks, trim structures, equipment, and powertrains, they are pretty much the same as before.

 

[Sulu]

Interesting! Does this mean that Lexus will also give up its confusing "h+" nomenclature? Does that mean that there is still hope that the next-generation ES will come in a PHEV model, despite no trademarks for an ES h+ model?

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

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Toyota Drops Prime Name From Prius And RAV4 PHEVs For 2025 | Carscoops

The automaker believes that the new name will help consumers "more easily identify the powertrain choices" among Prius and RAV4 models

www.carscoops.com

This is the dumbest decision they could have made made. They have a really good brand with the Prime. Everyone knew what it was. There has been so many people who have been clamoring for a Camry "Prime" or a Sienna "Prime". The name was well-known enough for people to want that badge on other Toyotas.

The only case that this could possibly make sense is that it will go down a step from being the highest trim level and the Prime moniker be given to the EV versions of the Prius or other Toyotas.

So instead of:

ICE < Hybrid < Prime (Plug-in)

You'll get...

Hybrid < Plug-In < Prime (EV)

 

[Tragic Bronson]

This is the dumbest decision they could have made made. They have a really good brand with the Prime. Everyone knew what it was. There has been so many people who have been clamoring for a Camry "Prime" or a Sienna "Prime". The name was well-known enough for people to want that badge on other Toyotas.

 

[CRSKTN]

Toyota is so chicken-**** when it comes to seeing their marketing through.

It's like Google with their constant cancelling and starting of products. It's like there's an army of people who need to justify their existence by just constantly ******* everything up, cancelling this, renaming that.

Can't commit to monikers for cars, performance lines, or even their best models. Just a constant whirling ****storm grasping for margins and returns.

 

[ssun30]

The rest of the world always used the simpler name PHV.

Cancelling the Prime name probably means the PHV version won't be the top trim of the model for example a GR Prius may place above the Prius PHV.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

The rest of the world always used the simpler name PHV.

Cancelling the Prime name probably means the PHV version won't be the top trim of the model for example a GR Prius may place above the Prius PHV.

Right. Enthusiasts know what Prime is, but I don't know how well that translates out in consumer-land. Removing it gives more flexibility on mixing and matching powertrains and trim levels.