Toyota has given the 2027 Prius light-touch updates that suggest someone inside the building understands the current Prius already did the hard part.the exact price difference between a 2026 and 2027 toyota priusWhen Toyota revealed the then-new 2023 Prius, the compact hybrid sedan "shocked the world," turning from "a once-boring slab of an appliance on wheels" into a "beautiful swan seemingly overnight." Four model years later, the Prius remains one of Toyota's designs. Therefore, the 2027 changes are mostly about not messing it up.Prices for both the standard Prius hybrid and Prius PHEV rise by $305 across all trims and drivetrains versus 2026. As a result, the Prius LE FWD now starts at $30,050, while the Prius PHEV SE starts at $35,275.the exact price difference between a 2026 and 2027 toyota priusHowever, there is still one familiar catch: the PHEV remains front-wheel drive only. That is not new, and it probably won't change until the next generation. The standard hybrid, meanwhile, continues to offer AWD, though efficiency takes a hit.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat efficiency story is the one real eyebrow-raiser. The 2027 Prius LE FWD at 59/50/55 mpg city/highway/combined on the EPA cycle, compared with the 2026 model's 57/56/57 mpg rating. In other words, city mileage climbs, but the highway number drops hard enough to pull the combined figure down.Add AWD to the LE, and the rating falls to 56/49/53 mpg, with both city and highway figures down from 2026. It's not clear what changed, because everything else remains the same.The Prius PHEV changes less dramatically. XSE and higher trims still return 114 mpg-e combined. The SE improves to 129 mpg-e, up 2 mpg-e from 2026, although both PHEV trims lose 1 mpg in combined gas-only EPA ratings. That puts the SE at 51 mpg and the XSE and above at 47 mpg.the exact price difference between a 2026 and 2027 toyota priusEvery 2027 Prius and Prius PHEV now gets dual-zone climate control, a feature that was previously limited to the hybrid Limited and absent even from the PHEV XSE Premium. Consequently, the across-the-board $305 price increase looks easier to swallow, especially on lower trims.AdvertisementAdvertisementToyota also adds a new black paint called Inked, which replaces Midnight Black Metallic. Inked becomes one of four no-cost paint options, while Supersonic Red and Wind Chill Pearl remain $475 upcharge colors. The Nightshade trim gets a tighter palette: Inked, Karashi, and Wind Chill Pearl.the exact price difference between a 2026 and 2027 toyota priusOtherwise, this is a carryover car.The LE, XLE, and Nightshade hybrids keep an 8.0-inch infotainment screen, while the hybrid Limited and PHEV XSE Premium get a standard 12.3-inch display.The larger screen costs $735 on the hybrid Nightshade, but $610 on the Nightshade and XSE PHEVs. Six-speaker audio is standard, while the hybrid Limited and PHEV XSE Premium get an eight-speaker JBL Premium Audio system. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto remain standard across the board.AdvertisementAdvertisementEvery 2027 Prius, including the PHEV, comes with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, including lane departure alert, dynamic cruise control, lane trace assist, road sign assist, automatic high beams, and a pre-collision system with brake assist.Toyota barely touched the Prius, and that is the correct move. The 2027 Prius and Prius PHEV are available to order now and are expected to reach Toyota dealers soon.Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.