5 Reasons Why You Guys Hate On The Prius So Much

The Toyota Prius is nothing short of a petrolhead's hate object. Sure, it doesn't make our top 10 favourite cars list, but does it really deserve all that vitriol? After all, there are plenty of other hybrids out there, so what is it about the Prius that gets you guys so riled? We asked you on Facebook to explain your hatred for the Prius, and from that, we've made this list.

1. It's too boring

Yes, the Prius isn't exciting to look at and it's quite boring to drive, but people don't buy these things to have fun, so that's irrelevant, right? Not necessarily. Cars like the Ford Fiesta Ecoboost prove that it is possible to have an entertaining, good-looking car with low environmental impact and great economy. Unlucky Prius...

2. Because Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson's scathing review of the Prius in series five of Top Gear left a lasting impact on you guys. Had he given the Prius (honest) praise, who knows, the internet's opinion might be very different...

3. They produce hazardous levels of smug

A common theme in your comments about the Prius was that it isn't so much the car you dislike, but the owners. You tell us that Prius owners are often preachy, suffer from extreme superiority complexes, like to coat the back of their cars in pseudo-philosophical bumper stickers, and worst of all, are properly smug.

4. Is it really that green?

Sure, you might get decent MPG and emissions figures in a Prius, but what about the manufacturing costs? A few years ago the internet was alive with claims that hybrids like the Prius are so environmentally costly to make, that they have a bigger impact over their lifetime than some 'gas guzzling' SUVs. However, the original report that made these claims has since been widely discredited. Toyota itself has admitted in the past that producing the Prius does actually create more emissions than an equivalent petrol car, but the fact is that it will make up for that over its lifetime.

5. It was the first popular hybrid

This is actually more our theory, but hear us out. As we mentioned, there are plenty of hybrids out there, so why is it the Prius that gets all the hatred? We think it's because it was the first to sell in big numbers. The concept of a hybrid had been about long before, but it was the Prius that really popularised it, and its approach of economy at the expense of speed, style, excitement - everything we love in cars - makes it the antithesis to the petrolhead's way of thinking. As it was the first hybrid sales success, it became firmly established as a car guy's hate object, so much so that no hybrid since has managed to steal its unenviable crown.

Now that's cleared up, vote here for what you'd rather drive: a Donk or a Prius?