Toyota Prius - The Perfect Delivery Vehicle?

The Toyota Prius is well known as the best green car on the planet, but is it also the best delivery vehicle in America?

The Toyota Prius is America's best delivery vehicle for many workers. We were inspired to write this story when we came across a delivery person in Metro West Boston who had a cargo area loaded with newspaper bundles. The owner was a man on a mission and in too much of a hurry to give us his full story, but he did confirm that he has been a vendor delivering newspapers to stores "forever." He said the Prius he drives is his own vehicle since he is a contractor, so the choice to use a Prius was his and it is his responsibility to keep it running. He told Torque News the Prius has over 280,000 miles on it and has never let him down, even in harsh New England winters. He told us, "gas and uptime are money." His parting words were, "This is the most rugged vehicle I have ever owned."

Torque News also asked members of the Prius Owners Facebook club if any of them have used the Prius as a work delivery vehicle. Here are just some of the jobs they report using the Prius for: Pizza delivery, Amazon delivery, Medical documents delivery, Home health care products delivery, Human delivery (Uber and Lyft), and our favorite, delivery of 750 pounds of pea coal for use in a forge (blacksmith). Others report they use the Prius as their work vehicle for on the road jobs.

As a delivery vehicle, the Prius has many positive features. The Prius' legendary reliability and unmatched costs for energy are the obvious ones. However, the Prius also has a lower cost for maintenance than even many electric vehicles.

The current generation Prius is also a vehicle that has an outstanding range between refueling stops. The Prius hybrid has a 633-mile range, and the Prius Prime a 640-mile range. Prius models have a cost to drive 25 miles of between eighty-one cents and a dollar nineteen. That means any delivery person being reimbursed at a flat rate per mile can add to his or her income using a Prius.

Space is quite generous in the Prius liftback. The Prius Two Eco, for example, has a cargo area of 27.4 cubic feet. Drop the rear seats and that expands dramatically. The Prius also has a low liftover height making loading and unloading cargo much easier than in sedans.

The Toyota Prius is the best at many things. It is one of the vehicles owners keep the longest and is at the top of every green car sales list. Add to its possible titles, "best delivery vehicle in America."