The current, fifth-gen, Toyota Prius blew a lot of minds when it was revealed at the end of 2022. I figured that, by now, people would have gotten used to the design. At the very least, “Prius looks cool now” is hardly a hot take in 2026. But the public reactions I got to the yellow 2026 Prius Nightshade … I’m telling you, people went absolutely nuts for this thing in a way I really did not expect.
Where I’m based is rural. But, as much as I like to joke about being a boondocks redneck, I’m really not that deep in the country. The relevant context being: Brand-new Audis, Bimmers, Teslas, Rivians, and other six-figure luxury vehicles are not uncommon sights on the road around here. Heck, I had a McLaren 765LT loaner for a few days this summer and did not notice a single reaction from randos and passers-by.
Meanwhile, less than five minutes into my test drive of the Karashi yellow Toyota Prius Nightshade Edition, a woman in an oncoming Subaru gave me a big smile and thumbs-up as I idled through our tiny downtown’s main street. Mere moments later, when I pulled into the gas station to raid the beer cave, a middle-aged guy climbing into a late-model Hyundai gave me an earnest “nice car!”
“Ha, yeah, thanks, I like it too,” I replied jovially. I always feel a little weird accepting compliments for a car I don’t own and didn’t design, but I also figure it’d be weirder to make a whole speech about my job here.
Anyway, a car as normal as a Toyota Prius getting props twice in ten minutes is pretty wild. And over the next six days I spent with the car, I had no less than three more interactions with strangers expressing similar sentiments. An elderly lady coming out of a Walgreens actually stopped me as I was parking to tell me the car was “cute.” I ended up talking to her for a bit; she regaled me with a story of a “cool Toyota” she once had but couldn’t remember the name of (I think she was referring to an early Celica). Later, a dude in a third-gen Prius gave me a big nod and thumbs up as we passed in a parking lot.
Finally, I took the Prius to talk to a local guy about buying a go-kart from him, and he called it “one of the coolest things he’d seen on the road.”
So, yeah. I’ve been lucky enough to drive more than a few eye-catching new cars where I live now, and not a single one of them has garnered as much attention as the now three-year-old Prius design sprayed in a cool color. The experience reminded me of another test car I once had, years ago, that also got a surprising amount of love: A V6 Dodge Challenger in a hot-hot red.
All this to say—you don’t need a supercar to stand out on the road. A cheerful shade of color on the sheetmetal goes a long way.
Karashi yellow is only available on the Nightshade Edition of the 2026 Prius, which starts at about $34,000 as reviewed last year. The name refers to Japanese mustard, and indeed, the hue is more mustard-y than banana. To my eye, it’s brighter and glossier than CAT construction-vehicle yellow but not quite as loud as, like, Pittsburgh Steelers yellow. I dig it, and my neighbors did too. Here’s hoping it inspires more people to buy daily drivers in fun colors.
Ever have any interesting experiences driving a brightly colored car? I’d be interested to hear about it—andrew.collins@thedrive.com.