--- title: "You Can Get a $50,000 Toyota for $16,000 Right Now, But You Won’t" date: "2025-01-22" modified: "2025-01-22" authors: - name: "Ronan Glon" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/ronan-glon" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/you-can-get-a-50000-toyota-for-16000-right-now-but-you-wont" categories: - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Toyota News" tags: - "hybrid" - "Mirai" - "Toyota" --- # You Can Get a $50,000 Toyota for $16,000 Right Now, But You Won’t ![Toyota Mirai]() *\Toyota\* Dealer mark-ups—oftentimes misleadingly referred to as "market adjustments"—[have become more common]() than we'd like them to be. On the other end of the spectrum, however, sometimes it doesn't matter how good a deal is if it's on a car no one wants to buy. Here's a real-life example: Toyota is offering 70% off one of its cars, though it's one you're highly unlikely to buy. Released for 2021, [the second-generation Mirai]() carries a base price of $51,285 including a $1,095 destination charge. It's an attractive sedan with one major setback: it's powered by a hydrogen-electric drivetrain. Where do you fill it up? The answer, dear reader, is "almost nowhere unless you live in California." There are [54 hydrogen refueling stations]() in the United States, and 53 are in California (the remaining one is in Hawaii). Even in The Golden State, the Mirai isn't a hit. Toyota sold 499 units nationwide in 2024, an 81.9% drop from 2023. The brand is trying to clear out existing inventory, and some dealers in Southern California [are offering a 70% discount]() to drivers who can live with a hydrogen-electric sedan. ![Toyota Mirai]() *Toyota* ![Toyota Mirai]() *Toyota* Buyers can claim $35,000 in Finance Subvention Cash if they take home a 2024 Mirai XLE and $43,000 if they choose the 2024 Mirai Limited, according to *[CarsDirect]()*. The publication explains Finance Subvention Cash is only offered with promotional financing. You get 0% APR for 72 months, so you can save over $11,000 in interest during the six-year loan. Toyota is also throwing in $15,000 in complimentary hydrogen fuel. The company is basically begging you to buy a Mirai. Shoppers who take advantage of the rebates can get a $51,285 car for $16,285 (or, for the Limited model, a $68,210 car for $25,210), pay no interest on their loan, and not pay for a tank until they've used $15,000 in fuel. Imagine if you could get a similar deal on [a Land Cruiser]()—it would be sold out for years! On a secondary level, the rebates speak volumes about the great deal of popular disinterest in hydrogen-electric cars. Without the right infrastructure, the technology isn't ready to merge into the mainstream. ![Toyota Mirai]() *Toyota* ![Toyota Mirai]() *Toyota* Not every Toyota dealer is offering such massive discounts. *CarsDirect* found that the rebates on the XLE and Limited trims check in at $25,000 and $33,000, respectively, in Northern California, which is still absolutely massive. For context, $33,000 is about the price of [a new Tacoma](). *Got tips? Send ’em to [tips@thedrive.com]()* ## Author Ronan is a contributing writer for The Drive. He draws on over 15 years of experience to cover breaking industry news, cool one-off builds, and anything in between. He began writing for The Drive in 2021 and stepped into his current role in 2024. His obsession with cars started when a relative gave him a Majorette die-cast shortly after his first birthday. It hasn't flickered since. Ronan lives in France; He swapped Utah's Rocky Mountains, where he grew up, for the Alps. He's an avid hiker, mountain biker, and musician. He also restores classic European cars and mopeds, including a 1978 Citroen 2CV that he's rebuilding from the ground up. ### Author social links [Twitter]()