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357 Toyota Priuses held TLC licenses on October 12, 2026: 355 for-hire vehicles (FHVs) and 2 yellow taxis. It ranks 39th among TLC models. Every one is a hybrid or plug-in hybrid.
Two things make the Prius different from the other models on this list. It is the car-service car: 73 Priuses, or 20.4%, are at livery bases, the highest share among models ranked 21st to 40th and about ten times the FHV average. And it is old: almost half (48.7%) are model-year 2016 or earlier, with a few still on plates from 2007.
About the count
TLC's FHV and taxi vehicle lists have VINs but no model names. We decoded them with NHTSA's vPIC. vPIC reports the larger Prius V wagon as its own model, so it has its own page: Toyota Prius V (282 vehicles, 36.5% at livery bases). Plug-in versions (such as the Prius Prime) are counted here too. One-day snapshot.
Model years: an old fleet with one new wave
The largest single year is 2023, with 89 cars. Before that, the busiest years are older: 2015 (43), 2010 (29) and 2011 (27). From 2018 to 2022, few Priuses joined (4 to 17 a year), and 2025 and 2026 have only 2 and 3. The 2 taxis are a 2018 and a 2022. With so many older cars, check TLC vehicle retirement age for your model year.
If someone offers you a used Prius from one of those older years, look at the model year printed on the registration, not the year the seller tells you, and check it against the retirement rules before you pay. The buying or leasing a TLC vehicle guide lists the other papers to ask for.
Powertrain and fuel economy
For 2023, fueleconomy.gov rates the front-wheel-drive Prius at 57 mpg combined (57 city, 56 highway), the highest rating of any model on this list of 21–40 that we looked up. The AWD and XLE/Limited versions are rated 49 to 54. Four TLC Priuses decode as plug-in hybrids; for a plug-in SUV, see the Toyota RAV4 Prime. Compare running costs in the EV vs hybrid guide and lease-vs-buy tool.
Base types
282 (79.0%) are at black car bases — the lowest black car share among models ranked 21st to 40th — and 73 at livery bases. 2 are yellow taxis. None are marked "WAV"; 21 carry TLC's "PILOT" label, which the dataset doesn't define.
If you drive a Prius for a livery base
Chapter 59 (PDF) describes livery work this way: every trip is pre-arranged and dispatched by the base, the cars are designed for fewer than six passengers, and fares are set by flat rate, time, mileage or zones. Your base can change with TLC approval and a $25 fee (59A-07(f)(1)); see FHV base affiliation and livery drivers.
Keep your TLC papers clean, too. Rule 59A-10(a) bans any unauthorized entry or change on the FHV license or decals: $350 for a first violation, $500 for a second within 24 months, and revocation for a third within 36 months.
The two Prius taxis
No new Prius can become a yellow taxi. TLC's hack-up page says every hack-up since October 18, 2024 must be an accessible vehicle, and the Prius is not on the approved list. See yellow taxi fleet by model.
See the Toyota Prius V, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Avalon and TLC fleet by make and model. For plates and inspections: TLC plates for FHVs and TLC vehicle inspection.
More in the vehicles topic.
Data on this page
Aggregates of public data. They describe trips and vehicles, never individual people.
TLC's vehicle lists have no make/model column, so TLC Help decoded the VIN of every licensed vehicle with NHTSA's vPIC decoder (one representative VIN per manufacturer + model-descriptor + model-year pattern) and published only counts. 5 of 115,081 vehicles (0%) could not be decoded to a model and are left out. vPIC sometimes reports trim-family names (e.g. 'RX' not 'RX 350h'); powertrain comes from vPIC's electrification/fuel fields and may misclassify a few model years. Snapshot lists change daily.
- Toyota Prius: licensed TLC vehicles by model year — Active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis that are a Toyota Prius, by model year.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Model year from TLC's vehicle_year / model_year columns. Age limits for TLC vehicles come from TLC rules, not this chart.
- Toyota Prius in the TLC fleet: hybrid, electric or gas — Licensed Toyota Prius vehicles by powertrain (from decoded VINs).NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026
- Toyota Prius: where it is licensed (FHV base type vs medallion taxi) — Licensed Toyota Prius vehicles by fleet: FHVs by the type of base they are affiliated with, and medallion taxis.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Wheelchair-accessible (FHV list): 0 WAV, 21 PILOT. App-based (high-volume) work generally runs through black car bases.
Frequently asked questions
How many Toyota Priuses are licensed by the TLC?
357 on October 12, 2026: 355 for-hire vehicles and 2 yellow taxis, or 0.31% of all TLC vehicles. The Prius V wagon is counted separately (282 vehicles). TLC Help counted them by decoding each VIN with NHTSA's vPIC decoder.
Are all TLC Priuses hybrids?
Yes. 353 decode as hybrid and 4 as plug-in hybrid (vPIC does not say which plug-in version). None decode as gas-only.
Why do so many Priuses work for livery bases?
The data shows that 73 (20.4%) are at livery bases, about ten times the 2.0% share for all FHVs, but it does not show why.
What mpg does a recent Prius get?
For 2023, fueleconomy.gov rates the front-wheel-drive Prius at 57 mpg combined (57 city, 56 highway). AWD and XLE/Limited versions are rated 49 to 54.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- NYC Open Data: For Hire Vehicles (FHV) – Active (8wbx-tsch) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NYC Open Data: Medallion Vehicles – Authorized (rhe8-mgbb) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder API vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov
- TLC Rule Book Chapter 59 (For-Hire Vehicles), updated Feb 27, 2026 nyc.gov
- TLC: Yellow Cab Hack-Up nyc.gov
- TLC: Approved accessible vehicles (revised Oct 2, 2026) nyc.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2023 Toyota Prius (FWD) fueleconomy.gov
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.
TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.