Best 2015 cars under $20,000: 2015 Toyota Prius c

What’s not to love?  53 mpg city, 46 highway, roomy cabin, sporty handling, snappy styling and a base price of $19,080.  The 2015 Toyota Prius c is best buy, one of the family of Prius models that are simply the best-selling hybrids on the planet.

The Prius c is the baby of the family, smaller than its siblings the Prius v and the “regular” Prius, and rated as a subcompact. So it’s sure to fit in just about any parking space, especially handy if you do a lot of city driving.

The Prius c four-cylinder engine  1.8L engine and electric motor kick out a respectable 134 hp.  That’s more than enough power for city driving, but as with most subcompacts, it may struggle on highway merge speeds or when climbing steep hills.

The Prius c is a good-looking hatchback with a lot of cargo room, especially with the back seats folded down.

The base Toyota Prius c comes with a four-speaker CD audio system, Bluetooth, a USB port, an auxiliary jack, automatic climate control and remote keyless entry.

Add-ons include a power moonroof, a six-speaker audio system with a 6.1-inch touch-screen display, satellite and HD radio, and a navigation system to access mobile apps.  All Prius models, including the c, have dashboard guides that help you improve your driving and get even better fuel economy.

Consumer Reports says the Prius has the lowest five-year owner cost in its class, another bonus.

The bottom line: the 2015 Toyota Prius c is a practical choice for anybody who wants reliability and affordability.  It’s an ideal first car for a new driver or retirees down-sizing from a super-size SUV or sedan, and an an ideal second car for families.

Also check out the Ford C-Max Hybrid Energi and the Honda Insight hybrid.

There’s also a Prius Plug-in hybrid model, which gets 43 mpg in hybrid mode and 67 mpg equivalent in EV mode, but the buy in is just over $30,000.

Since 2000, the Prius family of vehicles has saved an estimated 26.5 million tons of CO2 emissions in the U.S. and saved Americans about $5 billion in fuel costs, according to Toyota.

Prius family owners could drive around the earth 4.39 million times with the fuel saved.