The 30-second verdict
Quick answer: For most buyers in 2026, the new shape Prius (60 series, 2023+) is the better purchase. It's faster, better equipped, carries Toyota's newest lithium-ion hybrid battery, and — critically — it's two years younger under Bangladesh's 5-year import rule, which protects your resale value. The old shape (50 series) wins only on upfront price. Our current Japan stock of new-shape 2023 units runs BDT 20.66–23.18 lakh for car, inspection, and shipping, before government duties.
Buy the new shape (60 series) if: you're keeping the car 4+ years, you care about resale, you want the safest and best-equipped Prius ever sold, or you simply don't want to buy a design the market already treats as "the old one."
Buy the old shape (50 series) if: your budget is genuinely capped a few lakh lower and no amount of reasoning moves it — a well-graded 50 is still an excellent car. But read the resale section first.
First, what "new shape" and "old shape" actually mean
The old shape is the 50 series — the angular, familiar Prius sold from 2016 to 2022, thousands of which are already on Dhaka roads. The new shape is the 60 series, launched for 2023: lower, wider, with the sleek "hammerhead" front end that made people who'd never considered a Prius suddenly ask about one.
Bangladesh's import rules only allow reconditioned cars under five years old — full details on our import rules page. In 2026, that maths creates the exact choice this article is about: the newest old-shape you can import is a 2021–22 car from the final years of an outgoing design, while 2023 new-shape cars are now comfortably inside the import window. You're choosing between the last of the old and the first of the new.
That framing matters more than any spec sheet. Here's why.
Five reasons the new shape wins
1. The resale trap of buying an outgoing design
This is the argument we'd make even if the two cars were identical to drive. When a model changes shape, the market re-prices the old design — slowly at first, then all at once as the new shape becomes a common sight. It happened with the Allion, with the Vezel, with every generation change before this one. A 2021 old-shape Prius bought today is a car the market will call "purano model" within two years. A 2023 new-shape is the current car, and will stay current-looking well into the 2030s. When you sell in 2030, that difference lands directly in your pocket — likely worth more than the price gap you saved upfront.
2. It's better to drive
The old shape was efficient but never quick. The new one is both. In the 2.0-litre version, independent testing measured 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 7.1 seconds — nearly three and a half seconds faster than the old shape — with system output up from 121 hp to 194 hp. Even the 1.8-litre variant (the volume import choice, and most of our stock) steps up to a 140 PS system on Toyota's newest TNGA platform: quieter, more stable, and noticeably more confident in an overtake on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway.
3. A newer, stronger battery — the thing hybrid buyers actually worry about
Battery anxiety is the number-one question we get about any hybrid. The new shape answers it twice over. First, Toyota moved to a newly developed lithium-ion pack delivering around 15% more output than the outgoing nickel-metal-hydride unit. Second — and simpler — a 2023 battery is two years younger than a 2021 battery, full stop. You're starting the ownership clock later on the single most expensive component in the car. (Whichever generation you buy, insist on seeing the auction sheet — our auction grade guide shows you how to read one.)
4. Safety and tech from this decade
The new shape carries Toyota's latest Safety Sense suite — improved pre-collision detection, lane keeping, and radar cruise — plus a modern digital driver display and available 12.3-inch centre screen. The old shape's electronics were state of the art in 2016. In a city where a pre-collision system genuinely earns its keep, the newer hardware is not a luxury.
5. The duty picture quietly favours hybrids like never before
The FY2026-27 budget raised duty on petrol cars while expanding hybrid exemptions — we broke down the full effect in our before/after budget price analysis. The practical upshot: there has never been a better-timed moment to put your money into a hybrid rather than a petrol car, and if you're doing that, it's worth doing it on the current-generation car.
Where the old shape fights back — honestly
We sell both, so we'll say it straight. The old shape is cheaper upfront, and for some budgets that ends the discussion. Its cabin is roomier in the back — the new shape's dramatic roofline costs rear headroom, worth checking if you regularly carry tall passengers. And its battery ecosystem in Bangladesh is decade-proven: every hybrid workshop in Dhaka knows the 50 series inside out.
Our counters: the resale mathematics above tends to eat the upfront saving; the rear seat is a genuine trade-off you should sit in rather than read about; and the new shape is still a Toyota hybrid — the service ecosystem is already absorbing it, just as it absorbed every generation before.
What the new shape actually costs — our live Japan stock
These are our real cars, in our Japan yard as of [DATE]. Prices include the vehicle, inspection in Japan, and shipping to Bangladesh — government duties are not included. Six units are the 1.8L U grade; one is the 2.0L G.
| Unit |
Mileage |
Auction grade |
Price (C&F, BDT) |
| 2023 Prius Hybrid |
15,000 km |
R |
2,288,000 |
| 2023 Prius Hybrid |
17,000 km |
4 |
2,317,500 |
| 2023 Prius Hybrid |
48,000 km |
3.5 |
2,160,000 |
| 2023 Prius Hybrid |
49,900 km |
4 |
2,274,500 |
| 2023 Prius Hybrid |
63,877 km |
3.5 |
2,128,000 |
| 2023 Prius Hybrid |
75,000 km |
4 |
2,084,000 |
| 2023 Prius Hybrid |
98,000 km |
4 |
2,065,500 |
A note on grades, because we show them even when other importers wouldn't: grade 4 means an excellent, lightly-used car; 3.5 means good with minor cosmetic wear; R means the car has a disclosed repair history on its auction sheet — priced accordingly, and you see exactly what was repaired before you decide. That transparency is the entire point of buying with the auction sheet on the table.
On top of the C&F price come government duties and taxes. The 1.8L sits in a lower hybrid duty slab than the 2.0L, so the two variants land at different final prices — run the exact numbers for any unit through our free vehicle duty calculator. As a rough guide, expect a landed cost in the region of [LANDED RANGE]. For comparison, a good 2021–22 old-shape Prius currently lands around Tk 38–45 lakh — which is exactly why the title of this article says what it says: either way, you're spending around Tk 40 lakh. Spend it on the car the market will still want in 2031.
How importing one with us works
You pick the unit from our live stock and review its auction sheet and our inspection report. We handle JEVIC inspection, shipping, and the paperwork through Chittagong port. You pay in verifiable stages — bank transfer or card — and track your car's vessel and documents from your account. The full step-by-step is on our how to buy page.
FAQ
Is the new shape Prius available in Bangladesh?
Yes. 2023 new-shape (60 series) units are now within the 5-year import window and can be imported as reconditioned cars from Japan. We currently hold seven in our Japan stock.
What is the price of the new shape Prius in Bangladesh?
Our current 2023 units run BDT 20.66–23.18 lakh including the car, Japan inspection, and shipping. Government duties are additional and depend on engine size — use a duty calculator for the landed figure.
Is the new shape Prius more powerful than the old shape?
Substantially. The 2.0L version produces a 194 hp system output versus the old shape's 121 hp, cutting the 0–60 mph time by around 3.4 seconds. The 1.8L version also gains power over the old car.
Which engine should I choose — 1.8 or 2.0?
The 1.8L U is the value pick: strong performance gains over the old shape, best fuel economy, and a lower duty slab. The 2.0L G is for buyers who want the headline performance and bigger screen, and are happy to pay the higher duty.
Is the old shape Prius still worth buying in 2026?
It's still a dependable car at a lower entry price. But with the design now replaced, its resale value faces steady pressure as new-shape units spread — factor that into the "saving."
Does the new shape have a better battery?
It uses Toyota's newest lithium-ion hybrid battery with roughly 15% more output than the previous generation's pack — and a 2023 battery starts its life two years younger than anything in an old-shape import.
