The Darkest Prius Plug-In Gets Its Brightest Color

The Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Nightshade Edition blacks out nearly every piece of trim on the car, yet it is the only version of the plug-in that can be ordered in Karashi, a bright yellow.

The Nightshade joined the plug-in lineup for the 2026 model year as a styling package built on the XSE. It adds black badges, door handles, door sills and bumper trim, 19-inch black-finished alloy wheels and carbon-fiber accents on the dashboard, and it was offered in Karashi, Wind Chill Pearl and Midnight Black Metallic.

Toyota introduced the trim in a June 2025 release that confirmed Karashi as a Nightshade exclusive. The color first appeared on the regular Prius Nightshade for 2025, which Carscoops described as "a bright shade of yellow" when that trim launched. The rest of the 2026 plug-in lineup came in Cutting Edge, Guardian Gray, Midnight Black Metallic and Reservoir Blue, with Wind Chill Pearl and Supersonic Red as premium colors.

The Nightshade can’t match the cheapest plug-in’s electric range, though. Toyota rates the Nightshade, like the XSE and XSE Premium, at a manufacturer-estimated 40 miles on electricity, while the base SE is rated at 44 miles. All versions use a 13.6 kWh lithium-ion battery and Toyota’s fifth-generation hybrid system with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, for 220 net horsepower and up to 52 mpg combined in hybrid mode. Toyota says the battery recharges in about 11 hours from a standard 120-volt outlet and in about four hours on a Level 2 charger.

Inside, the Nightshade carries over the XSE’s equipment, including a heated eight-way power driver’s seat in SofTex trim, a wireless charger and front and rear parking assist with automatic braking. An 8-inch touchscreen is standard, with the 12.3-inch screen and a fixed glass roof available as options.

The trim returns for 2027 with a few changes. Carscoops reported that the Nightshade plug-in now costs $38,000 before a $1,295 destination fee, which places it between the $37,230 XSE and the $40,675 XSE Premium. Every 2027 Prius also gets standard dual-zone climate control and a new black paint called Inked, and AutoGuide reported that the Nightshade’s color choices are now Inked, Karashi and Wind Chill Pearl, since Inked replaces Midnight Black Metallic.

2027 Prius Plug-in Hybrid	MSRP
SE	$33,980
XSE	$37,230
Nightshade	$38,000
XSE Premium	$40,675

The Toyota Report Take

Putting the loudest color in the lineup on the trim built around black paint and black trim is a clever bit of contrast, and Karashi with black wheels is the best-looking Prius you can buy. The Nightshade asks only $770 more than the XSE for the look, which is fair, but buyers who care more about electric miles than appearance should know that the plain SE goes four miles farther on a charge for about $4,000 less.