10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Kia EV9 Travels Farther Than Toyota Prius Prime | Cars.com

If you’ve ever seen the highly meme-ified “Vegas, baby!” scene in the movie “Swingers,” then you’ve been let in on the joke of how hopping in the car for a quick jaunt from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is a myth. In reality, it takes a full five hours with a stop, and all that amped-up energy you embark with gives way to the boredom and monotony of driving through a seemingly endless expanse of desert, feeling like those alluring Sin City lights will never appear in the distance … until they finally do. The current state of Americans’ eventual transition to all-electric-all-the-time motoring can feel a little like this — new and exciting at the outset with an anything-could-happen vibe, followed by the slow realization that there’s still a looong way to go before powering cars with electricity is as easy and convenient as setting fire to fossil fuels.

Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: ‘Cheapest’ Kia Soul, Nissan Kicks Take Toll on Toyota Camry

In one of our most popular news articles of the past week, Cars.com reviewer Conner Golden demonstrates these growing pains in real time as he recounts his round trip travel from LA to Las Vegas ferrying his wolf pack to a bachelor party in a 2024 Kia EV9, an excellent all-electric SUV. Golden’s first realization was that, even with thorough route planning, including identified recharge spots — not to mention the EV9’s highly practical 270 miles of driving range on a full charge — you simply can’t think of everything in advance. In this case, the surprising elevation gain en route to Las Vegas, little more than an afterthought in a gas-powered car, sapped the EV9’s charge much faster than he’d anticipated. And, despite his having identified the most conveniently positioned Electrify America charging stations, the lack of reliability as to how many of those facilities’ charging stations would be operable or occupied at any given time — not to mention the fact that there’s no agreed-upon order as to who’s got next on an available charger — threw into sharp relief the fact that we’re just not there yet in terms of fully integrating that electric-vehicle life into our existing way of life.

For the full report on Golden’s go at making the 2024 Kia EV9 work as a long-haul road-trip ride, follow the link below to the No. 2 news story of the week.

For EV-curious shoppers dissuaded by experiences like Golden’s, plug-in hybrid vehicles remain a bet-hedging option: a car with a limited all-electric driving range that kicks over to a gas engine when the charge runs out. To that end, consider the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime, which at its best boasts an estimated range on a full charge of 44 miles, almost exactly the amount the average American commuter would need to get to and from work every day. But with all the variables at play in all-electric driving, can it actually deliver in the real world? Cars.com reviewer Aaron Bragman put the Prius Prime through its paces to find out, and the results were promising. His Prius Prime XSE Premium trim was rated at 39 miles of all-electric range, but returned nearly 49 miles before going to gas on a familiar route with varied driving conditions.

For the full rundown on Bragman’s mileage drive of the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime — including how he thinks he could’ve actually juiced even more electric-only range out of it — follow the link below to the No. 4 article on the week’s countdown of most-read articles.

Beyond all that, we’ve got headlines on the Toyota Land Cruiser, 4Runner and Corolla Hatchback, the Hyundai Palisade and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:

1. What’s the Best 3-Row SUV for 2024?

2. State of the EV: Lessons Learned Road-Tripping a 2024 Kia EV9

3. Off-Road Toyotas Compared: 2024 Land Cruiser Vs. 2025 4Runner

4. How Far Can a 2024 Toyota Prius Prime Go on Electricity Alone?

5. Here Are the 10 Cheapest New Cars You Can Buy Right Now

6. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy

7. Not Cheap, Affordable: 2025 Toyota Corolla Hatchback Priced From $24,600

8. Are Hybrid Cars More Expensive to Maintain or Repair Than a Gas Car?

9. 2024 Hyundai Palisade Review: Still the Champ

10. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?

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