2020 Toyota Mirai review

The 2020 Toyota Mirai was meant to make electric cars as convenient as gas cars. Instead of plugging into a wall socket and waiting for your batteries to charge, the Mirai uses a hydrogen fuel cell to generate electricity. While filling up with hydrogen takes much less time than charging a battery-electric car, hydrogen stations are relatively rare, making this an impractical fuel for most people. In fact, Toyota only offered the Mirai in California and Hawaii originally, and very few were made.

That unusual powertrain provides a lot of green cred, but it generates much less thrust than a battery-electric or gas car. Still, the Mirai is very comfortable and quiet on the road. Adding to the Mirai’s uniqueness is its retro-futuristic exterior design–it’s just too bad the interior tech doesn’t feel futuristic. The infotainment is clunky, and some of the touch-sensitive controls can be frustrating to use. The 2021 model was redesigned with better looks and technology, and it’s easier to find used examples to buy (although they’re still relatively rare).