Prius scored the highest rating in the 2004 Total Value Index, which measures “new owners’ sense of value in their vehicles factoring all economic issues against the quality of the ownership experience”.

Prius scored 815 points from a possible 1000 to finish ahead of the Mini Cooper (813 points) and Lexus LS430 (799 points).

The survey noted Toyota’s strengths included strong product, reliability, durability and resale value.

Strategic Vision Inc, a specialist consultancy of clinical psychologists and business professionals studying how and why consumers make buying decisions, produced the ninth annual Total Value Index (TVI).

The company was founded in 1987 by Dr Darrel Edwards, who developed a unique theory and a set of methods for understanding customer decision-making that has since been adopted by some of the world’s biggest companies, governments and political parties.

Dr Edwards proposes that an individual’s personal feelings and values – such as safety, security, trust, freedom, control, pride and self-esteem – are at the core of the decision-making and how people evaluate products and service after they have made those decisions.

He said that at the heart of the TVI is the quality of the ownership experience – everything involved in owning, buying and driving a new vehicle, including price, affordability, the deal offered, warranty, standard equipment, durability, resale value, economy and reliability.

“What you get for your money is vital in the value equation,” said Dr Edwards.

“A cheap price for a vehicle that doesn’t stir the buyer’s values and emotions will never be more than a cheap vehicle.

“One with strong perceived quality that scores well on the value factors will make the buyer feel like a real winner who made a smart choice.”

Second-generation Prius has won a swag of awards worldwide since being launched one year ago (October 2003).

The world’s top-selling petrol-electric car has been awarded the 2004 North American Car of the Year, Motor Trend Car of the Year, Automobile Magazine Design of the Year, Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) Best Engineered Vehicle, International Engine of the Year and a gold medal in the Industrial Design Excellence Awards.