The new Toyota Prius has received its first major award after being named Car of the Year in Japan.

The prestigious award was bestowed on the new car by a panel of distinguished motoring journalists and industry experts at the recent Tokyo motor show.

According to Toyota, the accolade is a formal acknowledgement of the advances the company has made with the third generation Prius, which delivers more power yet even better fuel efficiency and lower emissions from its full hybrid powertrain.

Since its launch, the new Prius's has also won the hearts and minds of its most important critics, drivers themselves.

In Japan the new Prius has been the nation's top selling new car for the past five months in a row - every month since the car first arrived in showrooms.

And with more than 31,000 sales in September alone, the new Prius last month accounted for almost 11% of new car sales in Toyota's home market.

The new Prius is also making a big impact with motorists here in the UK, with more than 4,000 customer orders received since its launch in August.
 
In September its sales performance moved it up to become Toyota's third best-seller, after Yaris and Auris.