The company has already taken delivery of 50 of its newcomers, joining an existing fleet of Prius and seven-seat Prius+ models already in use, and all of the plug-ins will be equipped with a cable suitable for use with public charging points.

Openstart owner and managing director, Hamid Tehrani, said: ‘We have always been pioneers of new technology in the PCO, right from when we first introduced automatic transmission to our fleet, something that’s gone on to become a default feature.

‘We are delighted now to be including Prius Plug-in, introducing our customers to the great benefits of Toyota’s simple, reliable, low emissions plug-in hybrid system.’

Stuart Ferma, Toyota’s National Fleet Sales Manager, added: ‘Our hybrid Prius and seven-seat Prius+ are proven favourites as private hire vehicles and we’re delighted that we are able to help Openstart develop the potential of Prius Plug-in as another strong proposition through the PCO.’