All press is good press, and lots of press and online chatter about the Prius are leading to millions of dollars in free publicity for Toyota.

A study from GenSents Insights, a social analytics company, found that the Toyota Prius is the most discussed hybrid vehicle online, generating approximately $14.5 million in media value from January through April. Discussion of the Prius was monitored on Facebook, YouTube, Google, and other popular social media websites. Prius was mentioned in about 86,000 Twitter tweets, over 8,300 of them accumulating solely from a mention of the Prius by Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame.

Honda Fit came in second place at $4.5 million in online buzz, $10 million less than the Prius. Third, fourth, and fifth place were all very close with Chevrolet Volt at $3.1 million followed by Tesla Motors with $3 million and Honda Insight at $2.9 million.

Readers, we want to hear from you. Does online buzz about a car make you more likely to test drive it and ultimately buy it? Do you think the online buzz for the Toyota Prius is justified? Leave a comment below, and let us know what you think!

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