Repost from Reddit; and then a question

As in other cars, you can if you want to, though there may be laws in your area that discourage it. (I was taught about those laws in driver training; I think the point was wanting to have you in instant accel/decel control of a moving car at all times, not in some condition where you'd have to shift back into gear first.)

Years ago when crossing the US/Canada border at Detroit, I was in the habit of turning my car off once past the high point of the bridge. At the rate the line of cars could get through customs, I could just let off the brake a little and roll ahead whenever there was a chance to move.

There'd be little point to doing the same in a Prius; the car can handle that situation efficiently with no fuss from me.

 

it is actually a disadvantage to coast downhill in neutral since you lose regen (regenerative for Paul) power. which is significantly the hybrid’s method to get improved mpg over a similar non hybrid car.

 

Interestingly, in my current car, the MINI, eco mode shifts into neutral when lifting the foot off the accelerator.

 

The Prius is programmed to behave more like a familiar car: when your foot is completely off the go pedal, it resists forward motion slightly. Of course instead of just wasting that energy as a familiar car would, the Prius usually puts it back into the battery so it can be reused later.

As you are releasing the go pedal but before you're completely off, you go through a point where the car just isn't applying any accelerating or decelerating force, but is simply rolling just as it does in neutral. Priuseros of old have called that point, once you've learned how to find it, 'glide'. Selecting N on the shifter doesn't offer you any advantage over that, unless you want to rest your foot from finding the glide spot.