Prime or regular Hybrid?

You live in CA, do not discount other drives where you get to use HOV
You live in CA, gas is high priced.
If the work charger is a Level 2, 220v, 1 hour is like 1/4 gallons of gas. This makes sense.
If the work charger is a level 1, 110v, 1 hour is like 1/9 gallon of gas. This does not make sense.
I would consider the EV Auto setting, so the car chooses how to make power.
In the downhill direction, you might get an additional mile in EV

 

No brainer.....if you use your brains.

Primes have great govmint kickbacks in the SoCal, and sometimes (legal) access to the HOV lanes is even worth the ugly sticker that they make you put on the car.
UNFORTUNATELY....car dealerships are not owned by idiots and market forces apply, which is why you can get a Prime in other places much more cheaply than you can in the California.

I'd look nationwide for a BASE MODEL Prime which, according to the Googles is $27,100....as opposed to the regular, garden variety Prius which is $23,475.
In other words....state and federal kickback money makes the Prime CHEAPER than the cordless car, and the Prime is undoubtedly "cheaper" to drive than the regular Prius - especially if your employer lets you charge at work.
Even if you live in an apartment and work where charging is not possible, the Prime makes more sense since it will retain a little bit more of its initial street value since with the rebates.
Some people think also that it's not quite as unattractive as the plebeian Prius......YMMV.

Of course....buying a 'new car' and then depreciating it on California highways just to get to work and back isn't my idea of saving money at all, but your question was about a Prime versus Hatch.....and I think that in a world outside HOV lanes and higher than market prices - we've answered that question.

Good Luck!

 

$23,475 - 2017 Prius
58/53 MPG


$27,100(AFTER DISCOUNTS $21,100) - 2017 Prius Prime
-$4,500(federal tax rebate)
-$1,500(CA CVRP discount CVRP Eligible Vehicles | Clean Vehicle Rebate Project)
55/53 MPG
133MPGe (if you charge it)

 

compare net cost of the prime package you like after discounts, rebates and tax credits to the regular hybrid of your choice.
test drive both, and consider the differences. especially the raised hatch floor, 4 seats and no spare tire. (depending on witch regular hybrid you like, although you can at least make room for a spare in the models that don't have it)
make sure the prime is charged before the test drive, and see how much you like ev driving.
choose the one you like best.

 

I think Prime has everything regular Prius has to offer minus middle rear seat and some cargo space and spare tire compared to some models of regular Prius. With incentives and tax credit, in most cases Prime comes out to be less expensive to purchase. So choice is clear, but it's your choice.

 

Prime for sure. You would appreciate the large battery pack.

I assume you can get at least $6000 rebate.

Also, try to get 2017 model from east coast.

 

Ok I checked your location and you need to contact Dianne Whitmire at Carson Toyota. Meet Our Staff - Carson Toyota
By far the most honest and involved Prius salesperson I have been in contact with. She can explain pluses and minuses in sales opportunities between the two models, and is less than 10 miles from you.

DianneWhitmire | PriusChat

 

I think I'd buy the regular Prius because you can't charge at home and charging at work isn't going to save you money either, and you can't take advantage of the carpool lanes. You'll have more passenger and luggage space and maybe a spare tire (depending on which model you choose) with the regular Prius.

 

hmmm, why regular Prius at higher price with less battery capacity?

For long down hills, large batter is very useful to save miles of electricity charge. It is also useful with heavy traffic during summer as AC can be run without ICE on for longer time.

If you cannot get the incentive back that would be a different story.

 

see his last sentence, 'more passenger and luggage space, and possibly a spare tire'.

 

The Prime is the better hybrid due to its larger battery. Roll this into all the other pluses & minuses of the Prime vs. Gen 4 Prius.

 

The Toyota factory incentive for a 2017 Prime in Oregon is $3,000. $5,000 incentive on the east coast. However I don't know if he would still get the California rebates if he purchases out of state. Also the 2018 rebates are much lower, as least while the 2017's are still kicking around.

One or maybe even both situations could possibly change during your ownership of the car. Not saying you should count on it but something to factor in.

 

Your trip to work at low speeds on the traffic-burdened freeway makes sense in the Prime. I often drive on the 5 Freeway in heavy traffic, at speeds of anywhere from 20 to 40 miles per hour where I get sensational fuel range in EV mode, usually 31 to 33 miles with no A/C running. The altitude change will definitely hurt that, so the slower you go, the better your economy. The performance of the Prime is much better in EV mode than the performance of the standard Prius. The Prime is not a cheaply priced car, but the huge discounts and incentives make it a winner at this time. If you can afford it, get the Advanced; it's a great buy. Remember, you won't just use the car for work, and you'll probably own it for a while, so look at the car you want, not just the best DEAL.
Don't worry about the storage; the car has TONS of space; I frequently use my Advanced as a TRUCK. Day before yesterday, carried my cat's new 5 ft "tree", and today, hauled my 15', rolled up rug, and 2 PC's, my tools, cables, etc. With the ability to drive in smooth, quiet, zippy electric mode for so far, while avoiding range anxiety with the long range gasoline mode, it's a winner! Good luck!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
AChoiredTaste.com

 

If you buy a Prius in NJ you get a $5000 mfr rebate, and $4500 fed tax rebate. Right off the bat that's $9500 off the price of the car (assuming you put the $4500 onto the car when you get it). Sure, you lose the $1500 CVR, but who cares, it's far less than the $5K you get for buying on the East Coast.

So at a minimum, if you bought the base Prime, you have an end cost of $17K+. That's incredible for a car of the primes technology.

And to top it all off, even if you never plug it in, you still get a much better hybrid than the non-prime (you can break much harder, much longer, without exceeding the battery's limit to take charge). That makes it much easier to drive and sill be a good hybrid driver.

You also get nav, radar-cruise, etc. as standard

 

Just to make sure it's clear, the current $5,000 Toyota rebate is for 2017 models only. The east coast Toyota rebate for 2018 models is only $1,500 at this time.

Even with $5,000 rebate, subtracting $1,500 CVR is $3,500. Subtract say $800 for shipping coast to coast and it's down to $2,700. Then factor in a slight resale value difference between 2017 and 2018, depending on how many years the car is kept. And whatever emotional value to having the current year model, which is important to some people.

Worth it, yes. But I have found that only a small percentage of people will purchase a car sight unseen from an out of state dealer and have it shipped to them. I have heard great success stories here from people who have done it, I'm just saying most people won't, no matter how much money they might save.

Of course they could fly to the east coast and drive it home, but for someone on the west coast that is costly and time consuming. Due to the time difference the first entire day is spent traveling to the east coast. Then four mind-numbing days of 12 hours of driving each day, and sleeping in motels. Five days total. Airfare, motel, meals, gas. And multiple five days by the value of your time, which is different for each individual.

Yes they would still come out ahead, but most people just look at the monthly payment, and all of that hassle won't affect the monthly payment that much. I'm not disagreeing with your rationale I'm just saying most people probably won't do it and will just buy local.

That's a good point that I hadn't thought of, everyone who finances their car should put the $4,500 tax credit towards the principal on their car loan. And not use it to go on a cruise Paying $4,500 towards principal in the first year of the loan will have a big impact on reducing the total interest paid over the life of the loan, more than most people realize.

 

I'd lean towards the Prime, but keep these things in mind in addition to the things other people mentioned:

CONs with the Prime vs Prius:
-You have less space in the hatchback
-Back seats only sit two (with a divider between them), and are not very comfortable (less padding than front seats).
Therefore, if you will often have more than 2 people in the car, or need a lot of space in the hatch, consider this.

PROs with the Prime vs Prius:
-Rebates (besides the Toyota ones -- please verify these are still good, as far as I know they still are):
Not only the "Up to $4,502 Federal rebate off the taxes you owe that year" (already paid or not) plus the $1,500 check from California... but if you have SCE as your power company (don't know what Long Beach is), SCE offers a $450 rebate as well, doesn't matter if you ever charge the car or not.
-HOV lanes: law just changed so soon you will NOT be able to ride the "pay" lanes for free (110, 10, etc -- and soon to be the 405 for all of OC, but 405 in LA county will still be free), but you'll still have access to the "free" carpool lanes with 1 person. I don't really use the carpool lane regularly either, but it's nice to know it's there if there's an accident or a trip where it can be used.
-More technically advanced for what you get, even in the basic PLUS model (what I bought myself). Things like lane departure, collision allert, etc. I forget the specifics because it's been a while since I compared, but even the the base PLUS model has more safety features than the similar model Prius.

I can charge at home, but not at work (the opposite of you it seems) and opted for the base PLUS model of the Prime (which still has a ton of stuff, more than the normal Prius). It's much cheaper than the normal Prius after the 3 rebates, has more features (safety, etc) over a comparable Prius, and I do like the feel of the car when I charge it, even if I only get part of the trip on charge. Also, the bigger battery means that it's a bit more fuel efficient than the normal Prius even if you never charge the car. (Way less important, and completely subjective too, but I like the look of the Prime better than the normal Prius as well). Since I'm usually the only one driving (or at most, have just one passenger) the back seats don't bother me, and I personally don't need a lot of hatch space. The Prime PLUS fit my needs. Though the Advanced and Premium have a couple more options and nicer seats, I actually prefer the base PLUS model and its smaller, recessed (less obtrusive) screen. It still has a ton of features. The base Prime PLUS model was exactly what I was looking for. I'd say if you don't use the back seats a lot or don't mind the slightly smaller hatch space over the regular Prius, go fo the Prime Plus. It's cheaper in the end with the rebates, more efficient, more safety features, and you have the option for charging or carpool lane. Only if you have a family (ie, will use the back seats often), or need a lot of hatch space would I consider the normal Prius over the Prime Plus.

 

Several people claim that the Prime is a better hybrid because it has a bigger battery and thus can recapture more regen energy and thus get more mpg. Consumer Reports says the following:

"Once past those electric miles, the Prime reverts to regular hybrid operation. We got 50 mpg overall -- two less than the regular Prius. This difference can be attributed to the Prime's 300-pound weight increase over the Prius."

Acceleration also tested slower.