To Buy or Not - Cost Benefit on 2016 Newer

tldr version: yes

However, feel free to check the comparison yourself. You want to look at the "5-Year Cost to Own" or "True Cost to Own" of a car. Here are two websites that will do it for you:
Cost of Car Ownership - 5-Year Cost Calculator | Edmunds.com
5-Year Cost To Own | Kelley Blue Book

This picture uses the KBB one because it allows you to compare multiple vehicles:


And for more details:






Its not so much that maintenance/repair is cheaper, but that you're saving a ton on gas and some in insurance and state fees (or getting money back in case of the Prius Prime).

 

Both of these cars are reliable, but the Prius does have a few hybrid-unique features that will require maintenance along the way. The big one is the traction battery, which has a lifespan somewhere around 150K - 175K miles (results vary). Replacing one of those is typically in the $2,500 range. It also has two coolant systems (one for the engine and one for the inverter) that get maintenance at the 100K mark. One the plus side, you will likely never put a set of brakes on the Prius, as the hybrid system does some of the braking and the brake pads don't wear that much. Oil changes on the Prius aren't going to be much different than the Honda - 10K miles, and almost every manufacturer uses synthetic now, and even if they don't the cost difference for an oil change with or without synthetic is about $30 max.

You can do some quick math and determine the cost savings for a Prius due to the higher fuel economy. Assume 12,000 miles per year, the hybrid at 50 mpg average, the Honda at 36 mpg average. With the Prius you burn 240 gals of fuel a year, with the Honda it is 333. The difference of 73 gals times the cost of fuel in your area is the delta - this would be $210 at $3/gal.

I would test drive both cars and see if you like the way each drive, features on the car and the cost. A recent road test in July 2019 Motor Trend compared a Prius to the new Insight, which is on the Civic platform. The Honda had better driving dynamics, which i also noted on test drives.

 

Just for the record: Toyota USA recommends a full brake inspection, tri-yearly or 30K miles. Not the "visual" quick glance with tire rotation, a full, pull off the calipers inspection.

Further: Toyota Canada has come around: now recommends a tri-yearly or 48K km brake fluid change.

I've been harping about these for years, mostly falls on deaf ears here, might as well shut up, lol.

Why is there always a fly in the ointment though. Why oh why did they go back to sedan? Cheaping out, using a Civic design, as you mentioned? Also, IIRC there's no spare?

 

Because that's an existing platform that is very popular. Avoids the cost of developing a new platform for the relatively small number of sales they expect from the Insight as opposed to the Civic.

Correct - no spare. Same as on all the new Prius models except the LE.

For me, the hatchback is a very useful feature, which is why I chose the Prime over the competitors. But, the Honda sure drives nicely.

 

A trend I really hope bites them.

 

To me it depends on how many miles you will drive per year and how long you will keep it. The people who have a very high mileage Prius with good reliability are those who drive a lot. Drive 20,000 miles per year and keep it 5 to 10 years you will probably (but not certainly) go over (and maybe well over) 200,000 miles on the battery and have minimal maintenance costs while saving on gas. People who put average to less than average miles on a Prius sometimes have early battery failure. It seems that Priuses like to be driven.

So, lots of miles per year and keep it over 5 years, go for it.

 

I suspect most consumers don't find this to be a problem. If they did, then Toyota would be offering the spare either as standard equipment or an option. Most of the 2020 updates on the Prime, for example, were likely based on consumer feedback - Carplay/Airplay, move the seat heater switches, eliminate the white trim, put in an extra rear seating position, sunvisor extensions.

 

Yeah, jettison that unsightly spare, give me a goop pump, lol.

 

Jettison that "heavy" spare.

 

I guess so: 35 pounds.



Hey, I'll take that, vs waiting for a cab while watching my car head off on the back of a tow truck.

 

no, get a civic

 

Yep... This is the main price issue... If you drive alot you'll only need half the gas to do so, which adds up over time. Also Prius taxi cabs have gone 1/2 million miles without any hybrid battery issues because the batteries run really well if they're always in use... I always end up working on rebuilding hybrid batteries on Prius that are a dozen years old and lower mileage (just over 100K) whereas the cars that are in the 200K miles range and a dozen years old are the ones I don't see very often. This is because of the nature of self-discharging of the Nickel-based batteries in older Prius, but also other factors too.

 

That may be the weight difference on the vehicle trim levels, but that's not likely the weight of the spare.

 

Your 119 now, you really think your gonna make it to 139?

You never mentioned how many miles a year you drive. That’s an important fact.

 

Buying used, I have a feeling you will not get as much economical benefit on Prius. It might depend on the market, but around where I live, low miles Prius is almost always priced higher than equivalent gasser. Buying used, you also may not get the free Toyota care. Not that much of cost if you DIY, but it does save some. How much are you planing to drive a year? Is your driving mostly in city or highway? If you drive a lot in city, your fuel saving on PRIUS is enhanced.