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Prime vs Prius vs tesla 3

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by Prius775, Mar 15, 2020.

  1. Prius775

    Prius775 Junior Member

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    Hi all,

    My 2011 prius 4 has 270,000 miles and is having head gasket issues. I love the car but think its time to purchase a new car especially for my new commute. I'll be commuting 430 miles round trip every 5 days (48 on 96 hours off)

    I really love the prius and especially the prime, however wanted to see your guys input for my average monthly commute of roughly 3600 miles with commuting and daily driving elsewhere.

    I like the model 3 its extremely fun to drive but has a 60k price tag plus more expensive insurance.
     
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The Gen 4 Prius is a significant step up from the Gen 3 in terms of ride comfort, handling and driving feel. For commuting, the Prius Prime is fun in EV mode (but your long commute will put it mostly in HV mode anyway).

    For daily driving, the Prime benefits if you can charge at home as its 25 miles is perfect for in-city driving with zero emissions as well as highway commuting. The mpg is slightly better than the Gen 4 but if you can get a Prime for less than the Gen 4 with federal tax credits and state tax rebates, then go with the Prime. If not, the Gen 4 is fine.

    However, that long commute in a Model 3 could pay off (again, especially if you can charge at home and at work). Also, Autopilot could be more stress reducing for your long commute (Which I assume is mostly highway given the distance) - that's a health benefit.

    I guess it'll depend on several factors

    • Does your budget allow for the higher initial outlay of the Model 3 vs. a Prius or a Prime? (You'll make it back in maintenance costs but it's just the initial outlay that is what is holding some people back)
    • Can you charge at home and at work? or just at home?
    • Altenatively, is there a supercharger near work that you could use to top up or speed up the charging process?
    • How long do you intend to keep the car? All are reliable but I'd definitely give the nod to the Prius/Prime over the Model 3 - they are Toyotas after all

    The Prime is definitely the gateway drug into EV driving but if you could swing to a Model 3, it seems to be a better fit based on the limited information you've given us.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not sure what the question is
     
  4. Prius775

    Prius775 Junior Member

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    I like to keep my vehicles for awhile. I had this last prius for 9 years. I would like something more "fun" but then again my frugal side says to go with the cheaper option of 30k vs 60k tesla with the autopilot. I suppose I'm asking why have all of you chosen the Prius over the Tesla?

    It seems like there are big pro's and cons with both. Cost of vehicle, Insurance is higher on tesla as well. Im so undecided.
     
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  5. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Raytheeagle likes this.
  6. Washingtonian

    Washingtonian Senior Member

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    I have a 120V outlet in my garage and I charge my Prime for less than 3 dollars. Not sure what you are saying or are you selling something?
     
  7. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    I'm saying that if you have a 240v outlet at home, you can charge your Prime to 100% in 2:28 minutes for less than $50 dollars!



    Rob43

    PS, it personally costs me about ~0.75 cents for a full charge.
     
  8. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    Can Tesla autopilot in Ludacris mode?
     
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  9. benagi

    benagi Active Member

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    Explain the $50 please
     
  10. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Anyone with confident electrical skills can build themselves a 240v charging adapter for approximately $50 or less.


    Rob43
     
  11. benagi

    benagi Active Member

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    Thx for the reply. My Prime was costing me $0.50/day but with solar, nothing now.
     
    spudnut likes this.
  12. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    If you will need to use Supercharging regularly, the Tesla may have a lower chance of lasting as long as the Prius on your commute. Plan on some capacity loss with any BEV as it is the nature of Li-ion lose some at first before the rate tapers off. For a typical commute, I'd want enough range in a BEV to cover it round trip all year, and allow for a 10% capacity loss within the first 5 years.

    Unless you are also driving a lot of in town trips, I don't think the Prime of much advantage over a Prius. In terms of efficiency that is. With incentives, the Prime might came out cheaper though
     
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  13. Heedunk

    Heedunk Junior Member

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    I don't think you quite understand. Rob is saying you can essentially install a L2 charger for $50 that will reduce your charging time from 6 to 2.5 hours. Your cost to charge the car will remain the same (i.e. free with solar).
     
    Tideland Prius likes this.
  14. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    Honestly, I cannot figure out what you're saying here, but it looks like a lot of miles. Therefore, I'd recommend you get a standard Gen 4 Hatchback because you won't really be in the sweet spot for a Prime with ~25 miles EV range. As for the Tesla, since I cannot understand your statement about your commute, I can't evaluate whether a Tesla would even make the trip...
     
  15. Jon Bloom

    Jon Bloom Member

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    I gather you'll be driving 215 miles to the job, staying there 2 days, then driving 215 miles home? In that case, the Prime, or any PHEV, won't provide a great advantage for your commute as you'll be doing most of the trip in HV mode. If you are also doing a lot of short-distance driving, it will provide an advantage for that assuming you can charge it where you are. Not a problem at home, but could be a problem at your work?

    Also, is this commuting situation permanent? Do you expect to still be doing it in say 5 years? That would factor into the decision for me,

    In your shoes, I'd think about maybe getting a newer used Prius. You would end up paying a lot less in purchase price + gas than a new Tesla would cost. In a few years there may be additional BEV options to consider if you are still doing that amount of driving.
     
  16. Curlyone

    Curlyone Member

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    I traded a Prime in for a M3. Which one is better for your situation can be a tough call. How important is EV driving to you? What is the charging situation both at home and work? and of course the difference in price.

    In my opinion the differences are:
    The Prime is excellent if your commute is 25 miles or less, or up to 50 miles if you can charge at work. Note cold weather will drop the EV range quite a bit (that's true for any EV). After using up the charge the car still gets very good mileage, I was getting 60MPG. As noted above the price is lower than the M3 plus the tax rebate (assuming your taxes are high enough to take advantage of it).

    The M3 is also an excellent car. For daily driving if your commute is 50 miles or less you can charge at home with only a regular outlet, if your commute is greater than that you will want L2 charging at home (that's what Rob was talking about). On longer trips, assuming there are Tesla Superchargers along your route, it's no problem, and autopilot really makes a difference in reducing strain. There's also very little maintenance needed with a EV.

    One big caveat on the Tesla is the range. Do not bet on getting the full range stated. Tesla's are very sensitive to any impacts to efficiency. Cold, head winds, tire pressure, rain/snow, high speeds, all negatively affect the range. You also will want to stay out of the bottom 10% and top 10% of the battery on a daily basis as it can degrade the battery if done regularly. Meaning you will normally use from 10% to 90% of the battery. For me charging to 80% daily, with a long range dual motor performance, that means my daily usable range is around 200 miles.

    2 reasons I traded in the Prime. One was the EV range. I really wanted to make all of my driving in EV mode only. The Prime couldn't do that in the cold, at least 6 months out of the year I was using gas. Admittedly not much gas, but still using it. Two, once I test drove a Tesla I was hooked.

    If you have more questions feel free to PM me.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  17. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Something about Teslas' stated range, it is for a full charge. You want to only charge to 80% for routine charging for long battery life.
     
  18. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Nearly every new Toyota is now capable of "autopilot" by adding OpenPilot from Commai for about $1200 and it's now plug-n-play too. This tech really shines on long drives.
     
    benagi likes this.
  19. Northerner

    Northerner Active Member

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    Not mentioned very often, but the prime in EV mode gets about a third more miles per kWh than a Tesla.
     
  20. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    40,000 miles a year?
    I'd have to think that even driving a relatively new Prius/Prime that much is fairly sketchy economically speaking.....but you DO spend quite a bit of time in the car - so it's not crazy stupid.

    Getting a $60K T3 and slamming it with 40,000 miles a year just seems a but unwise from a cost-benefit perspective......

    YMMV
     
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