Volt vs. Plug-in Prius – Who Buys Them?

Interesting, but still like my PiP. It does fit perfectly my needs having in consideration brand loyalty.

 

I lost my first Prius when I left my job where it was a company car.
I had a bit of a mad period where I drove around in a BMW Mini Cooper S but eventually came under pressure from the family to buy something a bit more sensible lol.

My first thought was a Prius but then I though I would take a look at the Ampera (that's what the Volt is called here in the UK)
I was pretty excited at the prospect of it but eventually decided on another Prius.
The main reasons being.
1) The Ampera was still not available to buy here when I wanted it, but I would have considered waiting.
2) To get the same level of equipment as the Prius I felt the Ampera was rather expensive
3) The satnav in the Ampera is decidedly archaic (this is something I use extensively)
4) My understanding is that the range extender in the Ampera is pretty basic technology compared to the Prius ICE

Anyway I'm pretty happy with my Prius and I think when it comes time to change I will consider a PIP but of course will always take a look around to see what else is on offer such as the BMW i3 etc

 

These types of threads seem to get very contentious, hopefully we can keep it civil here.
I'm constantly disappointed by the FUD posted on the Volt site regarding the PIP.
It seems many Volt owners have a chip on their shoulders and just make up stuff about the PIP to make themselves feel better. Anyway......


IMO....
The Prius is almost synonyms with hybrid in most peoples minds by now.. be that good or bad.
So it's just naturally the place to start your research, and with almost hardly any negatives associated with the PIP it's no doubt a safe bet. We've only had a rare disgruntled PIP owner on PC, most are thrilled with the PIP and it's reliability. Toyota has taken some hits recently with recalls- but nothing that would stop me from buying another one or recommending one to a family member.
My 16yo want's a Prius for her first car.... I can't think of why we shouldn't let her get one.

The Volt is made by "sneaky old GM", so that's a black mark against it right from the get-go for many.
I haven't owned a GM since 1991 because of their dubious history.
If you can find it within you to look at the Volt and leave the "old GM" out of the equation- you'll see it's a very dependable, advanced vehicle loaded with features.
To their own detriment, many can't see past the "it's still GM" issue and never give the Volt a good look.
If you've already proved that the PIP works for your lifestyle but want more EV range- the Volt may be a good alternative.

 

Factoid clarification: should say more California PiP buyers than California Volt buyers...

PiP is a family car just a Prius with a little more battery. Volt is a more luxury commuter with more EV flavor and some huge Fed+State incentives in some states. CA HOV important in both cases, with 42% of PHEV sold in CA in 2013. I am wondering if we are possibly 50% PHEV sold in CA here 1st quarter with the green sticker sell-out upon us? I don't think we have any stats like % PiP and % Volt sold in CA. If they don't expand green stickers, I am thinking sales of both go down, but according to the UCDavis survey, PiP is hurt more by green sticker shortage.

 

Interesting compilation of data.
There are probably many factors that play a part.
I suspect one factor is that previously GM had nothing even close to the efficiency of the Volt for the average driver. As such, when it did make the Volt, many sales came from other manufacturers.

The Volt also attracts consumers whose primary goal is not gas savings. It just dips into the area of "fun to drive". This helps attract attention from a wider audience. Of course, to truly experience that one needs to actually drive the car. That is where GM is falling flat on their faces due to lack of marketing and lack of knowledge of many of their dealers.

IMO the i3 could be very successful as it is even more fun to drive than the Volt and resides in the same price bracket.

 

GM isn't the first company to employ such sneaky tactics, but they have it in their history. I believe they purchased controlling interests in transit companies that used electric power, so that they could eventually shut them down, driving people to buy automobiles instead.

In the documentary "Who killed the electric car" we see GM officials claiming that they "tried to promote the electric vehicle concept, but found it uneconomic." Others would say that they bought into it so that they could shut it down. Looks like they failed in that regard.

 

I'm the opposite, I prefer GM products, okay let me clarify. Trucks and specific cars. I would have preferred a Volt over the Prius, however this purchase had zero emotional involvement as I really dislike the styling of both vehicles. The Plug in Prius has a lower initial cost, another words based on what I put down and what my loan amount ending up costing. If you figure all the CA and Fed incentives it's quite close, however I was penny pinching on this purchase. Two other things figured into my equation, the lack of cheap electricity in my area as well as better gasoline numbers for the Prius. The fact that I can get slightly bulkier items in the Prius tipped the hat as well.
The Volt has great torque as compared with the Prius and is almost enjoyable to drive but let's not get crazy.

 

Another factor for me is that in over the years, my American-built vehicles have rarely lasted more than 20 years, while my Toyota vehicles were still in excellent condition after that equivalent amount of driving.

 

It is true that most US made cars of the past certainly had quality issues, however things have really changed in the last ten years.

 

Keep in mind most of those who went with the PiP or Volt were already hybrid/plug-in minded. Up until the Volt, Chevrolet had little to offer in this category. So it's not suprising few people had a Chevrolet before the Volt. This does not necessarily infer brand loyalty.

 

+1

 

I agree with some that part of this is due to the fact that GM had no real previous efficient vehicles.

But, separate from brand loyalty, there is a strong desire to "buy American" among Volt owners.

As far as gas "savings", with the Volt's higher cost, those savings are offset, so this was not as high a priority for Volt owners. The gas savings was more about allowing you to get a better vehicle for the same cost as a lower tier ICE vehicle.

Another key factor for Volt owners, instead of gas savings, was balancing gas reduction and lifestyle change. Volt owners were seeking to get the highest possible reduction in gas usage with least amount of adjustment in lifestyle. It was about buying a car to fit your needs. Not the other way around.

 

That statement really doesn't make much sense. How will be know if a car made a few years ago will be good for the long term?

 

Not really. The i3 with range extender is about $10,000 more (MSRP $34,xxx vs $45,xxx).

After the federal tax credit, the Volt ($34,xxx - $7,500 = $27,xxx) is slightly less than the Prius Plugin ($30,xxx - $2,500 = $28,xxx)

Both Toyota and GM are also running substantial promotional discounts. I doubt that BMW is.

 

There are some people who tend to only buy American. The Volt and the Ford plugins are the first choices these people really have. Arguably, the Volt has won against Ford. So the question is, is this segment (American only) very big? Maybe it is 10-20% of car buyers. This is a bit different than brand loyalty.

People outside this group (the other 80 - 90%) already owned a Prius for the most part (if they were eco-minded or long distance drivers wanting to save gas).

But previously, Prius owners were self selected as mostly people who drive more than the average number of miles, IMO (to save gas money). Average PIP owners are probably self selected to drive less miles than average Prius owners. Volt owners are probably in the middle to high side.

It would be interesting if they partitioned the data out by how many miles each drives per year.

Mike

 

I lost my way with American cars. Last one was a new 2003 Cadillac CTS because that's what my wife wanted. New car and leaking oil in the garage within two weeks. Took two visits to the dealer to get repaired. Kept it three years without another incident. Can't say I've ever been disappointed with a European or Japanese car. When I decided on a high fuel mileage car, the Toyota Prius was my only consideration, based on hybrid technology experience. I did deviate at the last minute and went with the Prius Plug In versus the Prius 5 model. Very happen with my 15 month, 7800 mile experience thus far. My wife was recently looking for another vehicle and we went with a two year lease on a 2014 Buick Encore CUV, based on styling, price, and features. I recently looked at the new Cadillac ELR, but can't justify the price. When I'm ready to upgrade my 2012 Prius Plug In, I'll consider what available and then decide.

 

As someone that travels almost weekly and spends a lot of time in rentals, the only domestic manufacturer I will accept is Ford. Just this week, though, there were no Fords available. They put me in a Chevy Captiva.

I'll just say that it reiterates why I could never buy a GM vehicle. Significantly more build issues than any of the myriad rentals I've driven. And it had 300 miles when I checked it out. Yuck. When I returned and reported some of the issues, the rental car person said "what do you expect, it's GM?"

Not saying the Volt suffers from what I experienced, but my experience with this GM product would preclude me even looking at a Volt. To each his/her own.

 

Hmmpf. I was all ready to purchase a Rav4 EV when they became available. Then they announced they were only for sale in CA. The Volt dealers were getting about $4,000 over MSRP locally when I decided to order the PiP. If I ever decide to purchase an EV it will NOT have a gasoline engine.