I am considering replacing my Gen 2 with 325K miles and lots of rust (main problem) and some other issues that I would fix if it weren't for rust. I am on a budget and considering Gen 3. I am seeing some plugins available. Should I consider them or reject them outright as cars with "extra" problems? What are the downsides of Gen 3 plugin? I am aware of some of the other Gen 3 issues such as head gaskets, etc. In general I really like the Gen 3 (my wife has been driving a 2011 since September '25 and I have used it a bunch and liked it). Any advice on this plugin option would be helpful. I am not hoping to drive on electric power or anything like that. Mostly I just want a good old Prius, but if I can get 10-15 miles of range on electric, it would be fine. As long as this feature does not present a set of problems that make the whole thing not worth it.
The only disadvantage is lack of spare tyre and a place to put one. Other than that, same as other gen 3’s, but a little heavier. Battery replacement would be quite a bit more expensive, but they’ve been rock solid
I think it's going to depend on your driving habits. If the majority of your trips are less than 10 miles and you have the time to charge at home then go for it. If you drive further or more than one trip a day then its probably not worth it for you. Either way, in my opinion the EV range is so short on the 3rd Gen PHEV that it certainly isn't worth paying anything extra for them.
Even though you’re not going to use ev, it would be a good idea to charge it up and see how far it will go
Saltyhybrid.com has a replacement battery pack that doubles your EV range... And if you can get a 2015 that will avoid the shortlife span of piston rings problem, but you'll still need to keep a clean EGR and oil catch can to avoid headgasket failure, which might be hard to avoid unless you're planning to work with Skim Milk Hybrid, Prius hybrid repair, hybrid battery repair, Oklahoma City Hybrid repair, Highlander Hybrid repair. Lexus hybrid repair, Honda hybrid repair. to build a high performance Gen3 engine that resolves that risk. As for me, I'm eager to own a Gen3 plugin because the Salty battery pack upgrade is probably the most affordable option available to me for if I want to transition to EV. So if you see any Gen3 Plugins with bad battery packs on the west coast let me know. And in turn I'll keep my eyes out for you for one on the east coast.
I looked at Salty website and the batteries are not available, though they sound really good in theory. Anyone know when they will become available again? I am not looking for a plugin and not willing to pay more for one. I am just looking for a Gen 3 and there is one plugin for sale here. I have not looked at it yet, but I wanted to know if they are worth considering. The seller is not asking a premium for the plugin part. I suspect the battery is bad in most of these (this has been my experience in my searches so far). This is why it's so important for me to know if there are other issues for me to expect due to the plugin feature. I would love to replace the pack with Salty's, but it looks like availability is a problem.
IMHO; I wouldn't touch a gen3 unless it's free; especially if money is tight. This is an old car with know issues; and I can wrench and do a head gasket or engine swap job - BUT I prefer to do other things on my weekends. MA is a CARB state; so you can't just throw any CAT into that car to pass smog. Most econo-boxes will do low to mid 30's, cheaper and easier to fix; w/o the additional headaches of a Prius. The numbers only pencil out if you do lots of miles. I got my Prime for the price of a discounted Prius + incentives; during COVID. Even with all those write-off the breakeven point was 6 years, compared with a gas only corolla. Which is probably what you should look for or a Pontiac Vibe. Reliable, easy to repair, cheap parts that crosses over to other cars. You've got the right idea though, 10 miles was the original specs - your probably lucky to get 3-5 now. Good Luck...
