2010 Prius III: 3-Month Impact

I've had my Prius (III) for about three months now and I don't have to tell you twice about how much this vehicle making a huge impact in my life. But wanted to share you the impact I've had owning this vehicle.

Before the Prius, I owned a pretty decent fuel-efficient vehicle, 2003 Honda Civic LX (32/38 city/highway). With a daily trip of 32-34 miles per day to work and back, I was filling the Civic up once a week. So how does my Prius compare? Here are some stats...

Work Commute
- 14.75 mile commute each way
- Morning with very little stop-and-go traffic
- Afternoon with a moderate stop-and-go traffic

2003 Honda Civic LX
- 12.4 Gallon Tank (I filled up when there was roughly 1-1.5 gallon(s) left in the tank)
- I filled up every 6-7 days @ $30±$1/fill (at current rate of $3.05/gal)

Cost per month (4 week months): $120/month

2010 Toyota Prius III
- 11.9 Gallon Tank (I fill up when there's 1 bar left in the gas-meter)
- Filled up every 11-12 days @ $27±$1/fill (at current rate of $3.05/gal)

Cost per month (4 week months): $81/month

Plus the maintenance costs (oil changes) have made an impact as well. By the end of the third month, I would have already made an appointment to service the Civic, but now with Prius' 10K mile oil-change I can wait close to 7 months before I have get it serviced. So already I'll have an approximate of 50% reduction in oil service fees.

With all of these changes financially and also doing a good deed to mother Earth of using less fuel, I see a HUGE positive impact on the environment.

I've also noticed my driving behavior has changed and even others. Always set to the eco-mode, the slow-to-start Prius has classically conditioned me to accelerate slowly and drive at a constant speed rather than at high/low speeds. I catch myself sometimes going at the speed limit or if not lower by 2-3 mph. This has helped the vehicle to travel in greater distance using the battery more than fuel. When commuting to work on the freeway, I sometimes see the same people follow behind me going from the suburbs to downtown. At first I felt a little stalked, but have learned that these individuals regardless of other passing vehicles are learning to be fuel-efficient by "following" fuel-efficient cars. Have you followed other hybrids?

So... in conclusion, I wanted to share some short-term stats of what I'm experiencing in savings and how much of an impact the Prius has had on me with my driving behavior and commute.

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