A little bit of advice on if a prius would work for me in the UK

welcome! i think the prius would be perfect for you. all the best!

 

yes, the prius is very efficient, even during warm up. even though the mpg's are low the first few miles, they are still better than most other cars. i used to have a 14 mile commute, 7 each way, and got better than 50 mpg average, including whatever other driving i did.
the stop and go on the way home will bring it down a bit, but not significantly overall. plus, i don't believe your winters are as cold as ours, or am i mistaken? 23 degrees f currently here.

 

Hybrids are better in the city than in the highway. Having said that, I was hesitant to pull the trigger on a Prius. I'm glad I did. I purchased a new 3rd Gen "v" style and the MPGs I'm getting in the city and the highway both beat the sticker advertised value. I don't have a heavy petrol foot and I imagine if you drive with any kind of finesse, you will produce the same results. I'm expecting even better MPGs as the weather warms in the spring and the motor breaks in.
All the best to you.

 

you don't get much electric, although the euro version is a bit different, and i would wait for some locals to check in. if i tried to do a one mile trip my engine would come on and warm up, killing the mpg. that's why i got a pip, but i hear they are quite expensive over there.

 

The Prius is a well rounded vehicle with high reliability. It was engineered with your kind of driving in mind. Should you decide to go with a Prius, I'm sure you'll not regret it at all. With adequate power and superb fuel mileage it's a "No Brainer". Learn how to drive it and you can expect more than advertised fuel consumption figures.

 

The Prius mpg ratings are better for city than highway, which is more-or-less unique, and alludes to it being a perfect cross town commuter. At the lower speeds it'll utilize electric-only propulsion, a lot. Just be careful to not overdo it, keep an eye on the state-of-charge indicator. If charge drops near halfway, then you want to avoid actively trying to get into electric-only, resort to pulses with the gas pedal and a bit of coasting, then repeat.

 

may i suggest you change your title to: a little bit of advice on if a prius would work for me IN THE UK.

not that there's a huge difference, but local knowledge is always helpful.

 

no, only a few, but they are very knowledgable, with a lot of experience. nothing wrong with replies from this side of the pond either, just nice to have balance.
your dealers work a bit differently than ours, and your toyota warranty is different, as well as service schedules.

 

i've had 2004, 2008, and current. loved all 3 of them. plan on buying at the next gen pip in late 16 or 17. any complaints are minor, and personal.

you will find complainers here, but mostly just whining. the biggest thing for americans is acceleration, quiet and comfort, handling and the like. europeans poly less so, although you certainly have your share of luxury cars.
maybe the biggest overall complaint is head unit technology, but that's true for a lot of cars.
some people have a major problem with drivers seat comfort, especially on long trips. seems to depend on your build somewhat.

 

Besides the exemplary fuel economy: it's a very smooth driving car, good interior space, excellent cargo space. The batteries are not overtaxed, good track record. Brakes are little utilized, last a long time, due to much of the braking being the hybrid system using the electric motor as a generator.

 

I like the gen 3 interior. I'm a tall guy and have plenty of knee room, however I've never sat in a gen 2. I also appreciate the little cubby under the USB port. It appears as if it's there to hold a phone in the vertical position and could fit 2 side-by-side. All other cars I've owned didn't have such an accommodation and the charging cable inevitably gets tangled up in the center (spelled "centre" over the pond?) console or other components. The gen 3 seems well thought out for management of the ubiquitous communication device.

 

I'm UK and I looked at the insight and the Prius. The Prius was more expensive but boy was the Honda a let down. I love my Hondas but the interior was so gharish, questionable looks and not as nice to drive. I love my gen 3 albeit I bought it for motorway commuting. I cant think of many if any autos that compete mpg wise and the cvt is really good. Its genuinely interesting to drive with all the gadgets in the t spirit and the graphs plotting mpg. Plus the maintenance schedule is so simple so it appealed to me as someone who likes to diy as much as possible. Its also mega comfy I find and the interior is really spacious. Although I did come from a S2000.

I dont think you can go far wrong.