Prius 2013 Plug-in - UK Newbie Intro and Questions

Hi UK Prius Newbie here!

I feel very late to the Prius party after downsizing a gas guzzling 4x4 Volvo to a Dec 2013 four-year-old Prius 3rd Gen plug-in with just 16k miles on the clock and one careful female former owner. As 95% of our 8k per annum journeys are in a small City and below 5 miles, it made sense to get something nimble, economical and good for the environment.

It have spent quite a while reading the user manuals and dipping through the wealth of knowledge on this forum (thank you everyone!). However, I do have a few newbie questions that others may be able to provide or direct me to answers that already exist:

(i) It's chilly here in the UK but on a full charge the electric range is showing as 12.7 miles instead of the 15 advertised. Is that within the expected range for a 4-year-old battery?

(ii) When the Navigation system is connected to a mobile phone, will it update the route based on travel conditions? (I'm guessing not as it seems very basic).

(iii) Toyota didn't provide the car with any mats or accessories, so I have ordered footwell and luggage mats. However, I am having trouble sourcing a roll-out load cover for this model (ebay has some scruffy second hand ones for an expensive £110/$150). Does anyone know a good source by any chance? (UK if possible)

(iv) We have two kids aged 7 and 10 who enjoy family bike rides. Does anyone know the best way to transport four bikes on a Prius plug-in? My guess is two on the roof and two on the back, but I'm wondering whether a tow-bar based four bike carrier is a better option? or is a Saris Bones three-bike a good way to go?

Any pointers on these questions would really help as I seem to be going around in circles on these.

Many thanks!

Andy

 

Shibikku - many thanks for your prompt response!

I will check out the all weather mats - thanks.

I'm unsure though about the hitch as I don't think this model is officially cleared in the UK for a tow bar. Earlier today I tried calling a garage and they couldn't find an aftermarket hitch... sadly.

 

Many thanks for such a warm welcome everyone!

Progress on answering my questions so far:

(i) Range - 12.7 miles seems about right then for the cold weather and age of my car.

(ii) Navigation system - looking into it a bit more, it does look like it draws traffic updates from my mobile phone via bluetooth (... I'm trying to figure out if it is worth ditching Google Maps for my basic journeys)

(iii) Finding a reasonably priced load cover in the UK seems like quite a challenge. I will keep on searching.

(iv) I think I'm ordering a Saris Bones 3 carrier for the boot and a Thule footpack for roofbars on top. I'll see how that goes.

Meanwhile, I will carry on trawling through your links and the great boards!