Should I buy Prius Prime or regular Prius

I bought mine used and have driven it for 2 years with no problems. I notice that you are in Illinois where snow is an issue. The Prime does not have an AWD package.

I've driven mine in the Oregon winters but not in the snow. No problems.

 

Cargo capacity is the only consideration IMO.
As a second vehicle as a commuter, it is not an issue for me.


iPhone ?

 

it's a lot of battery to lug around if you don't use it. but if it is cheaper, could be well worth it.

 

I purchased a Prime to replace a Prius. No regrets. The cargo is definitely smaller. Not only is the floor of the cargo bed higher up, the dip in the rear window also makes it a little dicey with bulky items...you do not want to break that rear window.

They're very similar cars. If you liked your Prius XLE you'll like a Prime I'm sure, especially if your commute to work is short enough that you can get there on all electric.

Currently (it could change) the prime is eligible for a $4502 federal tax credit. Current bills in congress could increase that...or completely eliminate it for plug in hybrids like the Prime. Toyota is also within spitting distance of reaching the tax credit limit of cars sold so it could begin phasing out later this year but I believe there is a quarter or 2 grace period so you still have some time. Some states offer incentives on top of the federal tax credit. Your utility might offer a reduced rate if you sign up for a time of use plan and shift major electric use to off hours (charge the car and do laundry overnight). So there are a few things that can bring the Prime about level with prius despite the higher MSRP.

Of course that's if you can find either car to purchase right now. Stock is low. Dealers are still only getting a trickle of new cars and both Prius and Prius Prime have been popular with rising gas prices - some dealers are adding in markups. If you can wait it may make sense to see what the market does and how the tax credit cookie crumbles. If your Prius XLE AWDe is serving you well I don't see any reason not to keep it a little longer. It's really a crap time to be buying a car right now.

 

The hatch height is similar if not identical, but the deck is raised ~3 inches due to the traction battery under the deck.

If you are in IL, and not getting the $1500 Toyota rebate currently being offered on PP, then similarly equipped Prius would be less expensive to purchase, but PP purchased now still qualifies for a max of $4502 tax credit making it cheaper than equivalent Prius.

 

Good luck finding PP on a dealer's lot. There aren't many PPs or any new Toyota cars out there right now.

As for the tax credit, you will have to talk to a CPA or a tax expert. Most likely, the dealer would have no idea how it works. But you can educate yourself by doing a search online and reading the related threads, like this.

• The points are that you must have at least $4502 tax liability in the year you purchase PP to take full advantage of the current non-refundable tax credit. (Check your 1040 from the year 2021 and see if you have paid at least this amount of tax to the IRS... If so, and the financial situation is not likely to change in the year 2022, then you may qualify for the full credit.) Still, you will have to wait till 2023 to claim the tax credit for the 2022 purchase.
  
• The current tax credit will start to phase out as soon as Toyota hits the 200K mark on sales of qualified PHEV (currently only PP and Rav4 Prime qualify). This is likely to happen as soon as Q1 of 2022. So, if you wait till the end of 2022, you may only get 50% of the credit.
• Congress may work a deal to resurrect the BBB or alike law to replace current tax credit. The fate of tax credit on the PP purchased in the year 2022 remains to be uncertain for now. And no one knows what will be like comes next year when you file an income tax for the year 2022 in 2023.

 

I always recommend the Prime , in the current marketplace there really is no reason to buy a standard Prius
if your a non-charger I recommend getting a way to do so, car is much more enjoyable on electrons.

only exception is if you live in an area with very poor winter roads in which case AWD is helpful , Prime AWD would be nice but Toyo doesn’t seem to care about that.

I don’t think the Prime shortage is much different than the “new Prius shortage “

There isn’t a new “Prius” of any sort within a hundred miles of here.

It’s unfortunate Toyota has temporarily ceased production of these cars but you pretty much had to travel to buy one before the pandemic anyway.

I guess in that regard he probably can find a “used” Prius at a higher price than a new one somewhere but I think it’s worth a flight to get a bird in hand.

 

I bet Toyota figures since the Prius Prime Limited already has a 34k MSRP that the Rav4 Prime LE starting under 40k would capture anyone wanting a plug in hybrid with AWD. The higher ground clearance, longer range and more powerful motors would make it better if you're worried about winter roads. Heck it was on my radar too but i wanted to keep my payments lower and there weren't any to be found if I wanted one

 

It would but I can’t say I’ve ever heard of anyone taking delivery of that Configuration of RAV4

Not an option if only 500 AWD Primes a year hit the road

 

Yeah, any new car inventory is very thin right now.
I was just commenting in reference to the OP's comment "I am going to see if our dealer has PP that we check the hatch size."

 

The big issue for me is that the Prime comes with the large LCD display, which is a monstrosity. Much prefer the smaller size on the non-Prime XLE.

 

Depending on your daily mileage, a RAV4 Prime SE (lowest spec) might make more sense. More EV range and lots more cargo capacity. But just Prius vs Prius, the Prime is a winner to me once you factor in the various incentives.

 

They are even harder to locate than a PP

If he needs a car may be more prudent to go with whoever arrives

 

The base level PP comes with the smaller screen.


iPhone ?

 

Depends on 2 factors - final out the door price (including any tax incentives on the PP), and to a much lesser extent - your ability to charge it, and fall into the 20 mile EV range with your driving, at least on most days. Fortunately, unlike something like the Volt where there is a steep penalty for going into gas mode (granted, there is not a not-plug-in Volt for reference), there isn't really one between the PP and the regular Prius. Even if you never plug in, a PP could still make sense - at which point it entirely depends on the price.

 

Most of us who drive Prius Primes report 25 or more miles per charge. Then there is also the extra range if you plug it in after each trip or at the store when shopping.