Toyota Care Roadside Assistance - Catch 22

So I just got an email touting the Toyota Care free 2 year maintenance plan and 24/7 Roadside Assistance. The Roadside Assistance includes tire service with a footnote.

The footnote: 6. Impaired tire will be replaced with your inflated spare.

Of course, none of the Gen 5s have a spare so . . . ???

Does anyone know if the free 10 year subscription to Safety Connect is the same? I signed up for the Toyota app reluctantly, since I don't like being tracked, mostly because the car comes without a spare. Only opted for Safety Connect and Service Connect.

I've never had a car that didn't have some kind of spare so this makes me nervous. Over a period of 15 years my previous car needed at least 3 tire repairs although I think only one required the use of the compact spare.

Looks like the Toyota Care 24/7 Roadside Assistance is useless in this regard. Is the Safety Connect also useless if you get a flat?

 

I've seen a few posts on here where owners have gotten a compact spare so I'll likely go that route at some point if it's not too expensive.

From what I've read the LE models (and perhaps other non-Prime FWD trims?) actually have room to mount one under the deck of the cargo area. I know that's not an option with the Prime, not sure about the AWD versions. I would hate to have to significantly reduce the cargo space with a spare tire.

My insurance also has roadside assistance and I'd probably use it rather than Toyota's.

I've never used the canned sealant / inflator stuff that is supposedly supplied. Many years ago when I read about that stuff I think someone said that, though it worked, it created a mess inside the tire and that the tire should be replaced if you used it. If the other 3 tires had any significant number of miles on them you'd need a whole set at that point.

I didn't buy the Prius because of the fuel economy but stuff like this would certainly negate any of that advantage if the situation arose. Total operating cost would likely be much less with a car that got less than half the mpg but had a spare tire. I'm really liking the car but Toyota really dropped the ball on this aspect.

I'm also somewhat concerned about the dead battery issue that some owners have mentioned. I ordered a voltmeter that plugs into the lighter / accessory socket so I can monitor it easily. I won't leave it plugged in, I'll just do spot checks. I don't drive every day and when I do it's often just short trips running errands.