Which Corolla gets 40 MPG? The Corolla Eco gets 40 highway MPGs, but my commute is going to be stop-and-go, which means I’d more likely see 30 MPG from any Corolla model. Hell, I can get 29 city MPGs in the old car I have now.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=34399&id=34403&id=34402
I have the MKZ hybrid, it’s getting about 37.5 mpg lifetime (3 years), 80% stop and go. Hard to beat the mpgs for a car of that size. An Accord Sport 4 cyl might get close on the highway, but not stop and go.
I’d suggest you look at the 2015 Honda Fit. It’s got amazing carrying space and the cheapest version gets the best MPG.
Here is something interesting. As of 2014 the only Honda fit available is an electric vehicle that has an 82 mile range.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=34405&id=33905&id=33274&id=34489
I’d never get a 100% EV. Too limiting for me.
Me either, but it’s an interesting concept for those who don’t like to take road trips as much as I do. I’d own an electric motorcycle before I’d own an electric car.
never say never. tommorows technology may produce wonders!
True, I should have added ‘currently available’…
OK @ Whitey, You didn’t say how far your commute is but lets say its 30 miles each way. (makes the math easier) The Corolla costs you 3.80 each way for a total of $7.60/day. The Prius cost you $4.47 per day. With 250 working days that’s $783 less a year for the Prius. the $4000 extra the Prius costs means you need to drive it at least 5 years to pay off the difference JUST for commuting. Add in $10,000 more for a plug-in hybrid of some type using NO gas in that commute saves you $1117/year over the Prius without adding in the electric costs for a 8.9 year payback over the Prius. But as you say, just keep the Honda and drive that. Saves you tons.
Just to throw a wrench into the machinery, how about a Jetta diesel?
If you just want a relaxing, comfy commute I can’t think of anything that beats the Prius. Don’t put too much weight on small differences in gas mileage. Several magazines found the Fusion’s gas mileage equal to that of the Prius. I’d love each to see what we’d get in a Fusion. We have often driven Priuses owned by a car share service, including trips of up to a thousand miles. We average about 50 mpg and have seen up to 55 on a tank that was all Highway driving at, mostly 55-65 mph. We weren’t hypermiling or doing anything unusual, just driving conservatively and not driving over about 65. Even a Prius gets lousy gas mileage at 80. We do have the advantage of rarely needing air conditioning, but have still managed 50 mpg on trips where it was on most of the time. In Florida I suspect we’d get more like 45 mpg. Many report getting far worse mileage, but I suspect they drive more aggressively. From what you’ve written here I doubt you drive like that.
I hear the Diesel Guys,but the while the Diesel is fine(better mileage,almost as much torque as an electric motor) there a few downsides,more expensive fuel,higher maintenence costs{price an electronic injector-if you are off warrenty,wow!} Smokey Yunick didnt care much for small auto Diesels, a word of advice,always run the best fuel you can get in your diesel,there is too much at stake to cheap out,there are some some diesels designed to run on third world fuel,but they are in farm tractors,I dont think I would run Joe Blows Bio-Diesel in mine,buyer beware,you dont want to be killed with kindness-Kevin
Hi Whitey,
First of all: Test drive!
Don’t let me or anyone else tell you how comfortable you feel in any car. If you can, rent one for a few days.
Secondly, here is a calculator that gives a fairly good estimate of costs based on your personal conditions:
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/calc
However, this fails to take resale value into account. High mpg cars have higher resale value, so in addition to the fuel savings, you will also recover much of the “hybrid premium” when you sell the car. That is like money in the bank when you trade it in for your dream car.
The Prius plug-in wouldn’t save enough fuel to make up the $10k price difference to the Prius C. But compared to the regular Prius it would almost break even if you could recharge while at work.
Fred_H
based on current gas prices, you can’t justify the extra $10K for a plug in Prius. But, who say’s gas prices are going to stay the same, for next year, for 5 years, for 10 years? If you plan to keep this car for 10 years the price of gas could be $10 a gallon at some point. The cost of a gallon of gas changes the equation dramatically.
I believe the plug in Prius can be driven in full electric mode. If you can drive back and forth to work without need for the gas engine, then the cost of your commute depends on the costs of electricity - which isn’t free either. The OP lives in FL so how long many miles can a Prius go on full electric with the AC running? If the OP can commute comfortably in full electric mode then the benefit of the plug in hybrid is no matter the gas prices he can commute to work. If that is enough peace of mind to be of $10K value to the OP then go for the plug in.
But, who say's gas prices are going to stay the same, for next year, for 5 years, for 10 years? If you plan to keep this car for 10 years the price of gas could be $10 a gallon at some point.
And it could be $2. If you knew what gas prices would be in 10 years…then you can be a billionaire just by playing the futures market.
For a stop and go commute I think you are definitely on the right track thinking about hybrids. I doubt the plug-in function would save you enough $$$ to justify the $10 K bump in price. But that’s a good question to ask the sales-person. You might be able to parlay this to a solar electricity installation to your house though, then a plug-in might make sense. Like others above say, I’d be inclined toward a regular Prius rather than the Prius C. I’d let a test drive make the decision.
I’ll chime in for the normal Prius as well, but test driving will be the only way to tell for sure if you’re gonna like it or not
Whitey,
Some other questions you will need to ask yourself is
-How long do you plan to own your car?
-Where do you see yourself/relations/Marriage/Kids during the lifetime of the vehicle?
-Will your commute/job change and if so, when?
I ended up with my 2010 Prius because I wanted a car that was reliable with a low cost of ownership. The car gets phenomenal gas mileage (and in your commute, with lower speeds, you should get great MPG’s as well) and is very low cost to maintain. There are no belts on the car to replace (including timing belts = $$$). There are no 15k and 30k expensive services, all services are at 10k and for oil changes. The car has a back seat with legroom suitable for adults (I am 5’9" tall and can sit in the back seat, behind the driver’s seat, with the driver’s seat all the way back and still have 2" in front of my knees). This meant that my kids (9 and 7 at the time) could grow up to be adults (19 and 17) and still have legroom as rear seat passengers.
If you don’t plan on having kids (or more than 1 additional passenger, the C may be the better car. I don’t like how small it is (and this is from someone who drove a 1988 CRX HF), but, then again, I never test drove it.
The plug-in would help your MPG’s, especially if you could plug in at both ends of your commute. There is more than just “monetary” compensation for a Plug-In, you also pollute the air less, and there is value to that (although that value is hard to calculate, thus is often ignored by people who only want to know the Return on Investments). Of course, no one ever talks about the return of investment on leather interiors, upgraded stereos, or V-8 engines either…
Also, with a plug in, you will need a place to plug in (hopefully, you have that ability at your place of residence). You can also get tax credits to offset the cost of purchasing a plug-in, so that may help. It really isn’t a $10,000 difference, because you can’t just compare a Prius C to a Plug in Prius, they are two different cars. Comparing a Prius vs a Plug in Prius, would be a better comparison.
For my commute (30+ miles, one way, mostly (80%) highway, the plug in wouldn’t help too much as I can’t plug in at work. On the weekends, that would be a wildly different story, since most of my weekend trips are short distance “mileage killers”.
Good luck with your decision!
I would recommend the standard Prius, partly because of my good luck so far with my 2008, and partly because I don’t trust Lithium Ion batteries all that much. It’s one thing to be afraid of my laptop bursting into flames, another wondering about my car. 
Gas prices are trending lower…At one point we were importing 60% of our oil…Today it’s down to 28% thanks to new drilling and production technology…It’s VERY easy to see crude falling to $70 or less over the next few years especially if the political problems in the Middle East get sorted out and they ramp up production… Gasoline down to $2.25-$2.50 The whole electric car thing depended on “Peak Oil” and rapidly increasing fuel costs…Well you can push that back 10 years at least…The only thing that keeps oil prices from collapsing now is Chinese demand is soaring…Placing big bets on electric cars is very risky at the moment…