Don't pass up this Prius Prime? Need advice :)

We're in the market for a new car. We live in urban Honolulu, with a daily city commute of about 2 miles each way. Malls, Grocery stores, etc. are all less than 5mi away. HI has a law where parking lots over a certain size require EV charging stalls, so they are literally everywhere. We currently have a paid off 2007 Acura TSX which has no mechanical problems but I just had to recharge the A/C so that may be going out. It's also 10 years old with 87,000mi. TSX requires 92 octane and gets 17-20mpg city so we spend about $150-200/mo on gas @$3.70/gal. Our condo does NOT have a charging station or 120V power available, so we cannot charge overnight. Hence PHEV over pure EV.

On a whim, I was looking up PHEV and came across the Prime and our local Toyota dealership had one in stock! I immediately put a $500 reservation on the car. Super white, black interior, Plus model. They are charging MSRP ($27,915). They will not budge on the price since people are literally lining up to buy this car. It's on the way from the factory still, but they are trying to make sure we drive-off before 12/31 for the tax credits. We can walk away at any time.

We test drove the advanced and it was super comfortable. I know the seating trim will be different, and the screen is smaller (I actually hate the big screen on the Premium+). Acceleration was comparable to the TSX believe it or not actually better at the low end. Handling was a LOT smoother as well, either due to an aging suspension or because the TSX is tuned more aggressively.

My biggest gripe after test drive was the infotainment system sucks. Really wish it supported CarPlay. But we have iPhones and as long as it can play music and do navigation honestly it's fine.

They are offering us $4200 for our TSX which is slightly below Kelly median pricing ($4500). Is this a good deal? Is the Prime right for us? Thanks for reading!

 

Thanks! I just wanted to make sure it was a right fit. We've never owned an electric or hybrid. Looking forward to saving a ton on gas $$$$.

Forgot to mention, MSRP is $27,100 + $815 destination ($27,915). We have only ONE Toyota dealership in the entire state, so they are mandated by the state attorney general's office to charge no more than MSRP. They do have sales on other cars, but not on the Prime.

 

No state tax credit, but free metered parking statewide with EV license plate, HOV lane with single passenger, and like I mentioned, free EV charging stalls in almost every major parking area. We can get 25mi of juice while we shop at Target, Walmart, Costco, Malls, etc.

They are FREE!!!

What is 3 door smart key entry?

 

I did hear that it takes a bit to schedule a service appointment (up to a month). But it does come with 2 years of scheduled maintenance for free, which is a nice perk!

 

With 240V it still charges in about 2-2.5 hours though right?

 

I'd be too afraid of not having access to a charger at home to drive a pure electric.

 

Ah, well we have never had that before (always have to push a button to open the doors or trunk) so I'm sure we won't be too upset lol

 

If the EV tax credit is extended, we could wait for the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV, but I'm not sure that car is any better. The others are above our budget.

 

On the weekend we commute to a neighboring city for dinner @ the in-laws. It's about 20 miles each way.