Prius Prime as 2nd car?

Sure, the Prime would be fine, but could be $$$$ for a second commuter car. I’ll probably get some negative comments here, but you might consider a used Nissan Leaf. You can get a very nice Leaf for under $10K. Yes, the Leaf has a problem with its degraded battery, but even a degraded Leaf would probably give 50 miles: not bad for a short commute like yours.

If I weren’t retired (no need for two cars) I’d be looking at a Leaf, Smart ED, or Fiat 500e as a second car. In fact, our only car for the two years prior to the Prime was a Fiat 500e with its 80-90 mile range.

 

You'd probably end up making it your daily driver.

We'd need more info on your mileage to determine if it makes financial sense- but probably not. You should also consider a used plug in Prius, which is also very reliable.

 

welcome!
is there a state tax credit for plug ins in washington?

what are you trying to figure out for the right second car? ev miles? cost? et al?

 

From a pure cost view, a used Leaf would be best.

 

how much is electricity per kWh?

 

that's cheap compared to gas. a quick analysis of your driving habits and potential plug in availability will give you a decent idea of payback years.
the only unknown is future gas prices. but there are plenty of wonderful reasons to drive a prime besides gas savings, take one for a spin.

 

not that i know of. there are a few prime threads on calculating savings.
what i do is figure 50mpg. current gas being $3./g = 3$ to go 50 miles. you can do he same with your lexus.

then figure about 10 kWh to charge her. x .12/kwh = $1.20 for 25 miles x 2 = $2.40 to go 50 miles.

then try to figure out where you can charge besides home, or just figure one charge a day at home to start with.
multiply times the amount of miles you plan to drive it instead of the lexus and divide by 50.

 

The smart ED can be had for $3999 and is a reliable electric for 50 miles or less, an older leaf may also work for 50 miles or less

 

Considering how little miles you are doing, just sticking with the SUV makes the most financial sense. Yes, you will save on fuel costs, but you also have to factor in the insurance, registration, and maintenance for the second car. Doing just 6 miles, those will may use up any savings from fuel.

 

Our second car is an end-of-lease, used, 2014 BMW i3-REx. Replacement costs via eBay:

• Offers $17699 - $26999 - prices are negotiable
• Sold $17700 - $25100 - fair market value

Features:

• 72 mile EV range
• 78 mile gas range
• optional coding significantly improves utility and efficiency
• dynamic cruise control well worth it

Bob Wilson

 

I love my Prime. I was in a similar situation. My commute was 45 miles one way. I have a 4WD Tundra. I was getting about 12 MPG. The Prime is awesome! I get to drive partial 100% electric. Then I only have to use about 1.5 gallons of gas instead of 7.5 gallons! I kept the Tundra for the bad winter weather days. I figure the savings in gas will pay for the Prime completely in over 10 yrs. The tax credit for the car and the charging station help offset the costs. I didn't even figure in the trade in costs when I get rid of it! So probably payback on about 7 yrs with the gas savings alone!
It cost's me about $1 to charge it at home. Not bad.

 

Except that it's only about 6.3KWh to charge the prime so $0.76 for 25 miles or $1.51 for 50 miles.

 

I think it makes sense to have a high MPG car and a SUV/minivan on the side....we do.
But our high MPG car is a regular Prius hybrid. It's all what you want.
But sounds like your miles per year are low, so it is harder to justify.

 

To get a new car, your annual cost is at least $3500-$4000 with car depreciation/registration/insurance in consideration.

Even if you get free charging you only save less than $1000 per year.

 

Many states have annual car taxes...northern Virginia is really bad on that...
we basically have 5% car value tax each year, with a little discount under $20K value. I argue this car tax hurts hybrids and green car sales, as well as new car sales in general. But you cannot fight City Hall.

Whenever somebody says "so-and-so has a Telsa" I always say - I bet they are from DC or MD. Although I am told the Google techs in Reston, Va. go against that trend.