Comparison between 2022 Prius Prime/2022 Chevy Bolt...

well of course the elephant in the room is phev vs bev. bolt is going to restrict your movemnt in often unforeseen wys, whereas prime is almost like owning a gasser with some ev range and great mpg's

if you've worked all that out and bolt works for you (it has a smaller hatch as well and check the back seat leg room) it is a great vehicle.
only other thing is gm may be planning to nix it, so you might want to look into that, i'm not sure.

 

Besides the advantages and disadvantages of having a gasoline engine. The Bolt EV is a size class smaller than the Prius. So it is going to be smaller on the inside, if that matters to you. The Bolt EUV is closer to the Prime in size. Though the increased length goes to the passenger area. Leaving it with more rear legroom and less cargo volume than the Toyota.

In the US, the Bolt EV starts at $31,995 with delivery. The EUV is $2000 more starting. Chevy's site doesn't actually have a specs page for the cars. As I looked for size measurements there, I did see GM has taken an idea from Tesla. The charge cord(EVSE) will, eventually, handle Level 1 and 2 charging, by a changable plug. One for your typical outlet, and one for NEMA 14-50; IIRC, that's an RV outlet.

 

This depends on what is important to you. want quicker acceleration? Bolt; don't want hassle of finding chargers on road trip? Prius Prime. want a little bigger vehicle? Prius Prime. Don't want to change oil once a year? Bolt; Want better reliability (real or perceived)? Prius Prime. Want ride comfort? Probably Prius Prime: you have to test drive both to find out. Want more fun to drive? Bolt. Want possibility for Comma AI open pilot hooked up? Probably Prius Prime (comma ai website says 2017 to 2021 is compatible; 2022 isn't listed compatible yet.....Bolt: 2017-2019 isn't compatible).

 

In Quebec there is a 13000$ rebate for the Bolt and a 6500$ rebate for the Prime. That will definitely sway some buyers.

 

Background: I drive a prime. Most days it works just like a BEV as I do my daily errands. Most days my driving leaves the car with 1/2 charge left, and that recharges at home in an hour. Once a month I take a very long trip, and that's 1000 miles of hybrid mode.

If you are worried about energy use, the Prius is rated 133 MPGe when running on battery. The Bolt is only 118 MPGe. Yes, the Prius is more efficient. If you are an average person (95%) you travel less than 30 miles a day.

Result. After almost two years I'm still very pleased. It's still comfortable at the end of a 10 hour drive. It accelerates briskly from 0-30 during city driving, making it easy to merge into traffic during a turn or change lanes after leaving a traffic light. I like the handling as I travel through the pacific northwest mountain passes. I'd buy one again.

 

Looking for the next daily driver myself, Bolt EUV is a strong contender. Bolt EV is too small. Prius Prime I have had twice, and like it but the short EV range makes me want to go a full BEV without a gas engine. For me at a current gas price of ~$3/gal and $0.2/kWh, electricity and gas cost operation is about even. What makes PP more attractive for US buyers especially in the NE, NY and CA is the final price. With Toyota's rebate offer and tax credit, PP is less than $20K for me. I can not yet find a brand new BEV in that price range. LEAF base model is another contender I am considering, but it is still in the low to mid $20K range after rebate and tax credit. If I go for a full BEV route, then I will be restricted to use it purely as a daily driver for commuting. There will be no long trip in a BEV around where I live. I really want Rav4 Prime for its utility (size of cargo) and 4WD capability and a longer EV range with a gas engine for a long trip. But lower efficiency and the higher price tag make it less attractive than PP.

 

The Bolt has a lot of rear leg room. You have to sit in one to believe it, it has more rear leg room than my 4th Gen. Prius. The Bolt has more vertical cargo space but less horizontal cargo space, so that depends on what you expect to be transporting.

 

I test drove a Bolt when I was shopping for my first Prime. I liked driving the Bolt, and it has a lot of features, but I didn't find the seat very comfortable, and the interior just seemed so cheap, plastic. It reminded me of an old Chevette I remember being in back in the 80s. The Prime is just such a nicer car overall, I didn't even consider the Bolt again after I test drove the Prime.

 

The seats in the Bolt were improved starting with the 2019 model (the one I drove) and early reviews say the interior has improved with the 2022 model (already available). One thing I dislike about my 4th Gen. Prius are the static rear guidelines. I don’t know which kind the Prius Prime has, but the Bolt has dynamic guidelines and the option for a 360 degree camera. Both are very handy when parking in the city or needing to maneuver pass a parked car in the alley .

 

Found a picture I took of the rear seats in the 2019 Bolt. You can imagine how far your knee extends past the seat cushions and how much leg room is left over. Of course, body types differ so YMMV.

 

I test drove a 2020 Bolt, so if those were the improved seats, then I couldn't imagine how bad the earlier seats must have been.

 

Seat comfort is a subjective thing. I found the Sonic, the Bolt's platform mate, to be more comfortable than the Camry and Prius. Mostly because I can adjust the seat and steering wheel to a I position I prefer without my head hitting the roof.

 

Seating is definitely a personal thing. I gotta go get a lumbar cushion because my e-AWD doesn’t have lumbar support but I didn’t feel the need for it in the Bolt. The Bolt also has a more upright sitting position which the OP should try personally because, again, YMMV.

 

If your avatar picture is accurate, I don’t doubt headroom easily becomes an issue.

 

Seat comfort is definitely subjective . I replaced my Sonic with a PP because I could not find a long term comfortable seating position in the Sonic.

 

clarity?