No spare tire?

Pretty much confirmed. I am sure a repair kit will be included.

 

$New tire, $New TPMS sensor, and $TPMS reset. $200 to $300? You never get a deal on just one tire. and maybe $extra to clean sealant off the wheel. What a mess.

 

Starting from 2008 model year, all cars (passenger?) require TPMS by law.

 

That seems statistically impossible. Most of us don't ever encounter anything beyond just an ordinary puncture flat, which the kit would handle fine. What does it take to shread a tire anyway?
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I actually shredded the tires on my old prius (Gen I). They were only rated to 80-some miles per hour, and on two different occassions I inadvertently exceeded that speed and they flew apart (figured the first time was a fluke). After that I never went over 80 mph and had no trouble.

They really were shredded though, tread wall separation and everything.

 

Modern sealants are safe for TPMS sensors. Safe but messy.

Tom

 

I meant, improbable. As for things happening when you're young, you may not have been as attentive to tires back then. Worn to the point of replacement leaves them much more vunerable. (I've certainly clipped curbs in my time without incident). And the sad part is, tire-pressure sensors had to be federally mandate due to so many people driving them dangerously low.
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I would have to say that no spare tire is not a show stopper for me, the Leaf doesn't have a spare tire either, and this is the way cars are going these days, with so many living in urban areas. WIth that said, I do have a 2010 Prius V, with the low-profile tires, and hit a pot hole once, 30 seconds later the "low tire pressure" lit up, and I had to pull over, it was just about on the rim at that point. nearly $275 and a week later I had a replacement OEM tire. These low profile tires have been nothing but trouble, and I won't be getting them on ANY vehicle ever again..

 

I've only had a flat tire once in my 17 years of driving and the side of the tire was completely blown out (I had driven on that tire for about 30,000 and I'm not sure what caused it to fail). If that had happened when I was traveling through some remote area with no cell phone reception, I'm not sure what I would have done without a spare tire. The lack of a spare tire will not prevent me from buying a Prius Plug-in, but it will make me a little uneasy when driving through remote areas.

 

Cruze is the top-selling compact currently. It doesn't come with a spare either.
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There is nothing to prevent you from buying a spare wheel and tire, and putting it in the rear storage area (along with a small jack and tire iron as well), if you are going to an area thats remote. Yes, it will cost you money and take up some storage space, but if you have an issue, you will have a spare. You could even get a donut spare from a totaled Prius at a junk yard, as long as the tire/wheel size, and hole pattern matches, that would keep the weight to a minimum. With over 1 million Prius sold, there are many that are in junk yards by now...

 

So, really it's a matter of storage space.

Can you afford the space to carry a donut spare in the cargo area when going on trips to the outback?
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I have snow tires and I will carry one when ever I leave town with my PHV. It is not terribly difficult nor terribly expensive to put together a used wheel and tire for a spare which you can throw in the trunk on trips. Make sure that the wheel fits. You will need a jack and a lug wrench. These are also easy to find. If you don't want to go to the trouble and are willing to spend a little more, go to the Tire Rack, your friendly Toyota Dealer or what ever supplier is handy.

 

I have it on my 2010, I only had the 30 day trial, couldn't see it being worthwhile, as it was several hundred per year, and it DOES use cellphone frequencys, so if you are out of range on cell reception, it won't work either.