Prius Outreach Program

This weekend on an Adirondack hiking trip with 2 friends I had a mental breakthrough - I let them drive my 2005 172,000 mile Prius for most of the 500 mile round trip. Neither of them had ever driven a hybrid before and were pleasantly surprised at the performance (both own Corollas so they aren't muscle car fanatics), the fuel economy, and the room inside the car. They wanted to know how long the battery was expected to last, how much to replace it when it failed, and how many repairs I required over the 172,000 miles. Letting them drive the vehicle on I-90 at 75mph (I was cringing a bit at this), letting them know that the battery was expected to last the life of the car, and that I had only needed to replace 2 wheel bearings during those 172,000 miles showed them that a Prius is a robust, reliable, economical, and capable car.
If they decide not to get a hybid when they purchase their next car, at least it won't be because of the misconceptions they had and misinformation that they might have heard.
So don't be shy about letting your friends drive your car - your car can take it, and it is a much better teaching method than constantly preaching at them.