Sweden

Welcome to Prius Chat. There are some differences between the U.S. and European versions of the Prius, but there are other members who can better answer your questions, so I will defer to them.

Tom

 

Before you buy anything from Coastal, you might do a little searching to get a sense of their customer service record. Lots of reports in the forums of poor or totally non-existent service.

 

Welcome to PriusChat, Hasse! Be sure and check out the International Owners Forum.

The main differences between a North American Prius and one from Europe is you don't get an insulated "thermos" bottle that stores hot coolant when the engine shuts off, nor do you get a fuel tank with a rubber bladder inside which actually holds the gasoline.

Other differences are minor, such as your thermometer reading in °C and not °F, the odometer measuring kilometers, etc. I think tires and wheels differ too. You also don't have to change your engine oil as often as we do.

Let us know when you get your car, and do take pictures!

 

Other differences between European vs US spec Prius that I remember reading about on this website include rear disk brakes (instead of drum brakes in U.S.) and the presence of an EV button in Europe that allows greater use of the car in all electric mode.

 

..and last but not least. We get adjustable drivers seat in Europe!

Sometimes I wonder what is the sense with manufacturers to have these minor differences worldwide. There has to be some sensible reason, they are not stupid (well, they shouldn't anyways)

 

It really is kind of stupid, some of it has to do with import restrictions, government safety requirements, and some is just plain manufacturing stupidity, trying to get away with saving a little money, but pissing off customers instead.