Tips for a test drive / Prius c vs. Honda Insight

When I bought my Prius c, I was also considering the Honda Insight, and test drove both. They seemed similar to me, so it was a tough choice, but since then I've learned a few things that would have made it an easy choice! So if you're getting ready to test drive these and are unfamiliar with the Prius family, I suggest you pay attention to the following when driving the c:

1) Don't bother with the EV button. That only works in low-impact situations, such as moving your car to a different parking space. But do turn on the Eco Mode button. This smooths your accelerations to increase your mileage. I leave mine on all the time.

2) Press the DISP button on your steering wheel until the Energy Monitor appears on the dashboard. This thing really confused me at first, but here's the deal: red arrows mean you're driving on gas; blue arrows mean you're charging your battery; and green arrows mean you're driving on electric. As you get up to speed, you'll usually see the red arrows. But once you get up to cruising speed, drop the accelerator back for a moment and you should switch over to green arrows. Now you're driving an electric car. Without much effort, you can stay in this mode for several minutes at a time.

3) When you finish your drive, watch the dashboard as you turn off the ignition. A screen will appear for a few seconds summarizing your drive, including the mpg. You will be impressed!

By the way, I calculated the mileage from my first two tanks of gas and got 49.3 and 54.4 mpg. The first was a mixture of city and highway and the second was all city.