Why would you choose a Prius over a Chevy Volt?

I see several new 2014 Volts for sale for about $31,000 (up to $4,400 off MSRP) before tax credits in suzydoo_98's home state of Indiana.

Here are some at Penske Chevrolet in Indianapolis, where I just happened to get my Volt's 2nd oil change recently at 97,000 miles while I was on a long road trip:

New Chevrolet volt at Penske Chevrolet Serving Indianapolis, Carmel, IN

 

The Prius has sold enough cars in most areas that the dealer's service folk have good familiarity. I'd say I average seeing a Prius every mile or so of driving around my small backwater town. Much more in big metro areas.

A Volt is so rare it is remarkable.

The dealership folks on the sales and service sides of my Toyota dealer seem to have good familiarity and that is a comfort if I need them to do something. (My son bought a hatchback from them ~4 years ago and has had no problems in ~80k. My '12 Prius v has been to the dealer for service (other than oil changes) once in 19k miles, a needed update to the GPS software handled at no cost to me.)

I'd be asking your dealer how many Volt's they have sold to see what level of service familiarity they are liable to have with the car. Volume of cars sold might also influence the size of the Volt parts inventory at the local level which might impact the length of time it takes to get the car back.

My choice might not be right for you. Good luck with your decision.

 

20. Today was over 200.

 

In the early days of Volt, there were intense comparisons to Leaf. Remember the "range anxiety" campaign? That feel apart when Leaf sales ended up doing far better than GM supporters expected. So, comparisons refocused on Prius instead. It was an easy target, having a much smaller battery-pack. Keeping attention off the much better efficiency following depletion and the much larger seating area in back was fairly effective. But it didn't matter in the end. Volt would ultimately be compared to other GM vehicles. So, if you ask a dealer, they'll know far more about their traditional offerings than their plug-in selling at a rate of less than 1 per dealer per month.

Those interesting in purchasing a Volt should shop carefully. Leases can be a great deal still. I know a number of people who took advantage of that opportunity to drive one without being obligated to keep it after a few years. Resale value, long-term reliability, or how much GM ends up altering Volt to make it a profitable high-volume vehicle is of no concern. You just enjoy the EV driving short-term.

With the plug-in Prius, its a very close match to the non-plug model. You simply have a larger battery, offering much more electric power and delivering much more engine-off driving. There is no sacrifice of the cargo-area for carrying large objects inside. You get MPG just a little bit better than the regular model when not having plugged in. It should retain a decent resale value long-term. Just look at what happened with the gen-2 after gen-3 was introduced. Value remained high, despite the next-gen being available.

Look at it this way, sales of plug-in vehicles will remain soft for the next few years. The price of gas is so low, stirring up demand is a major challenge. Infrastructure continues to present resistance too. You have to fight landlords to consider allowing you to plug in, employers are very reluctant to install chargers, and there is still some animosity among owners when space is limited.

So, really study the market before making a decision.

 

We bought our Prius in March of 2012 and the Volt in July of 2013.

My only regret so far was the local Toyota dealer that sent the Prius home without an oil filter installed. Not the car's fault though. The Volt will get its first oil change next summer (I'll do it myself).

Had one problem with the Volt but the dealer fixed it skillfully.

The Volt's much more fun and comfortable to drive but probably not for everyone.

We count ourselves fortunate to own one of each.

 

That's quite a bit. Clearly owning a Prius is worthwhile for you. What's your typical per-year distance?

My long trips aren't as frequent, but they do happen on a regular basis. Here's my recent data:

 

Kelly Blue Book values are slightly higher on existing PIP than Volt, both in terms of nominal value and % of original value.

Take a 2012 base model of each as an example $32,000 vs. $40,000 msrp. In California (for example), one gets $4,000 back on the PIP and $9,000 back on the Volt. The differences for sales tax are $1,600 and $6,000. This puts the after tax price at $30,400 vs. $34,000.

Currently, kbb private party value on the base 2012 PIP is $18,734. The same year Volt is $16,717. Thus, the Prius would lose 38% of its original cost and the Volt 54%.

Of course, in the real world, actual cost as a result of scarcity has to be taken into account. PIP commonly sells about at or even over MSRP. Volt typically sells at 10% less than MSRP. As one data point, I bought mine 15% off MSRP from a lot that had dozens of them in still inventory from the previous years. This is a large factor in the resale value since the reduction in initial price makes for some of the overall loss in value. In fact, I would bet that if one were to try to go out and buy either car today, they would end up paying the same price and getting different tax incentives. 3 years ago, this was not the case. I would even recommend waiting to see what the 2016 models cost as this may drive 2015 models down a few points further.

 

I have been just over 30,000 miles a year, this year will not be that much as i detatched a quadricepts tendon and could not drive for 4 months.

 

Another aspect of the kbb values is the change in MSRP of the vehicle itself over time.

The Volt dropped $4-5k while I think the PiP dropped $2-3k -- I don't have the exact numbers handy. This is probably influenced by the fact that battery prices dropped rapidly between the initial rollout and 2-3 years later. The Volt battery is 3.5-4,0x bigger so reductions in battery cost have a much bigger impact for the Volt.

This process will continue as battery prices may drop 50% again in the next 5 years.

 

I don't know just how common they are in his side the border. But he isn't that far from Seattle, which has a ton of Volts running around.

 

I've owned both cars and I prefer the Volt in every respect except the back seat room for passengers. The cargo area is slightly smaller although I don't notice the difference and I haul quite a bit of stuff for work. I can sleep in it comfortably like I could the PIP and I can still cram a ton of plants in it if I need to.

I can't rember who compared the handling of the PIP and the volt and said that they were comparable or the Volt was only slightly better but I totally disagree. The Volt is tuned to be soft, not sporty but go sling it around corners then do the same in the PIP and you'll quickly realize the difference between the two. The 17" tires make quite a difference as does the low center of gravity. A PIP with 17" wheels and suspension mods would be its equal but you'll lose fuel economy and range.

For me the biggest issue with the PIP were the interior rattles and the fact the engine would come on much more often than I liked. I wanted a car that felt like an EV but had the benefit of a back up engine. John gave a great example above. The Volt gives you that EV feel and does so at any throttle position. The PIP is like a regular Prius but super enhanced for maximum hybrid efficiency.

Neither is a bad choice but you should be very clear about what you want regarding driving dynamics. Test drive each one extensively before buying. They are completely different cars in my opinion.

 

It's interesting reading the posts on recent threads. Prior to any info about the next-gen offerings, having any type of constructive discussion was quite a challenge. True, the ultimate goal of getting the plug-in vehicles to compete against the true competition rather than each other is still not close, but progress is being made. With that said...

I have driven a Volt out on a closed track. In fact, I once chased a Tesla with it there. You'll notice the handling difference doing that. With ordinary driving condition, not so much. That's why the question of WHO? is so important. If you're not going to push it, there's no benefit. It's like owning a car capable of 120 mph but never going faster than 75 mph. The same goes for 0-60 times. Unless you drop the pedal hard, you'll never use that faster acceleration available. Know your audience.

The same goes for the cargo area. The flat nature of the Prius makes it much more convenient for hauling very large and very heavy cargo. The drop down into Volt's rear behind the seats is less accommodating. Simply pushing & pulling cargo in & out is much easier, since the entire surface is level. I roll in mom's 3-wheel recumbent bike into the Prius with very little effort. In Volt, that wouldn't be the case. I'd have to lower it in. The height of the seat folded down might cause the chain to rub on it too.

Reality is that aspects such as those are what will be selling points of the plug-in vehicles, not a push for maximums. Just look at the computer industry for confirmation. There's no contest that the SSD (solid state drive) is superior. It's dramatically faster, uses much less power, and is far more robust. But to get a competitive capacity, it is very very expensive. That's why most people still purchase traditional hard-drives instead. For those willing to pay a modest premium, they chose a SSD with small capacity. It's a balance of priorities.

 

I agree, John. I should have included the Volt's superior ride quailty and feel in my response but those are more subjective. However, I do notice those characteristics during normal sedate driving. So it's not just about maximum handling. Even the Fusion Energi will out handle the Volt and the Fusion is a tank. lol

I also agree about the flat deck lid. It's not something I think about now that I don't have to haul the 150lb generator anymore or a large dog. Ingress and egress are much easier with the Prius hatch. Pulling a tailgate party at the back of your Prius is easier too. You can't sit on the back of the Volt.

 

Ohh I forgot to add that with the Volt I know I can drive it like a regular car and like the rest of the maniacs on the road and still achieve stellar fuel economy. I couldn't do that with the PIP. Well, I would still get incredible fuel economy but your numbers drop appreciably if you don't drive conservatively and seeing lower numbers is a downer for most people. As a ex racer I realize not everyone likes to zip around town and revel in the joy that electric torque brings but most folks do and that's where the PIP let me down. Now if the Volt only had those excellent LED headlights the PIPa had.....

 

Those I encounter are amazed by my 73 MPG average.

It takes into account the perils of winter and my frequent long-distance, bike-hauling road trips.

Down is very much a matter of perspective.

 

If you have back problems and regularly carry very heavy objects in the hatch the Prius is a safer choice. It's also easier to get in and out of the passenger area too.

Otherwise the Volt fits most commonly used objects just fine.

 

I meant hybrid Owners. Check the fuel economy sections For all the downers.

 

I didn't realize how maniac-style the Volt could be driven until I took a road trip in it to Silicon Valley and ended up in the carpool lane with a line of basically all fuel-efficient vehicles since nobody seemed to actually "carpool" there. Some of the Volts were jumping in and out of the lane, leapfrogging people to push the speed slightly faster on their way to Google or wherever they were going. I drive more conservative, so I started in a line of Volts but ended up behind a Leaf and a PIP.

 

My next-door neighbor has a PIP as well and appear to take it on in-town trips and charge immediately. (Not that I am stalking my neighbor's driving habits all the time, I only watch the PIP). I would say that if you mostly drive less than 20 mile trips, this could be a very convenient, especially vs. a standard Prius. I know this because the next two neighbors have the regular Prius and I can audibly hear those crank up for short trips, probably wasting gas in comparison.

Of course, my across the street neighbor has us all beat with the NEV for in-town trips. And, solar panels.

Come to think of it, observing my neighbors is probably how I convinced myself to buy an EV of some sort. I would have been fine with a PIP, Leaf, or Volt... but would have looked really weird pulling up in a new Challenger.

 

Oh, and here is my Volt trip calculator spreadsheet. This can be used for the PIP as well if switching the total kWh and kWh / 100 miles line. I didn't do a comparison between two electrified vehicles, but the sheets could be redone to look like that.

One thing I found is the cost savings is basically a wash between different efficient vehicles unless you are doing very long trips or very short trips. The other thing I found was regular cars are expensive to run even if gas falls to $2.50 (which it will).