Cost of running a Prius

stockhausen

stockhausen

stockhausen

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At the weekend, in the pub, I got talking with some guy who had just bought a 2nd hand Toyota Prius (three years old, 20k miles & £12,000).

When I said that I understood that the Toyota Prius was an horrendously expensive car to service, he said that it wasn't and that anyhow, the savings in running costs offset any additional servicing costs.

Who is right?
As a matter of curiosity, what are the costs of running, servicing and owning the Toyota Prius?
 
We'll not entirely sure about running costs as ours is a work car but we don't seem to get more than 20-30mpg out of it! Less if your trying to be hasty!
 
depends, if you ONLY drive around otwn then you will rarely use the petrol engine, if you use motorways an average amount (using average very loosely) then you will use the petrol engine less than most people, however if you are on the motorway for most of your driving then it is no cheaper to run than a 1.8 Mondeo, however a normal car could also be a lot more economical on the motorway
 
willatwell182 said:
depends, if you ONLY drive around otwn then you will rarely use the petrol engine,
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No you wont, the engine will have to start to charge the battery!

They are pretty cheap to run as company cars.

There isnt really a gearbox as such and a lot less parts that need servicing.
 
Andr3w said:
I'm guessing he bought a prius to save money? If so why did he spend £12k on a car to begin with :p
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Fair question. As it happens, he was a plumber who worked in and around London, so not a lot of motorway driving.

My understanding is that a Prius driver doesn't need to pay the congestion charge and pays next to no road fund tax.

What I was more interested in was the cost of servicing and in particular, the inevitable eventual cost of replacing the fuel cell.

Personally, I would never want to admit to owning a car that Leonardo DiCaprio also owns :p
 
Did you just say fuel cell!????!

The batteries are more of a issue in say a Prius as they are part of the tranmission. Of 1 million sold the robust battery is doing a pretty decent job,

Ricochet J said:
(As much as I hate to refer to TG) Didn't they do a test to see which was more economical, an M3 or a Prius?
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No they didnt. Its was part of a TV programme, not a test.
 
i have a polo 1.4 tdi, i bet my car gets better mpg(55mpg in town!!)
only cost £3k too and road tax is £35
 
Jonnycoupe said:
No you wont, the engine will have to start to charge the battery!

They are pretty cheap to run as company cars.

There isnt really a gearbox as such and a lot less parts that need servicing.
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I beg to differ on your first point, it will use the petrol engine for if the battery is completely drained which a Prius driven around town will rarely be. Battery power is regenerated via the brakes and coasting. This should suffice to the point that the petrol engine would only need kick in for 5 mins once started in the morning. Again depending on level of charge. But driven in a very built up area it is not uncommon for the Prius engine to not kick in over a 2-3 day period.

I second your last two points though :p
 
It's cheap until you need a battery replacement, which is several grand.

As shown on TG though, you have to be driving a Prius like a saint to get any real benefit from it. Driven hard their performance is appalling, and most faster cars will cover the same ground in the same time at better fuel economy.
 
daveydave said:
I beg to differ on your first point, it will use the petrol engine for if the battery is completely drained which a Prius driven around town will rarely be. Battery power is regenerated via the brakes and coasting. This should suffice to the point that the petrol engine would only need kick in for 5 mins once started in the morning. Again depending on level of charge. But driven in a very built up area it is not uncommon for the Prius engine to not kick in over a 2-3 day period.

I second your last two points though :p
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Thats the only point I would have thought you have to agree with.

Its a 1Kwh battery with a narrow SoC window for the life preservation. Thats not even 4miles at a generous 250Wh/mile.

The round efficiency of regen is around 40% back to the battery, specially under heavy braking.

The engine has to get to 70C to go into EV mode, how can the engine not kick in over 2-3days? By not driving it?
 
Dolph said:
As shown on TG though, you have to be driving a Prius like a saint to get any real benefit from it. Driven hard their performance is appalling, and most faster cars will cover the same ground in the same time at better fuel economy.
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Going to work rather than track days?
 
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