Plug in Hybrid Car Purchase

[justchecking]

We are looking to buy a used car. We are currently driving a 2008 Prius that is still cruising along in all of its glory. I won't get into the reasons why we are looking to switch because I am sure my fellow mustachians will have some commentary on whether or not we should switch as opposed to the pros and cons of the vehicles we are looking at. The initial research has brought up the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Toyota RAV4 Prime, Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid, and the Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid. Our main priorities is price, reliability, electric range, and longevity of the car. Does anyone here have any experience with any of these models or are there other models we should be thinking of? If you do have some experience can you share lessons learned/annoyances or surprises/general thoughts. Happy to answer any clarifying questions and thanks for the advice in advance!

[pachnik]

I have nothing helpful to add but I am in a similar situation to you.  My car is a 2009 Honda Civic.  I am thinking of a Prius C (used) or a Prius Prime as my next car.

[jeninco]

I've mentioned this on other threads, but we really like our Prius prime. It gets 40-50 miles on the secondary battery (so  it's all-electric for local trip) and then switches to being a high-mileage hybrid after that. Turns out my bladder can't go as far as its itty-bitty 10-gallon gas tank, so we have to make rest stops more frequently than we need gas!

[Just Joe]

You could find the brand specific forums for all those candidate vehicles and see what the hot topics are.

My brand vehicle had brake pads that clicked when reversing. Stick it in reverse, and then apply the brakes - and the brake pads will shift in the calipers and click. This was a big deal to some owners (tiny details syndrome?). The only problem I saw that was worrying was a torque converter judder. Yep, our's did that too but it was easily solved with a drain/refill x3 plus new filter every so often (30K-40K miles) per forum wisdom. I can live with that. Our's is 10+ years old now. Nothing has been a big problem. I understand though. Cars are expensive and people expect quality for their money. 

What some of these people were sorting out was the quality of customer service at their local dealer. Did the service writer know what they were talking about? Were they honest? Were the repair techs knowledgeable? This was a first year of a re-model so the manufacturer had a few quirks to work past.

Since I DIY everything and buy cars used - the dealer experience is not that important to me. Only time I have been to the dealer was for a minor recall repair (leaky tail light gaskets). I do buy OEM parts and fluids some of the time online so I still have access to quality parts.

[jeninco]

@Just Joe makes a great point -- we really like our car, but the dealer is a typical bunch of swindling slimeballs. And the next nearest dealer is 20+ miles away, which is a bit of a haul... Fortunately, we have a local independent mechanic we like, so we have the dealer fix everything they're required to under the warrantee/service agreements, and we have the other guys fix everything else...

[EchoStache]

I'd add a couple more to the list:

Hyundai Ionic PHEV.  29 mile EV range, 50-60 mpg in hybrid mode, you can find nice ones under $20k with factory warranty in place; 5 year/60k mile full warranty and 10 year hybrid/powertrain.

Honda Clarity.  Just helped my mom by a 2018 with 65k miles for $16,150. Federal point of sale credit to $12,150.  State rebate to $11,050.  40-50 miles electric range.

Be sure to buy from a dealer that participates in the point of sale program.  They have to choose to opt in. Those that don't(there are many) don't deserve our business, IMO.

[AerynLee]

I bought a 2020 Hyundai Ioniq PHEV last fall and so far I really like it. I filled it up in January on our way back from visiting out of state family and still have about 75-100 miles worth of gas left. Both DH and I really like how it drives and feels overall in both EV and gas mode. I did have to buy it out of state because they're pretty rare in the midwest, but even with shipping I paid less than $21k for it before the used EV credit

[mizzourah2006]

This may be bigger than what you are looking for. But we bought a used Kia Sorento PHEV in August of last year and my wife absolutely loves it. It gets about 34 miles to a full charge and we also have a Tesla and with an add on it can charge on that charger, which makes it to where you can get it fully recharged in 4 hours if you have a lot of running around to do in a day.

[yachi]

I know you're focused on plug in Hybrid, but I thought I'd put out there that Hertz is selling a lot of their electric vehicles.  The Chevy Bolt EUV is fully electric, gets 247 miles to the charge, and they're pricing them at $18k to $20K for a 2023 model.

[SmashYourSmartPhone]

Why not a used Gen 1 or Gen 2 Volt?

[Just Joe]

It amazes me how overlooked the Volt is. Even I, a gearhead, forget those are out there.

[SmashYourSmartPhone]

It amazes me how overlooked the Volt is. Even I, a gearhead, forget those are out there.

Quite a few people were very upset that they weren't a "proper parallel hybrid" when they came out, and the Gen2 in particular has a direct drive mode for highway cruising on level ground that just couples the gas engine to the wheels, no power electronics involved.  Even though it was more efficient than the favored modes, a direct path for torque to get through to the wheels irritated people for... some reasons, I guess.

And general sentiment against the plug in hybrids remains.  "Well, they've got all the complexity of a gas car and an EV so they're going to be the most failure prone of both worlds."  Even though reality doesn't reflect that, the sentiment remains that they're going to be worse than a "pure EV."  Even though they're the same TCO, generally comparable maintenance costs, and radically more flexible.

GM did a properly good job with them.  But I suppose they're also mostly owned by people who aren't getting rid of them.

[Just Joe]

We're in the process of buying a BEV for our daily driver. Once our "travel car" gets long in the tooth in another decade perhaps, a PHEV might be a solution for that car's replacement.

I need to retain the ability to do some light towing. Up to about 3K lbs.

[yachi]

Do all the plug in hybrids allow you to run off the battery for the EV mile range, without using gas?  So could I drive it 20-40 miles every day for a week on electric only if I plug it in daily?

[bacchi]

Do all the plug in hybrids allow you to run off the battery for the EV mile range, without using gas?  So could I drive it 20-40 miles every day for a week on electric only if I plug it in daily?

Yes.

[SmashYourSmartPhone]

Do all the plug in hybrids allow you to run off the battery for the EV mile range, without using gas?  So could I drive it 20-40 miles every day for a week on electric only if I plug it in daily?

Yes, although some are a bit happy to turn the gas engine on for brisk acceleration, which I consider engine abuse (asking for full power on a stone cold engine).

Most won't.  I believe the Pacifica will, among others.

[reeshau]

Do all the plug in hybrids allow you to run off the battery for the EV mile range, without using gas?  So could I drive it 20-40 miles every day for a week on electric only if I plug it in daily?

Yes, although some are a bit happy to turn the gas engine on for brisk acceleration, which I consider engine abuse (asking for full power on a stone cold engine).

Most won't.  I believe the Pacifica will, among others.

Yes, the Pacifica does.

I drive about 85-90% of my miles on electric.  Runs into the city center or airport are electric down, gas back; unless I find a charger.  Then there are big road trips, that are mostly gas.  Everyday driving is all electric.  I'm about to flip 60 mpge again, as our last road trip was the eclipse.

[justchecking]

Update: We have decided to wait for now. After looking at all of the options it turns out that we really are interested in ground clearance, range, AWD, and keeping the size of the vehicle relatively small. We have seen some options that have 7in or more clearance, but it looks like they do not qualify for the tax credits for a used EV. Examples include the Subaru Solterra or the Volvo C40. If the tax credits were applicable to these used cars we might stretch to grab one. It also looks like riding out 1 or 2 more years will present us with more options and more infrastructure even if we miss the tax credits that will probably sunset with the impending Trump presidency.

Thanks for all of the suggestions/advice