Looking to buy a commuter car.

[Canadian Helmet]

The battery in my 07 Prius died a few months ago and we moved to the country and are now commuting.  We are looking at either a 2019 Prius Prime or a 2020 Model 3.  They are very close in terms of price with the Model 3 being slightly more.  I expect the Model 3 to possibly come down in price with all the Tesla owners wanting to sell right now.  My main concern would be about longevity.  I am confident the Prius Prime would last another 10 to 15 years.  No one knows about the longevity of a Model 3.  The Model 3 would be better with maintenance costs as well as fuel savings and economy.  Our commute is about 65km or 40 miles one way.  We are not moving back to the city as it does not jive with our other goals. 
I was deep into the mustache ways years ago and will be getting back into it this year.   
I'm not worried about the current Tesla hate as my skin is as thick as an elephants.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

[LD_TAndK]

While either car would probably serve you well, I'd expect more repairs for the model 3 and higher costs for each repair (based on no hard data whatsoever). If you're looking to maximize longevity I'd go for the car with the longer proven track record.

Another consideration is if you prefer hatchback vs. trunk. Model 3 will be way more fun to drive. Burning zero gas is also neat. Also consider if you're going to take this vehicle on road trips and what your DC fast charging situation is like. Commuting 80 miles a day (facepunch) you may appreciate using the Model 3's autopilot.

[Must_ache]

After years of owning Japanese I bought a Tesla Y in September.  I am concerned about the reliability factor but decided to risk it.

On the plus side the electricity is cheap here in Iowa, about 9 cents per KwH.  I have used 2125 Kwh = $192 of electricity to go 6,054 miles (that's not entirely accurate as I did some supercharging on trips so it was more than $212 but for commuting that's beside the point here) so 3.2 cents per mile, possibly a bit more due to other losses in charging the battery.

If you're doing 80 miles a day, you will want level 2 charging in your garage, that might cost a few thousand to install.  There are some benefits, no stopping at gas stations, no oil changes.  I look at Hertz trying to unload their Teslas and several have 120K miles on them and they're asking $16K.  Some Teslas have done a lot of miles (one Tesla in the UK has 400K miles and serves as a Taxi, watch the video on youtube), I'm hoping that their lower reliability is offset by hopefully with less moving parts there will be less stuff to break down.

I think the cost of electricity and the availability of level 2 charging (in my house with level 1, normal outlet plugs, I gain 4.7 miles per hour) are two big questions.  If you had the ability to charge your car at work, the level 2 thing would be less of a concern with only 40 miles lost on the return trip but I have no reason to think you'll get free charging at work.
 
At the time of purchase, there was little difference between the 3 and Y and I chose the Y because it was roomier and more versatile.

[Canadian Helmet]

Thanks for the thoughts.  I am an electrical contractor so the Level 2 at home will be about $50 in material... if that. My panel is conveniently located in the garage.  Our hydro rate is listed at $.11 per kwh but has a sneaky delivery charge that is shrouded in secrecy that pretty much doubles that to $.22 per kwh...   Our plan is to get as self sustaining as possible (think solar panels, wood furnace, ect)  I loved my old Prius but I haven't met a Tesla owner who doesn't love their car.  We have a Ford Lightning in our business and I haven't met a Lightning owner who loves theirs.

I'm leaning towards the Model 3 but it doesn't seem wise not to go with the Prius.

[zolotiyeruki]

Given the choice between the two, I'd lean toward the Prius.  Why?
1) They're legendarily reliable
2) You'll still be paying more for fuel than the electricity, but it'll be a lot closer to a Tesla.
3) I'm hugely anti-tech-creep-in-cars.  It quickly becomes obsolete (unless you get OTA updates, in which case you're at their mercy), drive repair costs through the roof (one of the major reason Hertz is offloading them), and you can't just take your Tesla to your local mechanic to get it repaired quickly. 

My brother owns three Teslas--a couple Y's and a Cybertruck.  He loves all of them.  He's let me test drive both a Y and a Cybertruck, and while self-driving is nice, everything else (in my Luddite opinion) is either "meh" or "get that away from me!"  A lot of the tech in Teslas comes off as "we did it because we could, not because it makes the car better."

[JAYSLOL]

I’d wait another few months and see what Model 3 prices do if you want to go that way, I’m thinking they will continue to slide pretty hard. In any case, I wouldn’t buy one, and would instead choose a Prius between those two options. I’ve had a lot of cars, including some Toyotas, and they’ve always been outstandingly reliable, and hold their value like nothing else on the road. Even if the 2020 Tesla has no issues in the next say 5 years, it’ll be worth half of what you paid for it, best case scenario. A 2019 Toyota will be worth like 75% of what you pay for it in 5 more years, in the worst case scenario.

[RWD]

What about the other EV options?

[Canadian Helmet]

What about the other EV options?

I am adverse to being a guineapig.  If I do go electric I would want one that has been around for as long as possible.  Range is also a big issue because I moved away from the city.  The EVs that are in the price range that I am interested in have very little range compared to Tesla's.

[neo von retorch]

The EVs that are in the price range that I am interested in have very little range compared to Tesla's.

EV have very little range compared to the Tesla Model 3 (which is $42k+)?

Ioniq 6 is 342 mi range for roughly the same price. I must be missing some other factor here.