The Best Moderately Priced Choices Cars: the Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt - Essay Example

Prius vs. Volt Whether a person is buying a car to save gas or save the environment two of the best moderately priced choices is the Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt. Both are somewhat stylish though neither would be considered “cool” looking, neither a “chick magnet” nor something a guy would fantasize about. However, each is acceptable looks-wise and is a smart, economical choice. A Corvette is a better attention getter but that boost of pride (ego) gained by driving one fades pretty quickly after making the first car payment, insurance installment and paying for a full tank of premium gas once a week or more.

Those who drive a race-type car must be jealous at least part of the time of someone who drives a gas saving car with decent, if not flashy looks. Getting good gas mileage is the main reason someone buys a Volt or Prius Hatchback but which one gets better mileage is not a straightforward answer. The EPA rates the Volt’s lithium-ion battery at a 38 mile range. After the battery dies an electric engine turns on which recharges the battery by powering a generator. The car gets 37 mpg with the engine running.

The Prius gets 50 mpg with but only has about a one mile range when operating on straight electricity. The Prius plug-in model gets a disappointing six-to-15 mile electric range. The bottom line on gas mileage is the Volt does better if you drive 40 miles per day or less. If you drive 100 or more the Prius is the more economical choice. Unlike a Prius, a Volt can be driven for weeks at a time without putting any gas in it, as long as you drive 40 miles per day or less which many people do. The car will ask the driver if it can turn the engine on every once in a while so the fluids will circulate preventing damage to the engine due to lack of use.

Anyone engine needs to be started occasionally to keep the fluids from becoming stale. Volt owners that drive less than 40 miles per day can get the equivalent of 400 miles per gallon. Both cars did well in the crash tests. The Volt is quieter. Mashing the accelerator on a Prius will turn on the engine but not the Volt; it stays silent until the whisper-quiet engine kick in. The Volt is slightly larger on the outside but the Prius has more room inside. The Volt carries four people while the Prius holds five.

Both are moderately priced but the Prius is a little less expensive, with an asterisk. The Volt runs from $40,000 to $45,000 fully equipped but most buyers are eligible for a $7,500 rebate from the federal government. The Prius Plug-in Hybrid retails for $32,000 and buyers get a $2,500 rebate. Therefore, after all the arithmetic, a Volt costs $32,500, a Prius $29,500. Don’t try to talk the salesman down on either car, they’re not pick-ups. All in all the two cars are pretty even. If economizing is the reason for the purchase and you don’t drive many miles per day on average then Volt is the choice.

A mother with two or three kids might want to opt for the Prius with more passenger room. Since the price is similar a person may have a style preference. Personally I like the looks of the Volt over the Prius, by a lot actually. To me it looks “cool” no, not “Corvette cool” but close enough. Speaking of close enough, I live close to school and work so I could probably would seldom buy gas. The price difference over a term of the payment period would more than make up for the couple thousand dollars more it initially cost.

Sure, I’d like a Tesla or Fisker Karma, both run on electricity but aren’t in my price range, not yet anyway. Works Cited Voelcker, John. Chevrolet Volt Vs. Toyota Prius. The Car Connection. August 13, 2012. Web. November 27, 2012. http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1075194_chevrolet-volt-vs-toyota-prius-compare-cars