Find out how much the car will cost. Take the difference in price with a comparatively spec-d Japanese petrol car and invest this amount in petrol over the car's lifetime. This will compensate for much more than the mileage gain on the Prius. Also, remember:
1. real world mileage is never as much as the brochure suggests; and
2. god help you if you need to repair the electric cell system
The fact of the matter is that the Prius makes sense only if you are an environment conscious geek out to protect the world from increasing greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of pure financial evaluation, conventional petrol cars are still more economical. |