I receive multiple calls each week from potential customers who currently don't own a Prius but are considering buying one. They want to know which year and model I recommend. Typically, they are currently driving a truck or SUV and are tired of the high fuel costs, considering they don't really need to haul what these vehicles are built for. Alternatively, they might be driving something like a Subaru and are tired of the lack of reliability and poor fuel consumption, especially when they don't really need all-wheel drive. Considering that everyone has different wants and needs for their vehicle, it would be impossible for me to say that what I like is what you might like.
However, I know what I want in a vehicle. It should have enough room for myself, friends, and family to ride in relative comfort, be reliable, have good fuel economy, be relatively inexpensive to insure, easy to work on, able to sleep in it, have a ton of storage space, be able to haul whatever gear I need for work and play, and not cost a fortune. Is that too much to ask?
Having owned every model of Prius made, I can confidently say that the 2013-2015 standard Prius is hands down my favorite all-around vehicle. Not just out of the Prius lineup, but possibly of all time. It has a ridiculous amount of cargo space, the seats fold perfectly flat, it's reliable, gets great fuel economy, can take an absolute beating, is well thought out, and just plain works. With a 1.5" lift, HD rear springs, and slightly oversized tires (205/70R15), it really rounds out what has come to be my favorite vehicle of all time.
Personally, I don't need the additional electric range of the plug-in, especially at the cost of rear storage space. I also don't need the additional bells and whistles like a solar roof, adaptive cruise control, leather seats, or a sliding moonroof. All this means to me is more things to break. If I could buy a brand new base model 2015 Prius today at full price, I would do it without skipping a beat.
That's not to say they are without flaws. They are notoriously known for head gasket issues, and if you own one between the 150k-200k range, just anticipate it going out at some point in time. Not IF, but WHEN. Fortunately, the repair is relatively affordable ($1,000-$1,500) if you're able to find a fair and knowledgeable mechanic familiar with the job (check out our other blog post on this for who we use in Northern CA). Once it's taken care of, it will likely give you another 150k-200k miles of trouble-free reliability. The other issues can be clogged EGR systems and burning oil; however, there are fixes for these, and they can be remedied fairly easily and inexpensively. At the end of the day, no vehicle is without flaws, and you would be hard-pressed to find a model of a vehicle that has amassed more miles than the GEN 3 Prius.