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Used 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Consumer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
17 reviews
2

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Pros
Cons
2.25 out of 5 stars

Stick with the base Prius or go with a Leaf or Focus for EV

wheatonr, 10/28/2013
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
6 of 11 people found this review helpful

At first when I bought this car I was super excited about being able to run in all electric mode. Sadly this mode is a downer. It states you will get up to 15 miles (recently rerated to 11 miles). I don't know of any day that i receive more then 7 miles. If you live in the Northeast you will be lucky to even be able to use the EV mode in the winter months. I switch to a Focus EV which is all EV and although it does have problems with the cold weather it at least still can run in EV mode. With the Prius as soon as you turn on your AC or Heater you switch to the standard hybrid mode.

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2.75 out of 5 stars

For that price could be much better.

dimapol, 06/11/2013
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
5 of 10 people found this review helpful

Bought it in 2012 and passed 12K already. 1. This car does save gas, especially, if you work provides you electricity. 2. The GPS interface and disabling most of the features while in motion pisses of, even passenger couldn't do anything. 3. Absence of the spare tire is a big minus, the "repair kit" is useless: unreliable and very expensive. I ended up buying a full size spare for the same price! 4. Firmware algorithm allows your engine run while warming up in electrical mode w/out it being connected to transmission or charging the battery - fuel waste. Summary - if you do not need a carpool sticker at CA then buy yourself something more driver friendly, or wait another 5 years.

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5 out of 5 stars

Great Car

Jethro Bodine, 05/12/2017
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Most reliable car you can buy. No problems except for navigation failure and cruise control failure covered by extended warranty. EPA estimate of 95 is a useless figure. By charging regularly I get 80 MPG with between 9 and 11 miles on a charge or 3.4 MPkillowatt. Car is very quiet but backup noise should be done away with for about $90. Cruise control should default to be on but you must actually turn it on before setting. This can be a safety hazard as when you think you set cruise and it is still off car will slow down unexpectantly. This is a design defect. My advice would be to make turning on cruise control when you start car a habit. Gas lid open is in a spot where it is easy to open accidently. Oil change only required every 10,000 miles with 5,000 maintenance intervals. Overall this is a great car. If you think you will save money on gas you are correct but the cost of electricity to charge does away with most of that savings. Car inside is bigger than it look outside. Brakes are great. And except as noted above no additional maintenance outside of maintenance schedule. Original tires only got 37,000 miles before they needed replacing.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4.38 out of 5 stars

Cruising on Electricity

fyoung55, 11/28/2012
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
2 of 4 people found this review helpful

With a super low lease price and electricity in our area under $.10 a kwh, this was a no-brainer! We live and work within 5 miles of just about everything we need, so the 12 mile range on all electric is perfect! We have an 8 yr old and a 2 yr old in a car seat, and they both fit fine in the back, even behind me at 6'2" Lots of space in the hatchback, and lots of nice features included in the base model. Have driven nearly 1,000 miles and the lifetime average is 55mpg (all electric miles included bumps up the mpg a bit).

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3 out of 5 stars

The Car that keeps on Driving!

Lorrie, 02/21/2019
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Advanced 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
2 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great car. Lots of space when seats are down. Very comfortable. I put the two sided seat down in the back and then I sleep in the car. I enter and exit from the position of the single seat up. I also use that space to change clothes. BEWARE: If you touch the "touch screen" on the navigational system too hard (how hard can a finger push?" the screen will crack. It has happened to many. Toyota did NOTHING to help. Dealer estimate to fix....$13,000.00 to fix. You heard that correctly. Happened on year three of owning the car. No one was willing to help. Finally, 3 years later, I found a place to replace the screen for $500.00. Two years of not being able to use my expensive touch screen system.

Safety
3 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
3 out of 5 stars
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