Used 2015 Toyota Prius Plug-in Consumer Reviews
Used Prius Plug-in for sale
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2015 Prius Plug-in, so we've included reviews for other years of the Prius Plug-in since its last redesign.
Totaled my 2007 and purchased a used 2014 plug in
MSK, 11/25/2018
updated 12/08/2023
2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
18 of 18 people found this review helpful
I was not looking to replace my 2007 Prius until a distracted driver rear ended me at 50 mph. Fortunately the Prius protected me and I walked away from a devastating hit. The next day I found a local dealership had a 2014 plug in with 40K miles for $15K out the door. I did not even hesitate on the purchase given my last Prius was bulletproof at 140K miles. One month with my 2014 Prius Plug In and I am in love all over again. I have a 40 mile commute all highway but I am averaging 63 MPG so far. My employer has a 240V station and I cost out at $.27/charge. The only cons are typically plastic interiors to save weight, no spare (found one locally) and a 14 mile range (good for local errands). I would gladly buy a Prius Prime next but I hope to run this plug in as long as my 2007 Prius sans a distracted driver. UPDATE - I have had the plug in now for over 6 months. No challenges to date. One rear caliper seized so I replaced and all brake pads (front and back) at the same time. Purchased a new 12V battery because the original was still in the auto. I hook a trickle charger to the fuse box leads during battery change so all settings would not be lost. Otherwise, the Prius Plug In is great! Now at 80K on the vehicle. No challenges or complaints to date. With COVID I only drive the car once a week to check all systems. I have added a trickle charger to the 12v which protects the battery well. Otherwise I hope my next review is more robust as the pandemic eases. Wishing everyone well during these times. Update Spring 2021. I have not driven the Prius much during the pandemic. The automobile still functions great with no challenges. I will report back if anything changes as we re-emerge from the crisis and return to a pre-covid environment. I do not think I will be commuting as much as in the past but I will keep the car nonetheless. Wishing everyone well. Update Spring 2022: I have not driven the car much since last years review. However, since a gallon of gas exceeds $5/gallon the Plug-In Prius is now my go-to car (and my wife even more so). For example, I make short runs for shopping and now I do exclusive driving in electric mode. My wife is of the same mindset. This original Prius Plug In does not give me much range on a charge but for local trips it is excellent since all shopping is within range. I believe I put less than 3 gallons of fuel in the Prius every 2 weeks now - it was a smart purchase in hindsight. In addition, I hooked up a solar panel 1.5 watts in the back and connected to the 12V battery. It appears to keep the battery on a slow trickle charge when I last stress tested the 12V. The Plug In Prius passed recent PA Inspection with no challenges. My wife plans on driving cross- state in a couple of weeks to see family in Pittsburgh, and we feel confident that she will enjoy the ride in the Prius. The only downside is I bought a full size spare that fits in the trunk (the extended battery takes up the normal wheel well for a spare so one did not come with this model) which will negate some space. But, it was worth the peace of mind to have a full sized spare just in case. This vehicle is a pleasure to own. I would recommend the Prius Prime now. Update Fall 2022: The Plug in Prius now has 93K miles. It is our workhorse, go-to vehicle post-COVID (if we are actually done with COVID). The car still performs well. One thing of notice is the battery holds a little less mileage when I first bought the car. Just a couple of miles I have noticed so it goes to prove that the battery does degrade over time but just marginally. I still use the electric component just around the neighborhood when running errands and then re-charge when expended. Usually, the power mode (hybrid) is 90% of the driving utilization. Next step - new tires in the spring! Any suggestions are welcome. All in all, a great purchase and I will plan on a more electrified model if I have a need to replace. Right now, I still enjoy this car. 6/8/23 Update at 98000 miles - Not much driving since I am still remote. We use it mainly for errands now, and we go with electric power only most of the time. On average, I replace three gallons every 2 weeks. We have another auto for long distance driving that is an Acura TL six cylinder for highway cruising. But I digress, the Prius is great. I just bought 4 new tires as dry rot set in on the tires from first purchase 5 years ago, replaced all air filters and did a once a year synthetic oil change. It is a great car. My wife would like (if we need to replace) another plug in hybrid as having the best of both worlds. Fantastic auto! Almost 2024 now and 98k miles. The auto is still running well. No challenges or complaints.
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Plug-in capability with minimal compromise
Venkatesh Natarajan, 01/29/2016
2015 Toyota Prius Plug-in 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
Upsides: Although this car has minimal EV-only range (only 13 miles), this car is unique among plug-in hybrids in that it still provides a lot of storage space (almost as much as the regular Prius; just the part under the hatchback floor is smaller). 13 miles will probably not get you to work and back just on electricity, but it will still boost your overall mileage. Since the battery and the onboard charger is so weak, you're more likely to be able to plug it in to a garage outlet without having to worry about installing a bunch of new electrical circuitry. The price sounds high, but you'll get $2500 in federal tax credits for it (and might get some state credits, depending in state), making it a more palatable deal. Hybrid mode efficiency is basically as good as a regular Prius, so you get good gas mileage even if you can't plug in. Donwsides: Acceleration in EV-only mode is horrible. You can't even get the full acceleration of the regular Prius without having the gas turn on (and the regular Prius isn't exactly a burner). Yes, you're probably saying "if I cared about acceleration, I wouldn't be considering a Prius anyway." But the irritation is that it's really easy to burn gas without meaning to: just press the pedal a little too hard, and boom, the gas engine turns on. The car won't sustain regular highway speeds in EV-only mode (there seems to be circuitry that tells the car "don't go EV only if you're going faster than 62 MPH"). Overall, the plug-in Prius if you want some plug-in benefit with a minimum of compromise vs. a regular hybrid car. If your main priority is to drive on electric as much as possible, however, you'd probably want to choose something with more range and more all-electric power, such as one of the Ford Energi vehicles, or a Volt.
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An Excellent Used Car
Cal form SLO, 02/04/2017
updated 02/16/2023
2014 Toyota Prius Plug-in 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
UPDATE: Unfortunately, the car was totaled in a collision when we had had it for 36 months. My wife, driving alone, was not injured, and the accident was not her fault. As the car had been thoroughly dependable and achieved outstanding gas mileage, we were sorry about its early demise. However, we were astounded by the generosity of the insurance payout. This car actually appreciated during the three years we owned it! We so liked the electrical aspect of the plug-in Prius that we replaced it with an all-electric Kia Niro, which we love. UPDATE: I have now owned the car for 2 years and seven months and continue to be just as pleased with it. I have had no problems and am happy to recommend the 2014 plug-in Prius. UPDATE: Having owned the car for 18 months and driven 11000 miles, I continue to be totally pleased with my purchase. I have had no mechanical problems, and there are no squeaks or rattles. The city gas mileage is amazing, typically between 102 and 108 mpg. When I bought the car, I didn't realize how versatile the hatchback would be in transporting various items. I would definitely buy this car again. As I have solar panels, I wanted the pleasure of driving on electricity I produce. The 2014 plug-in Prius suites my needs perfectly, as its 11-mile range is adequate for doing errands in my small city. Buying an all-electric (such as a used Leaf ) was not practical for me because I wanted the option of being able to drive long distances. After six months of ownership, I am totally pleased with my purchase. I had read reviews of the car and was concerned by car testers' comments that the steering was numb and that the model was no fun to drive. As far as I am concerned, the steering, which is light, is fine, and I enjoy driving this car. An unanticipated bonus of having a small but heavy car is that it holds the road very well. I bought the car just for city driving, as I have a Subaru Outback (which I love) for highway driving. However, this Prius is proving so satisfactory that we have driven it on several 500-mile trips. On the each of these trips, the car has achieved gas mileage in the high 40s. With mostly city driving, but including some trips to communities 15 miles away, the gas mileage has been phenomenal. Upon filling the tank twice, after driving each time more than 700 miles locally, I achieved 94 mpg and 102 mpg.
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This car is a utility
mingomatic, 10/29/2013
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Advanced 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
I love this car for many reasons. It just makes logical sense. It's reliable, it doesn't depreciate that much, it's safe, and no one steals this car because hybrids and electric car parts are in low demand and hard to interchange with other cars. In terms of electric features, I don't use it nearly as much as I should because I don't have a charger at home and as much as SoCal supports electric vehicles, I still don't have many use cases where I'm charging in public. I've owned a BMW in the past and I have to say, it's nowhere near as luxurious, but at the same time, I don't have to worry about it breaking down or having a costly repair.
Has less than 700 miles and nonstarts 3 times!
Sheila Lawrence, 10/26/2015
2015 Toyota Prius Plug-in Advanced 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
20 of 22 people found this review helpful
I have had this plug in only one month and on three separate occasions have not been able to start this car. Twice I called for service to come out and use the jump pack to power the main battery. I went to the dealer I got the car from and they tested the battery only telling me the battery had a full charge and nothing was wrong, questioning if I had left a light on in it or left the key fob in it? (NO and NO!). This third time the car was towed to the local dealer, after jump starting it again, to get it out of my garage to be able to put it into neutral to put it on the flatbed tow truck, it stalled out. It took at least 4 attempts for the tow truck operator to jump start the battery to get it to power up to get it in neutral to be able to put it on the truck. Once at the dealer, the following morning the dealer was also unable to start it or power it up on accessory mode to even find out the mileage on it. Another problem is that each time I try to charge the electric battery from my brand new garage that has new electric service, it throws the breaker in my house. The dealer says I need a dedicated outlet for it to charge it! Obviously this was never brought up during the time I purchased it. I was told by the salesman that I would be able to drive FIFTEEN MILES on the electric battery alone which is a flat out lie. I questioned him on this after the sale and he claims he said UP TO 15. NOT TRUE as he said this to me and also to a friend of mine over the phone. With a total charge, the car shows only 11 miles remaining which is what the EPA estimate is. The dealer that has my car presently is out of loaner cars for me, so I am now going on my fourth day without a car. Also I have to find my own way to pick up my car at the dealer which is 30 miles away. I live alone so this is an inconvenience. Most dealers have a shuttle service. Toyota is really dropping the ball on this. The car was towed to the dealer on a Friday night, on Saturday morning I was told they would call me back by 10 a.m with some information. I finally called at 11:15 to see what was happening and was told to talk to the service manager only to find out that there was no way they would even be able to look at my car on a Saturday. If this was the case, I should have been told this right at 8 a.m. when I first called, not told that I would know something by 10. I bought an extended warranty on this car and found out after the fact that I was mislead on this also. During the purchase I asked specifically just who was backing this warranty and was told Toyota, and that is not the case at all, it is a private company. I would say BUYER BEWARE AND DO NOT BUY FROM TOYOTA AND DO NOT BUY OR LEASE A PLUG IN. My nine year old car was more dependable and reliable than this brand new car! I never know when I go out if it will start or not, even if I have just started it.
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