2015 Prius plug-in VS 2015 Chevy Volt

(Insert Another Flame War Here)

 

With what Chevy has leaked about the 2016 Volt 2.0, I wouldn't be happy with either, to be honest. But as far as resale value, I'll bet the PiP holds its value better. The weird leases for Volts and the huge price drop in the past destroyed the current gen Volt's resale values. When the 2016 Volt comes out, it'll just do more damage.

 

tell us about your commute and other driving scenario's.

 

Test drive them both.
Volt has much more electric range. But its larger battery limits the rear seat to only two people. And it costs more. Prius is a proven-reliable platform. Drive them and choose the one you prefer.

 

And it won't hold anywhere near as much cargo. See the thread about what fits in a Prius. I don't think you'll find an analogous thread in Volt owner threads.

 

Prius. Why? Proven reliability.

 

What is the biggest thing you've loaded in the volt (POST PIC)

 

Volt REQUIRES 91 octane (not regular). PIP needs only regular gas.
MPG on long trips, per EPA, Volt=37, PIP=49.
Volt holds 4 people, PIP holds 5.
PIP driven a bit more conservatively than the EPA did gets 105 MPGE vs volt's 98MPGE. (The EPA test cycle includes acceleration that caused the PIP to burn some gas & resulted in the 95MPGE rating)
Volt's longer EV range doesn't always result in $ savings.

 

I have driven my Volt 16.7 k miles since July 2013 when I bought it.
I have used 63 gallons of Premium fuel in that time (mostly @40 - 42 mpg on long trips).

My 38 mile daily commute costs me less than $1.10 a day for electricity averaged over the four seasons.

I'd say that it's working well for me.

 

General considerations:
If you haven't done so already, I'd recommend test driving both cars at a range of speeds - especially both city and freeway speeds.
If you get a chance, it might also be a good idea to try them both out in less optimal conditions - some cars are fine normally, but less so when dealing with the weather.
If you go on trips often, maybe you'd like to bring your usual baggage, and load both cars up, see how you feel about it.
If you're going to have people in the back seat, try sitting back there with the front seats adjusted comfortably. If you're considering the middle seat, try sitting in the middle, with people on either side.

There's also more subtle perks for plugins (that might not seem as special until you're used to it), like less frequent trips to the gas station, the silence when on electric drive, less frequent maintenance visits...

Any chance you can get an extended test drive of each?

 

I'm not so sure about that resale value.
Couple people have been unsuccessful selling gently used PiPs for more than 20-21k
I traded my 2013 to a dealer for a 2014 Volt and negotiated hard to get 22k - took them 3 months to unload and I'm not sure they made a profit as asking was down to 23k.
An owner from WV had dropped his to 18.5 last I checked - those are some serious drops.

When comparing I'd start with price paid minus the Fed and if applicable - the state rebates.
I saw one poster arguing the Volt dropped more (from 33-22) but they only paid 23k net !
My PiP was 26 net of the Fed rebate.

Including MA rebate we get $4,000 back on the PiP and $10,000 on the Volt. Long as they qualify for the rebate there's no reason a buyer wants to pay that net amount for used

 

which begs the question, why not build a slightly larger volt with the same battery and whatever the range loss is because of the increased size? they could probably double their sales with the $10,000. rebate.

 

That's a great question.
Maybe if more popular they could offer 2 sized Volts - personally I don't need any more room...
and
I'd pose that question to PiP owners too - think a PiP w bigger battery and electric range of 50 miles that qualified for the full $10,000 might be appealing ? I wouldn't have considered a Volt if Toyota offered such...

(plus as I've posted I pretty much traded them my 2013 PiP for a brand new Volt)

 

Where's Westminster?
Sounds like a CARB state.
If it's MD you get more rebate for Volt.
You gotta tell us what you driving is: family (usually Prius) or busniess commuting (sometimes Volt).

 

if you go to the pip thread on wish list for the next gen, you'll find a ton of votes for a larger battery. i don't thnk anyone will turn down 10k. do you see a lot of requests for a larger volt over at volt chat?

 

My first thought is "London"

 

california.

 

If you count asking for a 5th seat and a more usable backseat area then yes. There are requests. I'm so tall I consider my Volt a 3 seater. Nobody but an amputee or Tyrian Lannister can sit behind me.