My wife was thinking about getting a new car and she wondered if she should buy an all electric. For several reasons I don't think all electric is practical for some people, I thought at this time a PHEV was the best of both worlds. Unfortunately almost all of them are SUV, almost none are sedans.
I settled on a used 2019 Hyundai Ionic PHEV. It had a dent on the body, but when I noticed that the battery had full state of health after 2 years, that was the selling point. I wasn't sure enough about the charging network being ready for the road trips I have to do, so I went with a PHEV, but in practice I mostly ride on EV mode because my daily trips are short.
For those of you with hybrids, have you had any trouble that required a dealer to repair the issue?
I was lucky to find my used PHEV Hyundai at a Hyundia dealership, and since I committed to keep it for 10 years or until the battery "dies", I added the best and longest warranty they offered. It did serve me when the "battery management system" (BMS) had issues ("service engine soon" light went on). Unfortuntely, the people I get to meet at the shop aren't keen on explaining exactly what the issue was.
My experience with the hybrid we had, was that the people at the dealer service departments knew precious little about these cars. The electronics associated with dividing power between engine/electric, transmission control, braking, etc., seemed to be voodoo to the service department.
Yup. Internet forums help when you want to go deeper.
To me the only advantage of a PHEV over an EV is the peace of mind that you have a backup motor if your battery juice runs out.
Smaller battery than a full EV, smaller gas motor than a full ICE. So you compromise on both.
Higher maintenance costs for servicing two motors.
People run out of gas in ICEs because they're not monitoring the fuel gauge, or they're trying to "push it".
Same thing with EVs. Just keep an eye on the gauge.
If you run out of gas/power call a tow truck, go to the nearest charger/gas station, and fill/juice up.
I've been driving gas powered cars for 50 years and have never run out of gas.
The advantage of a PHEV is you don't need gasoline for daily driving (my 25 mile/day battery is actually enough), and if you need to make a long trip, it's still very efficient as a hybrid car.
Service isn't really higher because you still do the same mileage in a year. The electrical system needs practically no maintenance, and the ICE system runs less than a full ICE. However, I did get the garantee because while it doesn't need maintenance, the battery system is expensive if you randomly happen to get a dud, or don't know how it will behave in 7 years.
To avoid running out of charge, you charge overnight, and when on the road, instead of looking for road signs advertising gas stations, you look at neat smartphone apps, preferably ahead of time. At first, you drive from one station to the other, doing errands there instead of elsewhere, until you learn where all the local stations are. Then you can gradually wean away from them.
If you don't plan on charging daily at home or work, get a regular hybrid instead of a PHEV. Carrying a big battery is only efficient if the battery carries itself.
I wouldn't buy a Prius if it was the only automobile available, and I'm not real keen on Hyundai.
What's caused the strong dislike of the Prius specifically?
Reasons why I picked a Hyundai over the Prius: I had a Hyundai as a student and it didn't fail me in 4 years, the 2019 Ionic had better numbers and reviews than the 2019 Prius, it's better looking than the Prius (IMO), it drives better, it has no reputation, and I'm annoyed that Toyota actively holds back progress in EVs in various ways (Toyota could have lead the way but chose not to).
