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My son drives a Prius Prime. Prius Prime is a plug-in hybrid which is different than traditional hybrids like Prius. You can consider Prius Prime is an EV + Prius. But its EV battery has limited range comparing to pure EV. If your daily commute range can be covered by Prius Prime’s EV battery (25 miles) most of the time, then it can be a convincing choice. General speaking, I think Prius Prime is a good choice for young people or first time car buyers. It would be best if you can charge it at night at your home. A 120V 15A plug is workable. It is not expensive while environmental friendly. Toyota’s cars are reliable with good resale values. Whether you should choose it depends on your specific needs, financial strength and philosophy. I outline Prius Prime’s pros and cons below:ProsPerformance - Prius Prime has both gasoline engine and electrical motor. When you come to a freeway entrance, you can feel it has more powerful acceleration than Prius. Especially, there’s a big performance difference comparing to Prius-C which is a under power car in my opinion.Cost - When my son bought Prius Prime about 2 years ago, the sticker price for his trim was around $28,000. We bought it under the Costco auto program so there’s some fixed discount that we don’t have to negotiate with the dealer. While the sticker price may sound a little bit out of range for the first time car buyers, there are tax incentives for Prius Prime. You also need to consider the fuel cost savings on the long run. Prius Prime has longer maintenance cycle (10,000 miles/12 months vs Prius’s 5,000 miles/6 months) and the brake pads can last much longer than traditional ICV.Tax Incentives - The Federal tax credits has a quota of 250,000 EV per manufacturer. While Tesla, GM and Nissan no longer qualify for this incentive. Toyota hasn’t sold as many EV in US so Prius Prime still qualify. At the moment, there is a Federal tax credit of $4,502 for Prius Prime. You should also check if there’s a state tax incentive. Your electricity company may offer further rebates. Do your study carefully. On the other hand, Prius is not considered as EV and does not qualify for tax incentives. To take full advantage of Prius Prime’s Federal tax credit, your current year’s Federal income tax need to be higher than $4,502. Please consult your CPA.If you do qualify for tax incentives, then it is likely Prius Prime net cost is lower than Prius. For example, when my son bought it in 2018, there was a Federal Tax Credit of $4,500, a CA state refund of $1,500 (there’s an income limitation so do your own study,) a Southern California Edison rebate of $450. The net cost of this Prius Prime is $28,000 - $4,500 - $1,500 - $450 = $21,550. That is actually lower than the regular Prius of the same trim level. You get more by paying less. It would not make sense to buy a Prius over Prius Prime if you qualify for these tax incentives. Don’t depend on your car dealer salesman’s knowledge because ours did not know. Do your home works carefully.Fuel Efficient - According to Toyota’s number, 2021 Prius Prime has a fuel efficiency rating of 54mpg and 133MPGe. 54mpg assumes Prius Prime is running on gasoline in the hybrid mode. Since Prius Prime is also an EV, the energy cost to run on electricity is lower than gasoline. The rating of 133MPGe reflects that reality for comparison purpose. This is especially advantageous if you charge your car overnight at home when the electricity rate is at its lowest. You could charge at your office if available. But the electricity rate is usually higher than the overnight rate. If you live in an apartment and can’t conveniently charge your car, then your Prius Prime would work mostly like a hybrid (i.e. Prius.)Traveling Long Distance - If you are comparing EV vs Prius Prime, then you can consider this factor. My son studies in Northern California. Once in awhile he drives back to Southern California home for holidays and breaks, when he fills up gas on the road, it takes about 5 minutes which is faster than charging an EV.Environmental Friendly - Many people buy an EV because they want to save the Earth. A good functional EV with reasonable range cost more than Prius Prime. While Prius Prime is not as green as a pure EV, it could be close depending on the pattern of your charging and commute. That’s the reason why plug-in hybrids also qualify for tax incentives.ConsSit only 4 People - Unlike Prius which can sit 5 people, Prius Prime can only sit 4 people because the center of the backseat is not designed for sitting. I assume that is related to the functioning of EV. *** see correction blow ***Limited Cargo Space - Because Prius Prime needs a place for the extra EV battery, the cargo space in the trunk is fairly limited. That unfortunately reflects that Prius Prime is an after thought after its successful Prius model.Limited Battery Size - Prius Prime’s battery is certified to run 25 miles. My personal test shows it can actually run 30 miles. Regardless of the range, this is limited comparing to other plug-in hybrids which typically have a range of 30 - 50 miles. If your daily commute is within 25 miles, then Prius Prime is a very good choice. If your commute range is a lot longer than that, then you should consider this limiting factor.Edit - when my son bought Prius Prime in 2018, there was only 4 seats. I just looked at the Prius Prime 2021 edition, they actually have 5 seats now.

For me, I make money by saving money after I retired from my job at Samsung. Before I retired, I paid off my home mortgages as well. Incredulous as it sounds, if you get a Kia instead of a Lexus or Acura and get Samsung or Dell products instead of Apple products, minimum wage is more than enough money to survive in California. You also need to sell off all of your Canon DSLR equipment. Saving money is practically endless. My wife and I never went to the movie theaters. We just buy a $5 DVD on ebay or Amazon. Sometimes, we get some Banana Republic clothes for free when we clip coupons on the internet. We never buy new baby clothes for our kids. We just buy them used at Children's Orchard. When we do go to Babies'R'Us, we always shop on Thursday to get the 10% discount from our credit card. Also, I never go to Jack in the Box restaurant unless I have a coupon with me. The buy one and get one for free coupon at Jack in the Box. Also, I sign up at Southern California Edison for the $200 rebate if they install energy saver switch on our AC. Also, I always buy things in bulk. We paid for our diapers around $25 per month per baby, not the average $50 per month per baby. Sometimes, I get free tee-shirts and baseball caps from my schools at Berkeley, UCI, and USC by being part of their alumni. Yeah... When I volunteered, I get them for free as well.

all the time, but yes new cars do go on sale at the dealership? But do your homework and shop around, I had to go to 3 dealerships until I found one that would not trick with me, and mess me around.Depending on the model, like it’s a popular model, dealers will “MARK-UP” the price on top of, aka even higher than the MSRP., then tell you they discounted the price.The best time to buy is in August to Sept, and December. December is known as the Christmas sale, to close out their year end on high volume note, they discount the prices just to move the inventory.In August - Sept. they sale them current year, because that’s when the dealer is receiving the new or next years model. But your question said “new cars” those cars are still new.I saw your name, never ever go to a dealer by yourself as a woman. The Salesmen are just predators. They see women buyers as ignorant and easy prey. Bring a brother, (smart brother), Father (smart father), or A Good male friend (smart friend). Someone who knows how to haggle and is your advocate. But do your homework and know your numbers in advance and stick to your numbers. Better yet call the dealer and ask for the Internet Sales Manager. Tell the manager the advertised price is this, that’s what I’m willing to pay, will you stick to that offer. In most cities, the best day to look for a car is in the Friday and / or Saturday newspapers. Find the make and model you want, and call the dealers and ask for the Internet Sales manager. Read the fine print, some models it says (only 1 available at this price, or 3 available at this price. Other than the make and model, choose your color in advance.For me I said, I want only White or Silver exterior color, any interior is fine except red. And No Red, no Yellow and no Black exterior colors. Something like that. A car is a semi-big investment, so choose a color that has good resale value. Stick to the basics, those are White and silver or neutral colors. Not Red, not yellow, not Black.In my case, I bought a brand new 2018 Nissan LEAF Electric Vehicle, in March 2018. The Nissan North America had advertised the list price of a Base LEAF for $29,990. That’s the price I wanted to pay. 2 dealers refused and marked their price up to $32,000 and $33,000.The one dealer that agreed to $29,990, was nice enough to find me a $500 rebate, then in Southern California SoCal Edison Gave me a $450 rebate, then the State of CA gave me a $2500 rebate, and the IRS gave me a $7500 tax credit.All said, with Taxes, an extended warranty ($1500), registration I paid $36,400 out the door. Minus all my rebates above.I got my 2018 LEAF for $25,450.Oh plus I qualified for Nissan Zero percent interest so my monthly payment is $260. Which figuring I use to pay $50 a week in fuel x 4 = $200 a month.I only have to pay the Delta of $60. I get free charging electricity at work, and near my home. So I don’t pay for electricity to charge my vehicle.Good Luck!IF YOU like this answer please give me an upvote below - Thanks