Hybrid Car Review

The government released two fact sheets on the Toyota Prius 2001 and 2002 Toyota Prius. Their fact sheet is based on one car each in Arizona. Both cars have gotten close to 40 mpg over the years.

The 2002 Prius has been driven over 160,000 miles. The estimated total ownership cost is 15 cents a mile (total ownership cost includes maintenance, gas, etc...). The Rear hub and bearing was replaced @ 40,000 miles at a cost of $321. The ECM was replaced @ 127,430 at a cost of $1,218. Power Steering ECM was replaced @ 145,594 at a cost of $699. The water pump was replaced @ 145,602 at a cost of $461.

The 2001 total ownership cost came in at 26 cents a mile, even though it has only been driven for 69,938 miles. The hybrid car had no major maintenance.

In both cars, the cumulative fuel economy has remained fairly steady at 40 mpg over the years of ownership. The 2002 Prius, despite it's maintenance history came in at a lower total ownerhip cost per mile because of it's higher mileage.

I first saw this at greenhybrid.