Ancient Nerd

I would happily give you further feedback, especially as my original information was probably meaningless. The car gives very little useful information for the PHV Prius, because you cannot usefully separate mpg and miles/kWh. However King's Cross is not an option for me. I very much look forward to the results if you can properly address the PHV issues. I actually have some fairly extensive fuel/electricity usage information for the Plug-in, although correlating daily electricity usage with the figures provided by the car is an interesting exercise.

Keith, Are you still using the original wiper blades? If so the rubber will have deteriorated over nearly three years. The rubber is almost always the problem. I had no problems with my Gen 4, but replaced the rubbers after around 18 months. I used refills from Toyota, supplied by Parts King as my local dealer doesn't keep them in stock. These were expensive, but better that the complete blades, which were a silly price. I am amazed that it has taken this long for Toyota to move to flat blades. I have usually ended up with problems using the old style blades, but never with flat types that I've used since having them as original fittings on a 2006 Honda Civic. I've mostly used the Bosch Aerotwin (good), but also one set of Honda blades (very good) and one set of cheap blades (rubbish - worked, but corroded). However, I don't know what the availability is like from third party suppliers, as they don't seem to have a standard fitting.

Is https://www.amazon.co.uk/EV-Charging-cable-meters-Type1/dp/B00YTWWYAO/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?adgrpid=64235148922&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsOaH796E4gIVSLDtCh1_YQGOEAAYAiAAEgIBr_D_BwE&hvadid=314035094071&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9045080&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t2&hvqmt=b&hvrand=17445462539473586916&hvtargid=kwd-317780446457&hydadcr=39_1867856&keywords=type+1+to+type+2+charging+cable&qid=1557071452&quartzVehicle=72-1783&replacementKeywords=type+1+to+type+charging+cable&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1 the sort of thing you are after? A Google search should come up with plenty of alternatives. I have no direct experience, as I have the current PHV with type 2 plug. I'm sure that if you contact a seller, they will confirm suitability. If they won't give you an answer, then that should tell you to look elsewhere. Cables are not cheap, and there is a lot of price variation, so research it well.

Gen 4 PHEV starts by default in EV mode. The ICE mostly, but not always, starts if you set demist mode, but not otherwise. I have usually got around 20 miles without the ICE starting when it is cold. On warmer days, this has gone over 30 miles. I never switch the aircon off, and usually have the temperature set to 21°C. I'm sure that the range could be improved, but I value my comfort too much. I don't think the same applies to the Gen 3 PHEV, as I think that requires the ICE for heating.

Don't forget the Gen 2 and Gen 3 Prius have the battery in the passenger space. You really don't want a conventional lead acid battery emptying battery acid in the event of a crash. It is well worth the extra cost of the AGM battery to prevent this.

OK Karim, I'll try to put a detailed description together. It may take a day or two. If you can create something that generates useful and compatible information for both petrol and electrical usage, for existing cars, it will be very much appreciated.

Completed, but has the look of Toyota GB, in that the fuel consumption is meaningful for the standard Prius, but irrelevant for the plug-in, where useable kWh information is only available from the charger. As with the long ago weasel warranty, I suspect that new owners will (might) gain, but existing owners will be ignored.

I bought a Gen 2 new in 2008. The following year, after 40,000 miles, I replaced it with a Gen 3, but the Gen 2 stayed within the family until 2014, with a mileage of 185,000. During that time, it needed: 3 new sets of tyres, all Michelin Energy Savers. The final set were far from needing replacement. 2 sets of brake pads and discs. 1 nearside front wheel bearing,replaced by a trusted local garage. It started using oil somewhere around 120,000. This came on suddenly, with around 2-3 litres needed between services. There was no sign of leakage, no smoke from the exhaust and no problems from the catalytic converter. I have no idea what was the cause - we just accepted the extra oil use. After 6 1/2 years, the original 12v battery was still OK. There was no sign of any degradation of the traction battery I think the build quality of the Gen 2 was noticeably better than subsequent models. This isn't really an answer to your original question, but I think that if you find a Gen 2 in good condition, then it is likely to give you good service. However, as with any car of that age, repair costs can be significant should they be needed.

Boot is English for trunk. (Two countries divided by a common language. 😂)

Seems appropriate. The boot is seriously puny.😊

I would say that the PHEV is noticeably better than the standard Gen4 on a long journey, despite all the extra weight. It is definitely not worse. As Jay says, the boot is a bit of a joke. It is not a problem for me, as there are just two of us, and I can always drop one of the rear seats if necessary for the main journey. As far as the charger is concerned, if you are paying for it yourself, which you will if buying used, don't use Chargemaster - or at least read the reviews on Trustpilot first. Far better to go for a good local installer. You still get the £500 OLEV grant, and the charger is a whole lot easier than using a granny cable.

If you have 5w30 oil instead of 0w20, then you will see a hit of a few mpg. It took a long time for dealers to get the message. However, a relative had their Auris HSD serviced a few months ago at our (under new ownership) dealer, and had 5w30 oil used. She would have taken it back for replacement if she hadn't px'd it for a Prius shortly afterwards. I avoid the problem by taking my own oil, which incidentally saves about £30 each time. As PeteB says, dealers always overfill the oil, as they take the Toyota figure as gospel. My dealer (also PeteB's) learned after I got them to take out the excess for the third time. The Gen3 and Gen4 only resulted in qround 5mm overfill, but the Gen2 was ridiculously over Tyres may have a even greater effect on mpg. As Jay says, the EU ratings are a pile of poo, mostly because (AFAIK) manufacturers do their own testing. My experience is of replacing a set of Michelin Primacys with Hankook Ventus Prime 2, which had a significantly better economy rating. In practice the Hankooks had 2-3 mpg worse fuel consumption, had much shorter life, as the tread pattern had vanished by 3 1/2 mm whereas the Michelins were still good at 2mm. All in all the cheaper tyres were much more expensive per mile than the Michelins.

I had a 2008 Gen 2 for 40,000 miles. My son took it over and took it to 185,000 miles when he PX'ed it for another Toyota hybrid in 2014. My replacement 2009 Gen 3 did 135,000 miles before I changed it, also in 2014. No problems and no sign of any reduction in capacity throughout their lives.

Get the correct battery from Toyota. I'm fairly certain that it is a gel battery, like the original. The battery for the Gen 2 is in the boot. So if the car is rear-ended and the battery cracks, then a conventional battery is likely to spray the occupants with battery acid. Not a nice thought.