Two of our best friends have leased several Prius automobiles. They lease them because they like to have new cars. They were visiting and I asked them how their current Prius was working out. He responded that it was the best “investment” that he had ever made... that it saved them so much money at the gas pump that it was “unbelievable”. He said that he had just taken the car in for its 5,000-mile servicing, and it passed with no issues. He said that it was amazing that after two years that the car had no problems at all.
This was in approximately 2010, The car never made it to its 10,000-mile servicing while they owned it because they traded it in for another new leased Prius. For someone who commutes 85 miles a day I am certain that a Prius is a good choice. For our retired friends who live half a mile from a mall and grocery store and travel further only sporadically it probably makes less sense, but they love them anyway. And it is like that with many people who own electric vehicles as well. Neither would work well for my situation because I have been renovating a 120-year-old house which is over 30 miles away for the last several years. I need something that can pull a trailer and carry building materials and tools. Our 2001 Astro Van has served us well. We bought it used for much less than the price of a Prius.
I did an Excel trade study of Prius vs. Corolla around 2005 and for me the break even point was gasoline at $6.45/gal, so I am not sure my friend ever really got his money back. He is not now, nor was he ever, an environmental whack job, but I guess he felt a smidgen of guilt about the long commute. His job moved about 30 miles south, and he bought a home even further south to be nearer to his parents and siblings. When the job moved back north, he kept his home. He still lives there. He retired in 2018, shortly after getting his second Prius.