Car Battles

2012 Prius Plug-in vs 2012 Nissan Leaf

At Jerry’s we love a little friendly debate. One topic that came up between two of our sales associates was as to who would win if the 2012 Prius plug-in was matched up against the 2012 Nissan Leaf. After a little “friendly” debate, we decided to put the two to the test. So without further ado…Ladies and Gentlemen it’s time for the battle of the electric vehicles!

2012 Nissan Leaf (left) vs 2012 Prius Plug-in

In order to do this fairly we are going to judge the two vehicles on different categories: Each vehicle’s Hybrid Synergy Drive capabilities, their upscale features and the safety and security features for each model.

Round 1: Hybrid Synergy Drive

-          Two Cars in one:  Both models are drivable solely on EV mode for short day to day trips (EV mode refers to a mode of vehicle operation that is dependent on energy from the battery pack) but the Prius Plug-in is better at longer or more challenging trips. Those with unpredictably long commutes, or who live in more rural settings where it's hard enough to find a bathroom let alone a 220-volt outlet, should probably set their green ambitions on a plug-in hybrid like the 2012 Toyota Prius plug-in or the Chevrolet Volt.

-          Driving Range: the Leaf’s defined driving range (from 68 miles to 138 miles) means that a driver may have to calculate trip distances before they make them, meanwhile the Prius Plug-in has the same driving range of a regular car (about 300 miles).

-          Charging time: This is an important part of round one as one of the pet peeves we had with electric cars was their charge time. This time the Prius Plug-in again takes the cake as it fuels in minutes and charges in about 3 hours (you can get the charge time down to 1.5 hours If you have installed a dedicated 220V Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment outlet). The Nissan Leaf takes between 7-20 hours to charge depending on the voltage used.

Round 1 Winner: Prius Plug-in- The results of round 1 speak for themselves and puts the 2012 Prius Plug in the lead. Now its time for round 2!

Round 2: Upscale Features: Just because we want to be green doesn’t mean we don’t like a little bit of luxury in our vehicles. So for round 2 we decided to take a look at their features and see who pulls the win for round 2.  

-         Internal features:   Both models come equipped with Bluetooth, Back up cameras, a Navigation system, Ipod/USB plug in capabilities. The Prius has voice recognition and a touch screen sound system which the Leaf does not. On the other hand the Leaf does offer a heated steering wheel and heated front and back seats versus the Prius’ heated front seats.

-         High tech Driving Experience/Comfort features: This category doesn’t just reflect a vehicles powertrain. High tech features that help improve the driving experience and add to the car’s comfort and experience are very important, and in this category is again in the Prius’ court due to the following features.

	Prius Plug-in	Leaf
Steering Wheel-mounted HVAC controls	Standard	N/A
Telescoping steering wheel	Standard	N/A
Touch Tracer display	Touch Tracer Display	N/A
Safety Connect	Standard on Advanced	N/A
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control	Standard on Advanced	N/A
Back up Camera	Standard	Available on SV, Standard on SL.

-          Mobile Apps: With the rise in popularity of Mobile Apps, it was nice to see that the Prius Plug-in comes standard with Entune, Toyota’s system that allows access to popular mobile applications and data services. The Nissan Leaf doesn’t have a comparable system. The Prius Plug-in has access to Bing, iHeartRadio, MovieTicket.com, Open Table and Pandora. The Nissan Leaf does not have any of these available which leaves something missing when compared to the Plug-in’s impressive array of mobile apps.

Round 2 Winner: Prius Plug-In- this one was a close call until we analized the Prius mobile app capabilities and their driving features which topple the Leaf’s.

Round 3: Safety and Security Features- Safety is very important. So let’s see how these two faired?

-          The 2012 Nissan Leaf comes standard with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front side airbags and side curtain airbags. Every 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid comes standard with all of those features and also offers a driver knee airbag and hill start assist. The Advanced Plug-in also has an additional pre-collision warning system, which is not available on any Leaf model.

Round 3 Winner: Prius Plug-in- The Prius was a no brainer in this category as it had all of the same safety and security features as the Leaf and then some.

Verdict- Well folks, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in has this one in the bag. It went above and beyond the Leaf in every category matched. While the 2012 Nissan Leaf seems like a great buy, it does not match up to the Prius Plug-in. For this vehicle face off of the electric vehicles we give the 2012 Prius Plug-in the victory!

Come to Jerry’s Toyota at 8001 Belair Rd Baltimore, MD 21236 or call us at (877) 427-6511 and check out our incredible selections of Prius models!  http://jerrystoyota.com.