The Toyota Prius is a hybrid vehicle capable of running continuously solely on electric power for only one mile, which also requires that the Prius be moving at low speeds. The Prius has four equipment levels, although they all share an identical powertrain.

 Power and Performance: The Prius is a hybrid vehicle, which uses a constantly shifting mix of electric and gasoline power. The Chevrolet Volt is a real electric vehicle that uses electricity to provide its power all the time. This allows the Chevy Volt to travel 35 miles in all-electric zero-emission mode before uses its gasoline powered generator. The Prius can only accomplish fully electric operations with zero-emissions for 1 mile and it must do so at low speeds. The horsepower rating of the Volt is 149. That is 15 more horsepower than the Prius’ 134 horsepower rating. This allows the Volt to do 0-60 mph in under nine seconds as opposed to the Prius, which takes almost 10 seconds to do the same thing. The battery used in the Prius is made of nickel-hydride. The Volt uses a lithium-ion battery, which stores more electricity, is safer and also better for the environment. The steering system in the Volt is also superior to the Prius due to the electric power steering motor being mounted directly to the steering racks. Volt’s also come standard with 17” wheels whereas only the most expensive Prius comes with 17” wheels. 

Comfort and Convenience: The Volt offers the Chevrolet MyLink system with voice recognition and direct connectivity to online programs such as Pandora. The Prius offers nothing comparable to this. The Chevy Volt has more hip and shoulder room than the Prius, which makes for a more comfortable ride, a standard remote start and keyless access system. The Prius has these features in a limited form, available only on its more expensive models.  
Safety and Security: The Volt has 8 airbags standard while the Prius has only 7. In crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Volt has easily outperformed the Toyota Prius. Included among the universal safety superiority of the Volt over the Prius is the Volt’s 5-star roll-over rating as opposed to the Prius’ 4-star rating. One of the many factors contributing to its superior safety over the Prius is the Volt’s 500-740 pounds of extra weight over the Prius, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says is a key factor is better safety over lighter counterparts.

 Quality, Reliability and Durability: The engine of the Volt uses a cast iron block as opposed the Prius’ aluminum engine block. Aluminum is much more prone to warping and cracking than cast iron. Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Volt 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Prius. The powertrain warranty on the Chevy Volt is 40,000 miles longer than the protection offered by the Prius; the Volt’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Prius’; and finally, there are roughly 4 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Toyota dealers. This makes getting your vehicle serviced by a Chevrolet warranty much easier than getting service for a Prius.

 Awards: J.D. Power and Associates rated the Volt first among compact cars in owner reported satisfaction. The Prius has yet to make it into the top three. The Volt was picked as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” in 2011. Motor Trend chose the Volt as 2011 Car of the Year. The Volt earned 2011 Car of the Year by Automobile Magazine.

 We all know at Art Gamblin Motors that the Chevrolet Volt totally outperforms the Toyota Prius in every way. But we invite you to come see this for yourself by test-driving a new Chevy Volt with us in Enumclaw Washington. You can’t find a friendlier pressure-free sales environment than Art Gamblin Motors. We have been family owned and operated for more than 40 years; so all of our expert sales associates are committed to treating every customer like family. Discover the difference here at Art Gamblin Motors and find out why we are the top online rated Chevrolet dealer in the state!