Besides using the least fuel, the Prius:
1. Is made in a zero landfill factory.
2. The plastic components are almost all bio-plastics.
3. The Prius is designed for easy recycling. For instance, the wiring harness pulls out so the copper can be easily recycled.
4. The traction battery (large battery) is made from nickel mined from an mine that wins environmental awards.
5. The traction battery is almost 100% recyclable.
6. The traction battery is less toxic than a lead-acid battery.
7. Toyota pays a $200 bounty on the traction battery to insure that it will be recycled.
8. The auxiliary 12V battery is much smaller than that on an old fashioned car, so there are less toxic materials used.
9. The Prius is PZEV (practically zero emissions vehicle) rated. Only a fully electric car pollutes less.
Having said all that, no car is good for the environment, the Prius is just better than most.
The Prius is also roomy, low maintenance, reliable, and fun-to-drive. It has advanced safety features such as vehicle stability control (a system which prevents doughnuts in slippery conditions if you are going anything like a reasonable speed for the conditions). The 2010 optionally has radar pre-collision, radar cruise control, lane keep, etc.
I have both a 2001 and a 2004 Prius, they have been exceptionally good cars. I'm tempted to upgrade to the 2010 but they are both still performing so well that it's a temptation I can resist. If one or the other needed to be replaced, I'd get a 2010 for sure.
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