I realise that MANY people choose not to by a Prius for many reasons. Many of these people are misinformed when it comes to the many myths that surround hybrids like battery replacement and production issues. If these myths were corrected, there may be many more happy hybrid owners on the road.
Even if you want a hybrid, there are other choices that may be better than a Prius for some.
If I was in the market for a hybrid (I'm not...) I would likely choose a Fusion Hybrid over a Prius. The dull, boring, anonymous styling of the Fusion would allow me to blend into traffic and slip by unnoticed without attracting attention from fanboys and haters.
While the Fusion Hybrid uses a bit more fuel than a Prius, I expect it has better driving dynamics. I've never driven the Fusion Hybrid, but I've driven a number of Fusions and they are quite fun to drive - especially in 3.5 Sport AWD trim. The Fusion is also a larger, more comfortable car.
While the Fusion interior is nothing special, I've spent enough time riding in Vancouver taxi cabs to know I would much rather sit inside a Fusion than a Prius.
Plus I own and have had 4 in my family starting from 2001, so I can speak from first hand experience for the lack of maintenance required and the low overall cost of ownership.
The Prius has pretty good reliability stats - but it is hardly unique in this regard. In fact, ~most~ modern cars are pretty reliable these days.
If ownership costs are important there are other, better, choices. As someone else pointed out, a Civic sedan offers lower ownership cost. I suspect if you were to find a leftover, new, unloved, deeply discounted Cobalt you could get even lower ownership costs right now if you pay (not very much) cash for it up front, and drive it for five years until the warranty is done. You will pay very little for fuel and maintenance, and could probably still get $5k for it when you are finished with it.
Not enough information is known about the Volt - its not on the road yet. I'm following the story but there is still lots of conflicting information.
Initial reviews are quite promising:
Review: 2011 Chevrolet Volt | The Truth About Cars
Review: 2011 Chevrolet Volt Take Two | The Truth About Cars
A "conventional" hybrid such as a Fusion or a Prius would likely be a better choice for Taxi duty, but for a private car that sits parked 90% of the time a plug hybrid looks like a better choice. Folks that have a commute of less than 60km round trip will use little or no gas in their day to day commute, but still have the option of longer trips with decent fuel economy.
It looks like Nissan will have an interesting all-electric offer soon and I hope its launch in Canada comes soon.
Nissan LEAF Electric Car | Home | Nissan Canada Official Site
Range and recharging time are pretty big limitations to a pure EV. For most private users, a plug hybrid such as the Volt will be a better choice than a Leaf.
An EV can make sense as a third or fourth car used *only* for commuting where the daily mileage will be well within it's limited range. I expect there will be a place for EVs, but I doubt they will be able to replace ICE powered cars.
As an aside, there is some interesting work on EVs being done right here in Calgary by these folks:
MOTIVE INDUSTRIES INC. Driving Innovation
Bottom line: There are many good reasons for even informed, environmentally aware consumers to choose something other than a Prius. My shoes fit me well - that doesn't mean you should get a pair...