Battery packs are currently rumoured to be in the £3k range and last 8-10 years or 150-200K miles. But when you think about it, if the battery lasts for 8-10 years then £3k for another 8-10 years is not a lot. In fact it's a lot less than the depreciation on most new cars in the first 6-9 months (or less).
Automatic transmission was a big factor in my decision as I have problems with my left knee which makes it painful to press a clutch pedal sometimes, especially in traffic. I had a Mk3 Mondeo TDCi manual which gave me 40 mpg winter and 45mpg summer on my 3 mile commute to work and near 60 mpg best on a long run (55mpg at 70mph on motorways), until my knee problem. But it was like sitting on a time bomb, was the DMF going to fail, were the injectors going to go out of code etc. I then upgraded to Mk4 2.0 TDCi Auto which gave me 28 mpg winter and 32 mpg summer on my commute and 55 mpg best on a run (nearer 50 mpg at motorway speeds). But as you probably know the Mk4 Mondeo is a large cumbersome car and although it handled well when pushed, it always felt as if it was straining to pull the bulk of it about and the DPF filter was always in the back of my mind, was I going to block it with my regular short runs.
The Prius has everything I need for my short commute (except the heated front screen I miss from the Mondeos) and is the easiest car in the world to drive. It has more rear legroom than the Mondeo did even though it's smaller and it's quicker than the Auto Mondeo (except top speed) especially from a standstill, it can suprise many boy racers if I'm in the mood ;0)
I will admit that if I had to do many motorway miles everyday then a small diesel would be my choice every time, but doing 6K miles of short urban with the odd run to the seaside, then it has to be the Prius.
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