Why did I get a Clarity...to answer that I need to first answer why I got a car now (last June), why a PHEV, why not a BEV or HEV and specifically why the Clarity.
I didn't expect to replace my 2016 Kia Sorento for another 5-10 years. However, it had the same recurring problem every year, the AC died, and the warranty was about 2k miles from expiring (I drive around 20k miles a year, I got my 2016 in June 2015), and AC problems can be expensive. So, I started thinking about a new car. The final straw was when the dealer decided that this time the AC problems were not under warranty and were caused by my trailer wiring (yeah right) and it cost me $6500. At that point I was disgusted by the car and the dealer and I wanted out of the Sorento.
The last time my Sorento had its AC issues, they had trouble finding the issue. It was in and out of the dealer several times, so, over the last 2-3 months of ownership, I had three different rentals, one of which I had for a month. All the rentals were Corollas. While the Sorento is pretty fuel efficient for an SUV, I really liked getting 30+ MPG instead of 20-24. Also, I had sold my pop up camper so I didn't really need the SUV anymore.
So, after the Corolla rentals, I was sold on the idea of a fuel efficient car. However, I hit stop and go traffic every day on my commute. I hated watching my MPGs ticking down on the trip computer in every traffic jam. So, I started thinking a hybrid would be the way to go. I didn't consider any kind of plug in (I live in an apartment where I can't plug in). However, when I realized I could run a PHEV as a hybrid most of the time, I saw that the Prius Prime and Ioniq PHEV get about the same MPGs as the HEV versions, and I saw there was a tax credit from both the feds and Maryland, I started looking primarily at PHEVs.
I was initially leaning towards the Ioniq. The Ioniq PHEV is a pretty negligible amount more than the HEV. In fact, it comes with enough extra stuff over the HEV, that it can be seen as a trim line with a reasonable price difference even without the tax rebates (and ignoring the PHEV feature). Then, with the tax incentives, it is actually cheaper than the base HEV. I loved the idea of 50+ MPG when running as a hybrid, and didn't mind the 29 miles of electric range (until I got one, I envisioned driving a PHEV primarily as a hybrid and not an EV, so the higher hybrid MPG over the Clarity was a plus, as was the larger gas tank). However, Ioniq PHEVs are pretty rare around here and I couldn't find one to test drive within a reasonable drive. The Kia Niro is mechanically the same car, but the small SUV body style causes it to lose about 5-10MPG v. the Ioniq. Also, the Niro is more money and would have cost me the same pre-tax incentives as my base Clarity, and the Clarity has higher tax incentives due to the larger battery.
I drove the Prius Prime, but I just didn't like it as much as the Clarity. I didn't really consider the Volt or the BMW i3. I assumed the Asian cars would be more reliable. Also, the i3 Rex is more an electric car with a small range extender than a true PHEV with the 600cc engine and just over 2 gallon tank. Plus both get low mileage for a hybrid when running primarily on gas.
I got the Clarity as the best overall package. Good size, decent hybrid mileage, small but workable gas tank (I almost didn't get it since 7 gallons is pretty small and since I didn't think I'd plug in much I thought I'd be at the gas station quite a bit), decent price, good equipment/luxury levels (though I'd love a sunroof), and great tax incentives. I do live in an area with a good charger infrastructure. I planned to stop once or twice a week to charge my car. In reality I charge it at least once every two days, and often stop to charge it (at least partially) daily so I get a lot more mileage on a tank than I planned (I usually average and effective 80-100MPG on a tank).
