The new Prius is probably larger & faster and meets more safety & emissions standards as well.
And it will get much better fuel economy than the Civic as soon as traffic gets bad or some city driving is required.
Picking highway MPG cherry picks the solution that makes the Hybrid or EV look the worst compared to the traditional ICE car.
Not that the Civic is/was a bad car. But all cars are a lot bigger and safer than they were, so it's almost always cherry picking to go back and take an example of an old fuel efficient car. A lot of those old cars could not pass modern emissions or safety testing, they got their good fuel economy by being a) Slow b) Light. A big part of light was not having extra mass for safety or emissions. On top of all that the mileage ratings for cars have also changed, so you can't even directly compare the ratings for an old civic with a new one.
To be fair, the EPA changed the way they calculate mileage ratings in 2006 (affecting window stickers in 2008), so the 2012 Civic is a valid-ish comparison. Also, I chose the most efficient Civic available, which was the hybrid model.
I do wholeheartedly agree with you, though. Even when cherry picking data (highway mpg's, ignoring miles driven in EV mode, choosing the most efficient Civic) and ignoring other factors (larger, safer, lower emissions), the Prius Prime is much more efficient. I think plugin hybrids have their place.
And it will get much better fuel economy than the Civic as soon as traffic gets bad or some city driving is required.
Picking highway MPG cherry picks the solution that makes the Hybrid or EV look the worst compared to the traditional ICE car.
Not that the Civic is/was a bad car. But all cars are a lot bigger and safer than they were, so it's almost always cherry picking to go back and take an example of an old fuel efficient car. A lot of those old cars could not pass modern emissions or safety testing, they got their good fuel economy by being a) Slow b) Light. A big part of light was not having extra mass for safety or emissions. On top of all that the mileage ratings for cars have also changed, so you can't even directly compare the ratings for an old civic with a new one.