We had a 2010 Prius which was totalled at 94,000 miles (someone rear-ended me doing 45 mph). I can tell you from personal experience that the crumple zones work; the back end of the car was crushed right up to the back seat. The frame bent at the rear passenger door, but the inside passenger compartment was intact.
We bought another Prius (2017). We have never had expenses beyond the normal maintenance and headlight/tire replacement (still under warranty with the 2017, but no problems). No problems with the battery AT ALL on either car. I am averaging 60 mpg on my current car. The 2017 model has EV, eco and power mode. For some uphill stuff (like driving through Shenandoah NP), the power mode was useful. 99% of the time, I don’t feel the need for power mode.
I am not a fan of the sight lines on the Prius – either model. The seats are low, so if you a hard time getting in and out of seats, that can be an issue.
Our other car is a 2011 Subaru Outback, 90k miles. Again, no problems other than routine maintenance. Seats are higher than the Prius. It has more of a “car” ride feel that the Forester, which is what we originally thought we were going to buy. The back storage configuration is slightly different, as well. It is the effective replacement for our Odyssey, and we have a Thule topper for hauling stuff for college, camping, etc.
We had an Accord, Odyssey and a CR-V before the current cars. Accord kept me virtually uninjured after bring t-boned at 45 mph. I LOVED our Odyssey. Still miss it. We had an old model CR-V, which was boxy and noisy. Did not love it, but my brother has the newer, larger version and the difference is night and day. We looked at Civic hybrids in 2010, and the battery arrangement seriously reduced the storage area and we could not fold down the rear seat. Deal-breaker for us. I assume they have restyled since.