1. More expensive than an equivalent ICE car
2. Less environmentally friendly than an EV
3. More complicated than either
4. Harder to fix when something goes wrong because now you have two powertrains crammed in one package
5. Zero cool factor
The Prius is one of the most reliable cars on the market. This whole EV = less complex = more reliable idea is way overrated by the EV community.
If its Volvo style PHEV then yes, correct. It has normal ICE and gearbox on front and electric motor on rear.
If it's Toyota style PHEV then no. Because then the comparison is not a gasoline car with gearbox etc but it's Toyota's classic hybrids that started with Prius. You basically just take that kind of hybrid, slap in a bigger battery and you're done. They already have electric motors in them instead of traditional gearbox.
5. Case in point: RAV4 Prime. That thing is cool.
Yes, it adds more complexity but it also gets you something you can't get with an all electric - hundreds of miles of range in minutes with a simple gas tank fill up.
Yes, it would be great if the technology was mature enough to go pure EV. But batteries and power delivery for them isn't there for the vast majority of people. So rather than stick our heads in the sand, what's wrong with transitional technology while we work on plugging the gaps?
Our new inability to compromise is going to be the death of western society :p
That doesn't work on a hybrid, because the big battery is often drained during normal operation, and you have to worry about the fuel going stale.
Random example, no affiliation: https://no.co/products/power/jumpstarters
a) the Volt keeps about 10% battery charge unavailable for driving. To help maintain the battery and also for the purpose you mention.
b) the Volt keeps track of when you last ran the ICE, and runs it every few months on a "maintenance cycle" to keep the fuel and fuel system from going stale