On paper, they're not at all, but car buyers rarely buy after sitting down with a piece of paper and boxing out their options. The one key area of overlap is in

On paper, they're not at all, but car buyers rarely buy after sitting down with a piece of paper and boxing out their options. The one key area of overlap is in the image portrayed by Prius and Model S ownership. The study is pretty old (2004, I think), but J.D. Power found that the average income of a hybrid buyer was $100k/year versus $85k/year for the general market. They also found that 42% of hybrid owners make more than $100k per year. This means that a lot of Prius buyers have the means to own a Model S. The context in which a Tesla Model S gets cross-shopped against a Prius is in that both cars showcase the owners commitment to being "green". While it's a sub-segment of a segment, it's still a real comparison that happens all the time.