Problem with passive defenses is their stupid low health imo
You can destroy an entire system of tank traps in like 20 seconds,when it takes you 3 minutes to set it up to where it'll actually effect anything
Sums it up, but...
...i still voted for "Dunno what's wrong with you I always spam wires and tank traps...", mostly via shift + x while capping, or especially when going for some braindead Sim City OKW play in 3v3+, while singing "Look at my fort, my fort is amazing..."
"Mini wiring" cover is always awesome in 2v2+ (and 1v1s probably too), a bit more "hardcore" is always an option as well, depending on map of course. Shutting down a flank is a nice to have feature, but i don't expect it to last forever, just because "reasons".
My personal favorite is still random placement of tank traps to screw with path finding, or to wire cover (which often doesn't seem to work properly for whatever intended reason).
Another reason why i sometimes don't use passive defenses:
the hotkeys are different between factions, and i start to get seriously annoyed by it.
P.S.: about Tellers and other mines... i'm a huge fan of those, so i'm not sure why those are included. One game it wastes your ammo, another it's the decisive factor. That's just how mines work.