How Many Miles Can A Prius Last?

Last Updated on January 7, 2023 by Leepu Da Maxim

The Toyota Prius is a fuel-efficient hybrid car and service life is one of its best aspects. With normal driving, regular maintenance, and proper care it is possible to get 200,000 miles.

Lifespan For Each Prius Model

Prius Models	Miles
2020 Toyota Prius	200,000 miles
2020 Toyota Prius Prime	250,000 miles
2019 Toyota Prius C / CL / CLE	250,000 – 300,000 miles
2012-2015 Toyota Prius V	120,000 – 150,000 miles

Is It Worth Replacing The Prius Battery?

One of the four-door electric sedans that has been on the U.S. market for more than 20 years is the Toyota Prius. In this case, it is a hybrid vehicle that has been chosen by a wide variety of older or younger drivers. This vehicle has the potential to provide a long life. 

In some cases, owners claim that it can enjoy a life span that would reach 300,000 miles in some cases. Also, this same lifetime can provide 10 years of use without any inconvenience. Of course, this requires responsible for driving along with a good level of vehicle maintenance. Some of the reasons why drivers choose this car are

1. Highly Innovative Technology

2. Excellent Safety Features

3. Comfortable And Spacious Interior Design

4. Excellent Visibility

5. Large Luggage Loading Space

6. An Optimal Level Of Driving In Different Places

7. Highly Intuitive Controls

8. Bluetooth Connectivity And USB Ports

9. Stereo System And Voice Commands

In general, owners of this vehicle have an excellent warranty that covers 100,000 or 150,000 miles. So here is a free replacement for any battery that stops working within this time. Owners of this vehicle who cannot use this warranty are faced with the dilemma of whether it is worth buying a new battery.

Sometimes it is easy to notice that the battery performance begins to decline significantly. In particular, the warning light on the dashboard is combined with the reduced performance of various vehicle functions. Some important points should be mentioned below. 

1. Battery Compression

Of course, the design of a hybrid battery on this vehicle is very similar to other batteries. So, the big feature here is that it is a battery that allows your vehicle to go several kilometers. So, it is a rechargeable battery with a great capacity among all the bacteria that exist.

In particular, hybrid vehicles combine a battery-electric propulsion system with a classic internal combustion engine. In this case, both systems work in a coordinated and stable way to offer excellent fuel and electricity performance. Besides, emissions and carbon footprint are reduced here as well. 

So, this vehicle is ready to take care of the environment and at the same time allow you to save some money on fuel. The person who decides to drive the Toyota Prius for 15 miles per hour will notice that the vehicle only uses the electric motor. Here this source of energy is more than sufficient since it is not a question of great power or speed.

On the other hand, this vehicle uses an internal combustion gasoline engine when the driver travels at a stable and normal speed. At the same time, the vehicle needs to increase the power of the wheels during the trip. So, to achieve this here too the systems of the gasoline engine and the electric motor work together. 

Each of these systems has a certain amount of torque. So, split power transmission is needed to take advantage of the two torque powers. Even here, regenerative braking is included as part of the vehicle’s overall intelligent system. In this case, this function is activated when the speed is reduced or the driver decides to stop the vehicle.

Here, the rotating wheels will allow the generator to be powered at this time. So, the kinetic energy of the vehicle allows the creation of electricity that is stored back in the battery. So, this vehicle can count on a high level of energy efficiency and not just fuel efficiency. 

The electric motor shuts down next to the gasoline engine when the car comes to a complete stop. Also, the energy from the battery is used for heating, air conditioning, cabin light, radio, and other auxiliary systems. 

2. Hybrid Battery Life

As mentioned by many owners of this vehicle, battery life can vary considerably. In principle, it is necessary to consider Toyota’s warranty when purchasing this vehicle. Of course, it is necessary to consider the conditions the vehicle must go through at the time of operation.

So, too much cold weather or too much heat could shorten the battery life. Along with this, the distance the driver must travel each trip is also important. Even if the vehicle is used every day in adverse weather conditions, this could also have an influence.

Either way, Toyota’s battery warranty offers 150,000 miles or 10 years. In particular, this warranty can be found in some states that have emissions laws. One of the most important examples of this is certainly the state of California. When referring to other states, the battery warranty varies considerably.

In these cases, the battery coverage for this model car is 8 years or 100,000 miles. So owners who are faced with a depleted battery in this period can purchase a brand new unit from the manufacturer.

3. Comparison With Other Hybrid Vehicles

In these times, there is a wide variety of hybrid and other battery-electric vehicles. Beyond that, Toyota Prius has been one of the first hybrid vehicles to be commercialized and popularized on a massive scale. So, today this manufacturer continues to face competition and innovative technological developments.

Either way, today you can find plug-in hybrid vehicles and complete hybrid vehicles. The battery charge is very different in each of these vehicles. This is the main difference that many users consider before buying any of them. In particular, energy extraction from the brakes and the gasoline engine is required for complete hybrid vehicles.

On the other hand, plug-in hybrid vehicles require an outlet to be able to charge the battery. This vehicle model includes a battery composed of 28 nickel-metal hydride modules from Panasonic. Each of them has 6 cells of 1.2 volts that are connected in series. Thus, a total of 201.6 volts is produced here. 

Compared to other vehicles, we can notice that the Lexus RX 400h has a capacity of 500 volts. So, today Toyota Prius is not the most formidable hybrid vehicle on the market. We can mention this without considering the efficiency of battery electric vehicles.

4. Main Problems Of The Toyota Prius Battery

Since this is a vehicle that has been in use for more than 20 years, there are some common problems with the battery here. So, considering these problems can be important for any user.

1. Fewer Miles Per Gallon: When this vehicle’s battery starts to fail, the fuel efficiency decreases as well. So, here the vehicle will need a greater amount of gasoline for the same trip as before.

2. Unbalanced Operation: This is especially true of the internal combustion engine, which runs more than the electric motor. So, the internal combustion engine has to compensate for the malfunctioning of the electric motor.

3. Energy Loss: The energy bars in the vehicle’s display can be lost for no apparent reason. When there is an abnormal power loss, it means that the battery is damaged or failed for some reason.

4. Unusual Noises: Of course, unusual sounds inside your vehicle’s engine are symptoms of some problems. Usually, the engine runs excessively when the vehicle’s battery is simply failing.

5. Battery Replacement Costs 

When we don’t include labor costs, a homeowner may need between $2,200 and $4,100 for a new Toyota hybrid battery. On the other hand, a used or refurbished battery for the Toyota Prius could cost $1,500 and up. Of course, you get a much more limited life when you buy a used hybrid battery.

Along with that, some owners may decide to go for a total upgrade of the Toyota Prius. In particular, today there are some upgrades and advantages that new models can offer Toyota fans. Of course, the cost of a new or used battery is not the only concept to be included in the total budget.

In this case, labor could be expensive and in fact, sometimes an additional fee is included for this type of work. In general, it takes approximately 2 to 3 hours to replace a Toyota Prius battery. However, any professional mechanic is not trained to perform this task.

So, this means that there is a smaller pool of mechanics who specialize in replacing Toyota Prius batteries. This can undoubtedly lead to increased costs since you won’t be able to find many mechanics to take care of this task. 

In short, when an owner’s Toyota Prius is too old, the best choice might be to purchase a new Toyota Prius model. However, when this vehicle is not very old perhaps the best option would be to replace the battery only.

References:

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/how-many-miles-will-a-toyota-prius-last/

https://www.motor1.com/news/539563/toyota-prius-high-mileage-engine/