Considering of shopping for a Toyota Prius? A Prius not solely saves you appreciable gasoline cash, nevertheless it additionally delivers relating to fashion, consolation, and efficiency. Higher but, it’s at all times good to know you’re doing all your half to avoid wasting the surroundings. What’s to not love?
However there’s one burning query that’s stopping you from shopping for one.
How lengthy will a hybrid battery final?
Extra to the purpose, does it include a Prius battery guarantee that gives sufficient protection to make the acquisition price it in the long term?
When you’re completed studying this text, you’ll know what to anticipate from a Prius battery when it comes to its lifespan, guarantee protection, and what your greatest choices are in case your hybrid battery fails after the guarantee interval.
In different phrases, you get all of the solutions it’s worthwhile to maximize your Toyota Prius possession expertise and to navigate higher your funds when you turn into a Prius proprietor.
Prepared? Let’s get the ball rolling.
How lengthy will a Prius battery final?
Many potential Prius house owners ask this query on a regular basis.
If we have been to present you a default reply it’d be, “so long as a typical automobile would final.”
Desire a extra particular reply? The overall consensus amongst Prius house owners is {that a} Prius battery would final round 8 to 10 years and between 120,000 to 160,000 miles.
Not dangerous, proper?
However like all issues in life, it relies upon.
On the finish of the day, a hybrid battery’s longevity relies on many components, such because the proprietor’s driving habits, the automobile’s age, utilization price, driving circumstances, and extra.
In the event you’re, say, a full-time Uber driver who drives over 1,000 miles per week, then chances are high you’re going to chop your Prius battery’s life expectancy in half.
Then again, preserving your Prius battery well-maintained and sustaining good driving habits can even go a good distance into extending your Prius battery’s lifespan.
No matter which spectrum you fall as a Prius proprietor, one factor’s for sure: you wish to prolong the shelf-life of your Prius hybrid battery for so long as potential.
With that stated, as a client, you deserve some type of assure from the automobile producer (Toyota) that the hybrid battery that comes along with your Prius will work as supposed, and that they’ll present the required repairs and replacements ought to the hybrid battery fail earlier than its time.
Which brings us to…
Toyota Prius Battery Guarantee: Protection
Shopping for a Toyota Prius, or any automobile for that matter, is a giant funding. And to guard that funding, it’s worthwhile to make it possible for what you’re shopping for comes with a beneficiant guarantee protection.
Fortunately, Toyota delivers on that finish.
For Toyota Prius fashions launched earlier than 2020, you get a guaranty battery protection of 10 years or 150,000 miles in states which have adopted California emission legal guidelines, and eight years or 100,000 miles in states that comply with federal requirements.
Additionally, Toyota has lately supplied an prolonged guarantee. Beginning with 2020-year-models, Toyota has elevated the protection for all hybrid automobiles from 8 years or 100,000 miles, to 10 years from the date of first use, or 150,000 miles whichever comes first.
In case your hybrid battery dies on you earlier than the guarantee expires, all it’s worthwhile to do is take your automobile to a Toyota dealership they usually’ll provide you with a battery substitute and even set up it for you without cost! Can’t get any extra simple than that.
For extra details about your Toyota Prius’s battery guarantee protection, please check with your Guarantee and Upkeep Information or give your Toyota dealership a name.
Your Prius Battery guarantee has expired—what now?
As soon as your guarantee has expired, all repairs will probably be your monetary accountability.
Yep, scary thought. However what you are able to do is decelerate the degradation of your hybrid battery by way of good driving habits and common upkeep. Taking off slowly, stopping slowly, preserving the battery energy degree to underneath 80% however no decrease than 35%—all these preventive measures can go a good distance into prolonging the lifespan of your Prius battery. Extra importantly, it’s worthwhile to be at all times looking out for indicators of battery failure and deal with them shortly.
Listed below are telltale indicators of a failing hybrid battery to look out for:
- Unusual engine noises. When the battery is underperforming, the ICE (inside combustion engine) tends to choose up the slack, which causes the weird noises.
- Decreased MPG. If there’s a sudden drop in MPG, that might imply your hybrid battery isn’t charging to full capability.
- Fluctuations in state of cost. Massive swings in your state of cost may point out points along with your battery.
- Dramatic drops in battery bars. A sudden drop in battery bars could possibly be an indication that your battery is dropping its capability.
In case your hybrid battery is experiencing any of the above signs, it’s time that you’ve it checked.
Restore or exchange, that’s the query
When you have your Prius battery checked, it’s time so that you can determine whether or not to have it repaired or changed.
Hybrid battery repairs
A couple of broken cells account for many early hybrid battery failures. Bear in mind, a hybrid battery includes many cells. When just a few cells are broken, it doesn’t make monetary sense to exchange your complete hybrid battery cell. So why not simply exchange those which have been broken? Nevertheless, It gained’t do to solely exchange the broken cells, you additionally have to stability the battery pack to make sure the battery’s longevity.
If the broken cells are greater than a handful, changing all of them isn’t the most effective plan of action, both. You may as properly exchange your complete battery cell proper? Nevertheless, when you don’t have the funds to purchase a brand new hybrid battery, the following greatest (or cheaper) choice is to do a hybrid battery reconditioning/rejuvenation, which is completed by charging and balancing the battery’s cells. In a approach, it’s like respiration new life into your hybrid battery.
However thoughts you, a reconditioned battery isn’t the identical as a brand new battery. It’s extremely unlikely {that a} reconditioned battery will final so long as a brand new battery. Consider battery reconditioning as a approach so that you can prolong the lifespan of your battery (it can provide you an estimated 60,000 further miles). The largest draw of battery reconditioning is that it means that you can prolong the shelf-life of your Prius battery by paying solely a fraction of the worth of a brand new hybrid battery.
Hybrid battery substitute: prices and concerns
Generally, the higher choice is to only exchange the hybrid battery altogether, particularly in case your Prius battery is over 10 years previous. As a result of on the finish of the day, a brand new hybrid battery will at all times be higher than a repaired one.
That does beg the query:
How a lot would it not price you to purchase a brand new hybrid battery?
To reply that, it’s a must to ask the next questions:
- What’s the make and mannequin of your hybrid automobile?
- The place are you shopping for it from?
What’s the make and mannequin of your Prius automobile?
When shopping for a Prius battery from a Toyota dealership, count on to spend between $3k and $4—labor or set up prices not included.
To provide you an thought, right here’s a listing of varied hybrid Toyota fashions since 2001 (these are dealership costs):
2001-2003 Toyota Prius (1st technology) – $3,649
2004-2009 Toyota Prius (2nd technology) – $3,939
2010-2011 Toyota Prius (third technology) – $4,080
2012-2015 Toyota Prius Liftback – $3,939
2012-2016 Toyota Prius V – $3,939
2012-2016 Toyota Prius C – $3,807
As you’ll be able to see, dealership costs aren’t precisely low-cost. Toyota dealerships are infamous for charging excessive costs. Which isn’t stunning contemplating large corporations like Toyota have tight margins and excessive overhead prices.
Nevertheless, you continue to wish to give your Toyota supplier a name to see what choices they’ve on provide. Apart from, shopping for from a Toyota dealership feels extra “official,” which can provide you some peace of thoughts. In the event you don’t thoughts the fee, shopping for a substitute hybrid battery from a Toyota dealership isn’t a foul name.
Shopping for from a personal vendor
If spending not less than $3k for a substitute hybrid battery is out of the query, fret not! You should purchase one for half the worth from a personal vendor or a hybrid specialty store. After all, you don’t simply go for the most cost effective battery out there. You wish to rating one from a vendor you’ll be able to belief, and who has a good monitor report for promoting dependable hybrid battery items. And for apparent causes, it’s at all times a good suggestion to search out an unbiased store that has a extremely educated and skilled hybrid mechanic.
Extra importantly, you wish to make it possible for the vendor you’re shopping for from gives a beneficiant Prius battery guarantee. Why? As a result of a Prius battery guarantee is a seal of belief between you and the vendor. It’s proof that they stand behind their product, that the hybrid battery they’re promoting you has been manufactured with the utmost care and with the best requirements in thoughts.
Ultimate Phrase
Toyota Prius automobiles are identified for his or her reliability, security, and efficiency, and shopping for one is without doubt one of the nice investments you can also make as a automobile proprietor.
A Prius battery guarantee serves as a superb basis for maximizing that funding. In any case, you wish to be sure to’re coated ought to your hybrid automobile have points and defects in the course of the preliminary possession interval. And in case your hybrid battery goes out of guarantee and begins to fail? It’s good to know there are various out there choices on the market which might be extra financially prudent and sustainable than what you’ll get from Toyota dealerships.
Want a refurbished or a brand new Prius hybrid battery? Ensure to take a look at our choices. Purchase one in all our new hybrid batteries and revel in our unique 4-year guarantee!
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