Pondering of shopping for a Toyota Prius? A Prius not solely saves you appreciable gasoline cash, however it additionally delivers in relation to model, consolation, and efficiency. Higher but, it’s at all times good to know you’re doing all your half to save lots of 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 value it in the long term?
When you’re carried out 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 you could maximize your Toyota Prius possession expertise and to navigate higher your funds should you develop 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 provide you a default reply it’d be, “so long as a typical automobile would final.”
Need a extra particular reply? The final 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 unhealthy, proper?
However like all issues in life, it relies upon.
On the finish of the day, a hybrid battery’s longevity is dependent upon many components, such because the proprietor’s driving habits, the automobile’s age, utilization price, driving circumstances, and extra.
Should you’re, say, a full-time Uber driver who drives over 1,000 miles per week, then likelihood is you’re going to chop your Prius battery’s life expectancy in half.
Alternatively, conserving your Prius battery well-maintained and sustaining good driving habits may 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 lengthen the shelf-life of your Prius hybrid battery for so long as attainable.
With that mentioned, 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, you could guarantee that 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 observe federal requirements.
Additionally, Toyota has just 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 you could do is take your automobile to a Toyota dealership and so they’ll offer you a battery alternative and even set up it for you without spending a dime! Can’t get any extra easy than that.
For extra details about your Toyota Prius’s battery guarantee protection, please seek advice from 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 likely be your monetary duty.
Yep, scary thought. However what you are able to do is decelerate the degradation of your hybrid battery via good driving habits and common upkeep. Taking off slowly, stopping slowly, conserving the battery energy degree to below 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, you could be at all times looking out for indicators of battery failure and deal with them rapidly.
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 will not be 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 may very well be an indication that your battery is shedding 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 resolve whether or not to have it repaired or changed.
Hybrid battery repairs
Just a few broken cells account for many early hybrid battery failures. Keep in mind, a hybrid battery contains many cells. When only some cells are broken, it doesn’t make monetary sense to interchange the complete hybrid battery cell. So why not simply exchange those which have been broken? Nevertheless, It received’t do to solely exchange the broken cells, you additionally have to steadiness the battery pack to make sure the battery’s longevity.
If the broken cells are greater than a handful, changing all of them will not be one of the best plan of action, both. You would possibly as nicely exchange the complete battery cell proper? Nevertheless, should you don’t have the funds to purchase a brand new hybrid battery, the subsequent greatest (or cheaper) possibility is to do a hybrid battery reconditioning/rejuvenation, which is completed by charging and balancing the battery’s cells. In a method, it’s like respiratory new life into your hybrid battery.
However thoughts you, a reconditioned battery will not be 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 method so that you can lengthen the lifespan of your battery (it can provide you an estimated 60,000 further miles). The most important draw of battery reconditioning is that it means that you can lengthen the shelf-life of your Prius battery by paying solely a fraction of the value of a brand new hybrid battery.
Hybrid battery alternative: prices and issues
Generally, the higher possibility is to only exchange the hybrid battery altogether, particularly in case your Prius battery is over 10 years outdated. 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 value 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, anticipate to spend between $3k and $4—labor or set up fees not included.
To provide you an concept, right here’s an inventory of varied hybrid Toyota fashions since 2001 (these are dealership costs):
2001-2003 Toyota Prius (1st era) – $3,649
2004-2009 Toyota Prius (2nd era) – $3,939
2010-2011 Toyota Prius (third era) – $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 possibly can see, dealership costs aren’t precisely low-cost. Toyota dealerships are infamous for charging excessive costs. Which isn’t stunning contemplating massive firms like Toyota have tight margins and excessive overhead prices.
Nevertheless, you continue to wish to give your Toyota vendor a name to see what choices they’ve on supply. Apart from, shopping for from a Toyota dealership feels extra “official,” which can provide you some peace of thoughts. Should you don’t thoughts the fee, shopping for a alternative hybrid battery from a Toyota dealership will not be a nasty name.
Shopping for from a personal vendor
If spending no less than $3k for a alternative hybrid battery is out of the query, fret not! You should purchase one for half the value from a personal vendor or a hybrid specialty store. After all, you don’t simply go for the most affordable battery accessible. You wish to rating one from a vendor you possibly can belief, and who has a good monitor document for promoting dependable hybrid battery items. And for apparent causes, it’s at all times a good suggestion to search out an impartial store that has a extremely skilled and skilled hybrid mechanic.
Extra importantly, you wish to guarantee that the vendor you’re shopping for from presents 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 very best requirements in thoughts.
Closing Phrase
Toyota Prius automobiles are identified for his or her reliability, security, and efficiency, and shopping for one is likely one of the nice investments you can also make as a automobile proprietor.
A Prius battery guarantee serves as a great basis for maximizing that funding. In any case, you wish to be sure you’re coated ought to your hybrid automobile have points and defects through 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 numerous accessible choices on the market which can be extra financially prudent and sustainable than what you’ll get from Toyota dealerships.
Want a refurbished or a brand new Prius hybrid battery? Be sure that to take a look at our choices. Purchase one among our new hybrid batteries and luxuriate in our unique 4-year guarantee!
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