Hybrid cars are our way to the future. Since 2001, Toyota has been producing the Prius. There are several models of the Prius. This includes the first generation, second generation, third generation, the Prius V, and the Prius C. These hybrid cars are environmentally-friendly as well as energy-efficient.
But what about the maintenance cost, and is it really worth it? What about the Prius battery replacement cost? It depends on the Prius models you drive and the price for replacement is between $3,649 to $4,080 (i explain more details about it below).
Yes, batteries for hybrid cars are not cheap at all. In this article, I’ll share with you the various models of Toyota Prius battery price. Also, I will discuss the Toyota Prius battery life expectancy, shed some light as to how often do Prius batteries need to be replaced, and how to have a reconditioned Prius battery so you can save money!
This Is Why Great About Toyota Prius Battery
Before you worry about replacing your Prius battery, you should know that when it comes to their battery packs, needing a replacement is very rare. According to Toyota, their engineers consider the Prius NiMH batteries as the life of the vehicle.
Before you ever need a replacement for your hybrid car battery, you would have driven thousands of miles. By that time, the vehicle itself is already past its glory days. And you can definitely say that your car and its hybrid battery has served you well. But suppose it starts to fail earlier than you expect? What should you do?
Toyota is confident that the battery packs that it produces can work well for a good number of years. That is why Toyota offers a warranty for eight years or 100,000 miles in many states. In the states that implement the emission regulations of California, the warranty even goes up to a decade or 150,000 miles.
If you ever find yourself in a bad situation with your Prius because of battery problems, then you should not be so worried about it because you have eight to ten years of warranty to cover your battery-related problems.
But if you really experience being in the worst scenario and you truly need a new battery to replace the old one, there is still one silver lining. This is called the “core credit.” The core credit is the amount subtracted from your new battery pack if you return the old one so that it can be recycled.
It’s a good move toward an environmentally-friendly way of processing old batteries rather than just throwing it away. So, for a Toyota Prius, the cost of your new battery pack will be reduced by about a third. What you shouldn’t forget is the labor cost. This may vary depending on the model of the car and the place where you live.
It will benefit you if you keep your old hybrid batteries. I’ll explain this further on the last part where I’ll share with you how to recondition Prius batteries. The old hybrid batteries still have an essential part, and it may save you a lot of money.
Prius Battery Replacement Cost In The US
● First generation Toyota Prius, 2001 to 2003 – $3,649
● Second generation Toyota Prius, 2004 to 2009 – $3,939
● Third generation Toyota Prius, 2010 to 2011 – $4,080
● Toyota Prius V, 2012 to 2016 – $3,939
● Toyota Prius C, 2012 to 2016 – $3,807
Each of the prices listed here can be subtracted with the core credit which amounts to $1,350. This, of course, is if you take the old battery pack so that it can be recycled by Toyota’s battery recycling program.
So, if you ever find yourself needing a new battery pack for your hybrid car, don’t throw away the old one. Instead, bring it to Toyota’s service center so that you can get a discount on your new hybrid battery pack purchase.
Prius Battery Replacement Cost In The UK
However, many Prius owners in the UK highly suggest getting reconditioned batteries as they are much more affordable. They also say that the performance is comparable as well. For refurbished hybrid car batteries, the cost is at around $800 to $1,300.
You may be curious about how to recondition a Prius battery pack. We’ll get there. I have prepared a section here to make sure that we cover the important information so that you know what you can do to prolong the life of your hybrid battery.
Prius Battery Replacement Cost In NZ
However, in the next few years, the price will decrease and not increase as it becomes more economical for the car manufacturer to produce hybrid batteries. Just like in the UK, many hybrid car owners advocate for reconditioning old hybrid car battery packs.
It is much more affordable this way, and the battery will get a good number of years. Reviving the battery packs of hybrid vehicles in New Zealand is highly recommended as it has the most expensive cost of getting the Prius battery replaced.
Toyota Prius Battery Warranty
Apart from the three-year battery warranty, there is also an extended battery warranty for your hybrid car. Toyota made the HBEW or Hybrid Battery Extended Warranty for owners of Prius+, Prius C, and Prius.
Typically, the hybrid battery of the Toyota Prius is covered by the warranty for up to three years, but since June 2012, the additional seven-year extended warranty became available. This gives owners extra protection for their vehicle as well as an added peace of mind throughout the lifespan of their Toyota Prius.
As for the transfer of the warranty, the HBEW can be transferred since it’s pegged to the car itself. This means that even if the car goes through several changes when it comes to ownership, the battery of the hybrid car will still be under warranty for a decade. This counts from the original date of registration.
There are also no restrictions on how many times you claim the warranty for the hybrid battery from the first to fifth year. However, you get a maximum of one replacement for the hybrid car battery within five years interval during the sixth and tenth year.
The warranty may vary according to the model and to the place where you are located. To be sure, do read your owner’s booklet so that you know the coverage of the warranty that Toyota guarantees when you purchase the Prius. If you have any questions about the technicalities of your warranty, don’t hesitate to comment or email me so I can help you with it.
How Long Does A Prius Battery Last For Each Model?
From 2001, when the first Prius was manufactured by Toyota, up to 2018, we can only expect that the technology used in making these hybrid vehicles became more and more advanced. This makes every model of the Prius better than the last one produced.
Nevertheless, we can get a general idea of how long does a Prius battery last for each model by looking at the trend of how these cars perform. Toyota is bold in making the claim that the hybrid batteries that they use in Prius models can last for a good decade.
This kind of longevity for a car battery is significant because the usual batteries begin to show problems when it reaches two years of use. This is especially true for newer vehicles as they have plenty of electrical equipment in the car to support.
While Toyota guarantees that the hybrid batteries can last for eight to ten years, as an owner of a Prius, you have to understand that there are several factors to consider when it comes to the durability of the hybrid battery.
If you use your Prius often, then you may expect that the life of your hybrid battery may be cut short by a number of months to a few years. This is because since you are a frequent driver, the battery juices are cycled more often compared to those who do not drive their cars very much.
Apart from frequency, the distance of the drive also matters. So, if you combine the frequency as well as the distance of how you use your Prius, don’t be surprised if it won’t last as long as you would want it to. The age of your car also matters here. If your car is a newer model, then it has advanced technologies that use up power from the battery.
To address this issue of your hybrid battery failing before the eight-year mark, you ought to understand that it is important that you have a hybrid car battery that is balanced. Most of the Toyota Prius models have twenty-eight individual modules in the battery pack. Each of these modules has the capacity to carry 6500mah.
However, there are some modules that may reduce the output. It may go as low as around 1500mah. Even if the battery is imbalanced, it can still operate. But the danger here is that an imbalanced battery back will lead to premature deterioration.
To make sure that your Toyota Prius hybrid car battery is at its top shape, make it a point to take your car to an expert technician to have it checked regularly. You may find this inconvenient, but it will save you a lot of trouble as well as money in the long run.
When you take your hybrid car for a regular maintenance check-up, you can prevent future inconveniences in the event that the car won’t run because the battery has failed. Do get your hybrid car checked every 5000 miles or every six months.
Regularly taking your car for check-up ensures that the fuel engine isn’t under-performing. If it does, then it puts a strain on your car’s hybrid battery. There is such as thing as a preventive reconditioning and rebalancing of the battery of your hybrid car. By doing this, your hybrid battery will be in its top performance every time.
Average Prius Battery Life Expectancy
One thing you should keep in mind with hybrid car batteries is that they are different from the usual batteries of electric cars. In this section, I’ll share with you how a hybrid battery functions as well as the average Prius battery life expectancy.
In a hybrid car, there are a couple of motor engines. One is a conventional engine while the other is an electric engine. The conventional engine of the hybrid car is powered by either gasoline or diesel fuels. The electric engine is then powered by the car’s hybrid battery.
Toyota’s hybrid battery is not the same as a standard vehicle battery. It is more sophisticated and complex as its design, engineering, and built is meant to last. You can expect it to keep on working for the whole span of the vehicle’s life.
The hybrid battery is different from a pure electric car’s battery because it doesn’t have to be recharged after having driven long distances. With a hybrid battery, while you are driving your car, the battery recharges itself continuously.
The hybrid battery can recharge while the car is being driven or even when the brakes are used. This is made possible through a process of “regenerative energy.” In this case, your hybrid car is much like a small generator because it recharges the battery and then it uses the power from the battery to power your hybrid car’s electric engine. This, in turn, will save you on your fuel costs.
When it comes to the service and maintenance cost that you have to prepare for, it is much like the cost for conventional diesel or gasoline vehicles. Hybrid car batteries from Toyota are also covered by a warranty. Toyota has a “Hybrid Electric Service” which includes a checkup from the hybrid car specialist. This ensures that your hybrid car battery is in top shape.
If you have your hybrid car checked every year, then you can extend the standard coverage of the warranty for one more year or another 10,000 miles. This means that the lifespan of your hybrid car battery can have a coverage of up to eleven years. This has no limit when it comes to the total mileage as well.
Ways To Recondition Prius Battery To Save Money
For many owners of conventional cars, getting the battery replaced is not a big deal. This is because it’s something that isn’t done very often. When the time comes that the battery needs to be replaced, the cost of doing so won’t really burn a hole in their wallets.
There are discount batteries that you can get for a very low price like around $30. If you are looking for premium brands, then those can cost somewhere around $80 to $120. It’s always recommended that you take good care of your car battery though even if getting a replacement isn’t very costly.
However, those are for owners of conventional vehicles. For those who own hybrid cars, the battery is a vital part of the operation of the vehicle. It is just as important and arguably as expensive as the car’s transmission. The thing about hybrid car batteries is it is not a single unit of battery but a battery pack consisting of several modules.
In many hybrid vehicles, the battery packs are the ones providing part of the power that the car needs for it to run. At lower speeds, the battery provides power to the car’s electric motor. Without this battery pack, owners of hybrid vehicles won’t be able to achieve low emissions and fuel efficiency that hybrid cars are known for.
In the event that you experience your hybrid car battery failing, check the battery warranty. Toyota offers eight to eleven years of warranty coverage for your hybrid car battery. So if the battery ever fails within the period covered by the warranty, there’s nothing to worry about. Toyota will replace your faulty battery with a new one, and you don’t have to pay for anything.
But let’s say the battery starts to fail after a decade-long service, then you are on your own in terms of finding a replacement for the battery. A good news here is that you may not need to replace the battery for most cases of battery failure. Toyota now has a way that can extend the Prius battery life so that you can have it reconditioned if started to fail after the warranty coverage.
As what I’ve mentioned throughout this article, the Toyota Prius car batteries can be expected to last for a long period. Apart from that, the company has a superb warranty for the hybrid battery. But for the sake of argument and just so you get that peace of mind that there’s something you can do if you ever encounter a problem with your car battery, here’s what you need to know.
Toyota has a recycling program for the old hybrid batteries. They don’t throw it away immediately. Instead, they keep it for the purpose of having sources of parts for reconditioning. This is a smart move since there are still so many parts of old batteries that can be used in reconditioning Prius batteries.
What you have to understand is that the Toyota Prius car battery has twenty-eight individual modules. If the battery begins to have problems, it means only some of the modules are faulty; not all of the modules of the battery pack.
So, to recondition a failing hybrid battery pack, what should be done is to identify which of the twenty-eight modules are causing the issues. Those modules then have to be replaced by a matching module. It should have a similar age as well as chemistry as the rest of the modules.
By reconditioning a Toyota Prius car battery, you can add another six years or so to the battery’s life. This will also reduce the cost for maintenance that you have to worry about. At around $750, the cost of reconditioning the hybrid car battery is only about 25% of the cost of buying a brand new battery pack.
When you think about whether you’ll buy a new battery pack or have the old one reconditioned, I suppose you won’t have a hard time choosing. You can definitely save a lot of money by reconditioning an old Prius battery pack than purchasing a new one.
Do make sure that you read and learn as much as you can about the process of reconditioning hybrid car batteries so that you have an idea of how things work. It will also make it easier for you to converse with the expert mechanic of your choice when he is explaining what’s wrong with your hybrid battery pack.
Conclusion
These are the basic things you ought to know about Prius battery replacement cost. Hopefully, these pieces of information can help you in taking care of your hybrid car battery.
Do remember that even though the car manufacturer gives a guarantee of eight to ten years of strong performance for your hybrid battery, you still have to consider several factors that may shorten the life of the battery.
Taking into account all the information I have shared with you here, you can prepare better for the issues that you may have to face with your hybrid car battery. But with proper care and maintenance, you can be sure that it can last for the entire lifespan of your hybrid car.
