The day has finally come. Your dashboard is lit up like a Christmas tree – and your Prius and Prius Battery (or Camry for that matter) is around 10 years old. You’ve got a sinking feeling that the battery is going – or has gone – bad. “No problem,” you think. “I’ll just head over to my neighborhood Toyota dealer.” And after a diagnostic scan and a P0A80 code, the maintenance department at Toyota suggests you have your Prius HV battery (the BIG one) replaced with a new one. “How much?” you ask. “We can fix that right up for ya – just $3200.” Or – between $2200-$2600 BEFORE LABOR – something like that. “What the…???” you ask, how that can that possibly be?! “My car is only worth $2000.” Well, they explain, “the price is the price.”
New high-voltage (HV) hybrid batteries are usually overkill for your used Prius or Camry. We believe we offer a more appropriate solution for your 10+ year old Camry or Prius
So, yeah, you’re in a bind. Your Prius or Camry isn’t worth the cost to replace the battery – you might as well go get a new car, right? Not so fast! MOST of your Prius or Camry High Voltage (HV) battery is actually fine. There are between 28-34 individual cells inside your HV battery (depending on the model) – and only a few of them are going bad. They’re losing their ability to retain energy, so their voltage begins dropping. Those drops in voltage trigger a warning system in your car’s Engine Control Unit (ECM) – and that sets off a cornucopia of lights on your dashboard. If you can fix a couple of these battery cells, your dashboard lights will turn back off and your overall battery will last a lot longer. And that’s exactly what we do here at Motorcells™ – it’s a little more complicated, but that’s the gist of it.
“But isn’t that just a Band-Aid? Won’t my car be on borrowed time?” Of course, your car is on borrowed time. It’s a CAR – and cars eventually breakdown. So the question is, how long do you plan to drive your car? Are you wanting to keep it for the next 10 years? And do you think your already 10-year-old car will actually last that long?
Realistically, Toyota Priuses & Camrys have other issues besides the HV batteries that send them to the junkyard. One of the most common issues we’ve seen is a short in the transmission following a P0AA6 code. You start leaking power and it drains both your HV battery and your smaller 12V battery. Transmissions are expensive to replace or repair, so the cost of repair easily exceeds the cost of the vehicle. We’re talking about $3000+ for vehicles only worth $2000-$3000. That’s just as much as the ~$3200+ that the dealership charges to replace the HV battery. Either way, do you really want to pay that much to fix your older Prius?
So, here’s the deal. Your HV battery has gone bad and now want the option to sell or trade-in your car for a higher value, or drive it until it dies for other reasons – the latter of which is likely 3-4 years after you replace your HV battery, realistically. At Motorcells, we offer the most cost-effective solution for your used Prius or Camry with a limited lifetime warranty.
If you buy a new Prius HV battery (assuming that’s what they sell you), it will last longer than the rest of your car will – unless, of course, you have a very low mileage Prius that’s in great shape and might last for 20 total years – for these Prius and Camry’s, we do recommend just spending more money and getting a new HV battery. We offer factory new Prius and Camrys for less than the dealership with a longer warranty.
Toyota Priuses and Toyota Camrys are excellent vehicles that last a very long time if you take care of them – in our experience, about 15 years or 250,000 miles. They are amazing cars. However, the hybrid battery has inherent limitations – and you will need to either extend the life of your Prius / Camry or buy a new battery. Since, two batteries last longer than one Prius, the sweet spot seems to be renewing/refurbishing your existing HV battery to prolong it’s life to match the true lifespan of your Prius or Camry. Unless, of course, you have an older – but low mileage – Prius or Camry that’s still in excellent shape and you think it will last for 20 years! Then, you might want to just have us install a brand new one for you.
There you go. That’s our two cents after repairing hundreds of these from our shop in Indianapolis, IN.
How long do hybrid batteries last and how much to replace? Hear from owners of Toyota Prius and other popular models.
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Toyota hybrids are known to be among the most reliable vehicles currently on the market. Actually, it has been this way for two decades since Prius was first introduced to the public.
A recent study by iSeeCars.com found that Prius is the vehicle that original owners keep the longest. An amazing 13.7% of 15-year-old or older Prius cars are still being driven by their original owners. The average in the auto industry is 6.1%
But one of the most common hesitations or areas of concern for potential Toyota Prius owners, along with other popular models like RAV4 Hybrid or 2021 Toyota Venza, is with the hybrid battery itself.
I have heard these same concerns repeatedly over the past 15 years I have been studying Toyota hybrid vehicles.
“The hybrid battery is going to wear out too soon.”
“The battery is really expensive to replace.”
Valid concerns. And it is perfectly normal to have such concerns.
Toyota Prius hybrid battery life
I recently wrote a Torque News story about Toyota Hybrid battery length. I am referring to the large battery pack as opposed to the 12V battery.
The Toyota Master Diagnostic Technician I interviewed for my story felt most Hybrid batteries will last at least 180,000 to 200,000 miles. Plus, he mentioned that replacement cost is getting cheaper as time goes by.
There is also a new Toyota Hybrid battery warranty that applies to all vehicles starting with 2020 model year. The hybrid battery is covered for 10 years or 150,000 miles. Peace of mind here, friends. You can feel comfortable pulling the trigger on your 2021 Venza or 2021 RAV4 Hybrid or 2021 Camry Hybrid.
People comment on Toyota hybrid battery
After my story, I invited my YouTube channel viewers, Torque News readers, and members of Toyota Prius Owners Club, to weigh in on their experiences with hybrid battery life and cost.
Quite interesting feedback indeed.
Jason wrote. “My 2008 Prius battery lasted about 10 years and 260K miles. $2600 for a replacement battery. Well worth it. By the way, 287K miles and the same brakes.”
Badmonkey commented. “Our 05 Prius needed a new hybrid motor battery at 174K miles and was honestly not that expensive to replace. The second Toyota factory battery is 60K+ miles and still going fine. The stupid part is the 12V accessory battery costs almost $300 as it is inside the cabin and the car is on its 5th battery now. Put all those stupid fuses in the trunk and the battery back in the engine compartment so we can go back to led acid $110 batteries!!!!!”
LMC found a DIY solution. “When referring to the hybrid's battery, it failed to be specific. There is a 12 volt in the rear and then then there are cells located and encased behind and below the rear seats. My 12-volt lasted over 9 years. As for the cells, I have 28. If one cell should fail to maintain say an at least 6.5 charge then you can simply replace that cell at about $90 per cartridge, at your own labor in about 2 hrs. the first time, only because you want to be sure you know what you're doing as to not get electrocuted or cause damage to car. It isn't difficult. I learned from a how-to video. I keep hearing stories from others, their Prius costing them several thousand for "battery" replacement. I only paid $210.00 for my 12-volt battery. I simply can't understand why or how thousands were necessary to shell out. How can that be possible? Does that mean the dealer changed out all cells, instead of testing for the non-performing one? If so, that seems unnecessary, unless of course, for their own profit.”
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RELATED VIDEO: Comparing Lithium-Ion vs Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries.
Ken pointed out the new extended Toyota hybrid warranty. “For 2020 on all Toyota hybrid vehicles, including Toyota Prius and RAV4 Hybrid and Toyota Venza the hybrid battery is now covered for 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first. Previous battery coverage for pre-2020 hybrids was 8 years or 100,000 miles.”
“I am at 340,000 miles on a 4th generation 2012.... SAME BATTERY.” Celebrated Ralph.
John had a long-lasting Prius hybrid battery. “Mine in 2004 lasted to 502k.”
“I checked a car last week with over 400K miles 2007 with the same battery, ABS, Engine, inverter.” Added Maen.
David had good luck with his car. “2012 Prius C 230k miles. Replaced hybrid modules myself with reconditioned ones with 1 yr. Warranty. $700. Working good so far.”
“My 08 has 277,000 and it is original battery and I know its history and that it has been driven every day on a long commute to work.” Said Mike.
“I have a 2008, 250k, battery is still strong.” Excellent and great to hear Jill.
“600K miles easy on the original HV battery. Just clean the battery fan.” Suggested Joseph.
Steven is pleased with his Prius. “310k on my 2010 with ORIGINAL BATTERY.”
Nik replaced individual hybrid battery cells. “255K and 4 of the 28 cells were replaced at 220K - gen 2 Prius.”
Time for your thoughts on Toyota Prius
This is interesting.
I set out to learn about how long a Toyota hybrid battery, like those found in Prius or RAV4 Hybrid or Venza, might last.
What I found, however, is that many owners are enjoying great success with their vehicles. Toyota hybrid batteries seem to have great longevity in most vehicles.
Perhaps this is part of the reason original Toyota Prius owners keep their cars for such a crazy length of time. Owner satisfaction. Plus, great gas mileage too, I suspect.
I would love your feedback and your experiences with your Toyota Prius or other Toyota Hybrid. How many miles do you have so far? Have you done any major servicing that is hybrid related?
Thanks for reading everyone. See you next story when I discuss when we will learn more about 2022 next-gen Toyota Tundra.