Prius - have you replaced the battery?

[Anonymous]

Our 14 year old Prius has a touch over 200,000 miles, and is now averaging 40.6 mpg rather than 50-something. Spouse says it's time for a new battery.

Do you know if that's something we need to do quickly, because one day it could just die? And how much it costs/do you need to do it at the dealer? Amy other tips or tricks you can recommend?

[Anonymous]

Why not check the battery health first before spending thousands on a new battery. There was a thread on replacing a Prius battery recently https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1257167.page

[Anonymous]

I don’t think I’d replace the battery unless I had to.

[Anonymous]

Yes, our Prius battery died suddenly (car wouldn't start) and we had to replace it. It's 11 years old with 120,000 miles. We bought a refurbished battery, with a two year warranty, at a fraction of the cost of a new one.

[Anonymous]

We had a Prius and yes we replaced the battery once. When we had to do it again, we got a different car. I do miss my Prius!

[Anonymous]

Yes, ours died suddenly at 180k but only 7 years old. We replaced the battery with a new one at the dealer, but this was over a decade ago and anything else felt too risky. I would probably go with a cell replacement or refurbished battery now if research indicated those are likely to be successful.

We have another Prius and I'd never replace the battery until it died. Mine is a similar age to yours but <80k so it may be a different calculus in that I'm never going to get to 200k because I don't drive enough so my battery will probably die with low mileage due to age.

[Anonymous]

40+ is still good. I'd keep driving until it dies unless you have money to burn

[Anonymous]

7:22 here: I wouldn't replace it until it died but sudden car issues have never bothered us. Others I know are scared and hate being inconvenienced and would rather choose when you do it. I'm pretty sure we knew it died parked at home and we safely drive it to the dealer. We're also generally able to get by without a car or use the other car. I'd say when you replace it is more about how proactive you are about cars in general. We do the regular maintenance but wouldn't consider this maintenance. Also note that it got totaled 45k later and there went that money.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like all the posts here are talking about the high-voltage battery. Toyota hybrids have that, and also a 12V battery.

The 12V battery went bad in our 2012 Prius. The car was dead, but we were able to boost it using one of those little booster pack jump starters. The hybrid system 12V battery costs more than a regular car battery, but much less than the high-voltage battery.

The high-voltage battery went bad in our 2013 Avalon Hybrid with 140k miles while we were on vacation in Pittsburgh. Check Engine light on, PCS light flashing, Check Hybrid System displayed in the center of the dashboard. We didn't know exactly what was wrong until we got home and got the codes checked. But the car was drivable if sluggish, and we drove home using an "avoid highways" route. The engine ran continuously, and fuel mileage was lower than usual but respectable by non-hybrid standards. The energy meter showed regenerative braking, but I don't think it was actually doing that. The high-voltage battery provides the energy to start the engine, so if it had been completely dead then the car wouldn't have worked. So the battery must have dropped below Toyota's minimum specs, but still had plenty of power to crank the engine. I appreciated Toyota's failsoft design that let me drive the car home. I was even able to use S mode on the shifter to gear down while descending the steep downhills on Lincoln Highway over the mountains.

I did get the hybrid battery replaced with a new one, because the car is still in good shape and very comfortable, it may have plenty of life left in it, and I'm not sure what kind of car I want next.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, our Prius battery died suddenly (car wouldn't start) and we had to replace it. It's 11 years old with 120,000 miles. We bought a refurbished battery, with a two year warranty, at a fraction of the cost of a new one.

A guy I work with did that, but the refurbished battery only lasted 3 years. Still might be worth it if it’s cheap enough.

[Anonymous]

np here. how much do these batteries cost?