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Can A Toyota Prius Battery Last 250,000 miles?

Have you ever wondered how long a Toyota Prius battery will last? We can help.
How Long Do Toyota Prius Batteries Last?

Jesse Rudavsky purchased his 2010 Toyota Prius used with about 42K miles on it. That was back in 2013. Jesse, like many Prius fans, knew that the Prius was one of the most reliable cars built. Still, how long would that original battery last? In Jesse's case, the answer is at least a quarter of a million miles.

That's Jesse's odometer reading in the image above. He told the Facebook Toyota Prius Owners Club that he has driven the car coast to coast (East to West and back) as well as from New England to Florida and back and "many places in between."

The truth is, Jesse knew that his battery pack could last that long. His 2002 Prius logged 349,531 miles before being totaled in an accident.

Torque News reached out to our local used Prius Expert, Chris Eldoueihi of 1A Auto Sales in Walpole, MA to ask if this was normal. 1A Auto sales focuses on the Prius, and has for a decade. Chris was not at all surprised that Jesse's Prius cars had seen such long battery life. He pointed out to Torque News that Prius batteries are warranted for 10 years or 150,000 miles in California-compliance states and eight years or 100,000 miles in non-California compliant state. In his experience, the batteries last about 12 to 15 years (the oldest Prius cars on the road are now 20 years old).


This good news for used Prius buyers since the Prius has one of the highest percentages of owners that keep the car longer than ten years.

Although Chris said that it is rarely necessary we asked him how much it costs to replace a Prius battery and he said the typical budget is about $800 and that his dealership has a network of battery suppliers. It isn't necessary to even go to a Toyota dealer, who can charge roughly triple that for a new replacement.

Follow John Goreham on Twitter at @JohnGoreham and send him news tips.

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Comments

CGM (not verified)    July 12, 2019 - 11:48AM

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Thanks, my 2008 Prius has 238,000 miles and is running smoothly. We had to replace the smaller battery ($500) a few years ago, but I inadvertently had left the car on all night many times including in the cold of winter. So that must have done a job on the battery. But the big battery is still going fine. I love this car.

Jeannine (not verified)    May 10, 2020 - 10:25AM

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My 2007 "small" battery was replaced 2x. The second time, about 5 years ago, I replaced it with the battery designed for the 2010-?. It is still going strong. Occasionally I forget to turn off my lights and my Prius recharges fast. Now I only have 110,000 miles.That second battery, from O'Reilly Auto Parts cost about $125, not sure where you spent $500 for a battery.

cristi (not verified)    June 11, 2020 - 5:11AM

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Hi,
Did you put one zero extra?
I just replace on my prius,same year as yours, the small battery with Varta 40 ah for 50 usd

Steve (not verified)    May 30, 2021 - 3:55PM

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My 2017 Prius hybrid 215 K miles & going strong.
Only issue is you best change the air filter on
Battery cooling fan. Was never done by dealers.
Found out on you tube. Washed, dried & reinstalled until dealer ordered me a new one &
I installed a week later.

Alba (not verified)    May 28, 2018 - 8:28PM

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I have a 2005 prius and it is still running like new. I have 227000 miles on it. I came back from a long trip and I made 477 miles per tank, No bad!

Richarad (not verified)    June 9, 2018 - 1:22PM

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Our 2004 Prius has 253,000 miles on original hybrid battery. We have changed the accessory battery twice. Never have had an engine problem. Brakes were recently changed.

Teresa (not verified)    June 24, 2018 - 11:58AM

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Wow, now I don't feel bad! Mine, 2006, 152,000 miles, not much needed to change except the sensor for tire is off, and now I am dealing with "touch-screen" replacement. Toyota wants lots of money just to take a look at the model and order new for me. I watched YouTube video online, a lady changed it within 15mins, how impressive! though I am not doing it myself, it's clearly not hard, when Toyota wanted $1000 up. But to order the exact model on eBay, I was told to have it opened and checked the back first, which means, 2 times work, that's the pain. Anyone have experience going through this?

PQ (not verified)    September 18, 2019 - 2:10PM

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yes. Find a place that has both versions. Take apart the dashboard, leave it that way, drive to the junkyard just like that, then check which is right. Then put the dashboard back. Not double work at all

Patricia Greene (not verified)    August 24, 2018 - 1:38PM

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I have a sweet little classic 2001 Prius that I love with 140,000 miles. However, the engine light went on, and then some miles later the battery light and several others. My Toyota dealer has said the code is 3009, which they claim has something to do with leaking, and means I have to replace the whole hybrid battery, not cells within it, to the tune of about $3000. So what else is likely to go on an old Prius and how many miles has anyone gone without battery replacement? Any other advice? Should I buy a newer Prius or replace and stick with mine?

Rick (not verified)    January 22, 2019 - 12:42PM

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260,000 original traction battery, accessory battery replaced one time, brakes are original, water pump replaced other than that oil, tires and a couple light bulbs.

Tina (not verified)    October 21, 2018 - 8:22PM

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My Prius is 12 years old. Had to replace one battery. And a belt. There was a recall on the water pump. That got replaced. 177,000 miles. Shes taken me from Minnesota to The Flordia Keys, to vegas and san diago and Virginia beach. I hope to travel 177,000 miles more. 3 sets of tires. Lol. And regular oil changes. Synthetic oil. Pay the cost upfront. Trust me.

Gwen Groenewold (not verified)    October 25, 2018 - 12:40PM

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2009 Prius with 185,000 miles. My mechanic advises me to install a new battery before I resume long distance trips. No indications of trouble so far but I don't want to be in the middle of the PA Turnpike and have it go bad. Also, the price is $2000 including labor for a new install. Any advice?

David Lang (not verified)    December 8, 2018 - 5:18AM

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My Dad's 2010 battery is dieing at ~175k miles, there is a very long period (over a year so far) where it will throw a code (which I can reset from my phone via the torque app and a <$20 bluetooth ODBII module) and go into limp mode (still drives at freeway speeds, but doesn't use battery power so not full performance)

Jerry (not verified)    January 23, 2019 - 12:43AM

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Get an OBD2 and check condition of battery that way and no you can replace batteries for around a $1000. Look around YouTube for how to read batteries in app on your phone with OBD2

Pam (not verified)    May 17, 2019 - 7:04PM

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I have a 2008 Prius with 208,000 and it still runs like new. Average about 46 mpg. Had quite a bit of hail damage last weekend and had to replace front and back windshields. Not too happy with the dings on the roof now because of that and it’s not as pretty. But it is a great running car!

Jeanne (not verified)    June 2, 2019 - 10:53PM

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My 2008 Prius has 238,000 miles on it and I’m the original owner. Battery still fine. I love this car.

John H (not verified)    July 13, 2019 - 10:21AM

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My 2011 Prius has 133,000 miles on it. Battery is still running great. I think it's just getting warmed up.

Ray (not verified)    August 18, 2019 - 10:04PM

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My fuel mileage has dropped on my 2013 Prius by 10 - 20% since the weather is currently 95-103 degrees especially when I use the air conditioner is this normal?