Does Toyota recommend "Engine block heater" on Prius ??

Some people like them. I think @Mendel Leisk has one.
.If you get one & DIY, make sure the cord does not go through the active grille shutters. A dealer in Alaska did that and it looks like it was the cause of the Prius eventually catching fire.

 

For cold weather drivability, an EBH usefulness would be the same for a Prius as for a non-hybrid car. Maybe nice but quite unnecessary in MO, more useful in northern areas.

For competitive hypermilers trying to earn a top score or get other bragging rights, an EBH is essential. But for regular commuters, it isn't clear that the saved fuel will ever recover the installation cost, let alone the inconvenience of having to plug in daily and set the timer. An EBH heating all night without a pre-drive timer will burn more in electricity than it will save in gasoline.

 

This is most likely the the right part, I would not suspect MO of having enough cold nights to make it worthwhile.

Engine Block Heater for 2010-2015 Toyota Prius - PriusChat Shop

 

Yeah go for it. Ask dealership for the part and installed price. The further south you are I think the less responsive they'll be, but give it a try. Part should be somewhere between 50 and 100, and installed between 2 and 3 hundred (including part cost).

I'd be inclined to go installed, so there's no quibble if there's a problem, and because it's a royal pain.

As far as where and when you "need" it: we use ours year round, winter and summer, I'll leave it at that lol.

A couple of hours will plateau the coolant temp rise, and that plateau will be about 25C above ambient.

With a 4th Gen with the grill shutters, you just need to use common sense, route the cord accordingly (that's an odd phrase...).

When I got ours installed, they just coiled the cord in engine bay, left the final routing to me, which is maybe best.

Assume sooner or later you will forget to unplug, plan accordingly (there I go again). Double zip tie the cord, ensure it won't drag along the road, ensure it'll pull out of your extension cord, and that the extension cord won't come along for the ride.

 

Years ago when I bought mine you had to order it from Canada, the US dealers didn't have them. I don't remember any of the details.
That could have changed by now.

 

Which is pretty bizarre, considering the brutal winters of the North Central US States. And then there's Alaska...

 

Found this third gen install pdf:

https://priuschat.com/files/2010PriusBlockHeaterInstallationInstructions.pdf

A Toyota Canada news release about block heater recall (due to faulty power cord). There's a couple of contact emails, maybe they could shed light:

Toyota Recalls Certain Accessory Block Heaters

This ebay link says compatible with prius 2001~2018:

Toyota OEM Engine Block Heater SEE BODY FOR VEHICLE FIT | eBay

And all sales final. Also notes, does not come with install instruction. And since there's no mention, I think it would be good to also look for a source of the heat transfer grease, referred to in the above pdf link as:

NSCG silicone grease G-624

 

Like I said I don't remember the deatails, Maybe someone else has one and can give a better answer.

I ordered mud guards for my Gen 4 through a dealer in Daytona Beach and my local dealer couldn't get them.
They were the European version whatever that is. I went back to the parts manager and gave him the part numbers and he was truly interested because he went out to my car and took pictures. I don't know if he can get them now that he has the part number or not.

 

An EBH was very useful on my wife's Gen 2 ('08) as she used it 6 days a week for her job as a mail carrier. I had it on a timer starting at 4:00 AM and shutting off at 9:00 for the 1 day a week she didn't go to work. We don't use it any more as we both retired 3 years ago.

 

Yeah as you can see above, I tried looking, very sketchy/sparse info or availability. A head scratcher.

I'll email my local (Canadian) dealership parts department, see what they know.

 

Did you put thr EBH on the car or did it come on it?

 

I installed it myself, it took about 2 hrs. as I remember. Remember though I have a Gen 2, a Gen 4 may be a different install.

 

I have never needed one here in Minnesota, parking my Prius outside at work since 2000. All those years without ever any startup struggle.

 

It was installed more for comfort than starting it. My wife noticed a quicker warmup.

 

I bought the 2017 Technology Edition Prius last October. Did not order a block heater, but I discovered one already installed under the hood.
I live in Ottawa, Canada, but park in an indoor heated garage, so I doubt I will ever need it.

 

It may be standard there in Canada. I know we had an Alaska user that said all cars up there were sold with them.

 

I think it's standard on cars in some areas of Canada, maybe more so with North American car companies? Our daughter's Pontiac Vibe (purchased in Quebec) had it. Of course they never used it.

Up in Williams Lake one spring, I notice our hotel parking lot had electrical outlets on posts at the head of every stall. I got some strange looks, plugging our in, in May I think it was...

 

... and you use yours all of the time, IIRC.