Help please trim level question after wreck- my prius is totaled

VIN into Vehicle Specification | Toyota Owners.

Look under the heading:
PORT OR FACTORY INSTALLED EQUIPMENT

Sorry for your loss. I know what it means to love a Prius. I hope you weren't physically hurt, at least.

 

Note: if you need to find the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), it'll be on your title for the car. Go to the site noted above, and paste the VIN into the VIN field. You'll get the info on the car. If you print that page and show it to the insurance agent, that should sort it for you.

 

Is it possible you had the lower trim level plus some aftermarket upgrades?
If so you need to document was is in the lower trim level and what your car actually has with pictures, etc.

Mike

 

Yeah, this. Often Toyota distributers (I believe there are 5 in the USA) add their own "packages" and options to a vehicle and are often referred to as "port installed". My gen 3 had leather (not softex) seating installed as part of one of these.

 

Glad the Toyota site gave you the right info. When my VIN is entered, it says V, even though I unmistakably have a IV (it has all of the stuff that came with a IV, none of the stuff that came with a V, and the solar vent that was available with IV and unavailable in V).

So I don't know what's up with that site, but it's good to know it sometimes works.

 

If you've been paying to insure a II but you actually have a IV, don't they have the right to ask for the difference in premiums, backdated to the start of the policy?

Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see this work in your favor. I'm just worried that it could backfire.

Just looking at the Edmunds site, their predicted valuations are only a couple of hundred dollars apart between the II and the IV trims. This roughly matches my experience buying used cars- once they're 10 years old there's very little range for different trims unless one got a bigger engine, AWD or some major difference like that.

 

Good question. On my homeowners insurance the company did an "update" after 10-15 years...sending an inspector.
The hand written document clearly said one thing while the ~25 page policy was produced and one tiny checkbox on page 19 was in error. I didn't catch it until by chance 5 years later I was looking at it.
I had been over paying the whole time.
I called and they admitted it was in error and had a scan of the inspector's hand written notes to prove it.

They would not give me a refund. Said it was my responsibility for correctness.

I say...if they made a mistake in going from VIN to model/trim that they have to live with it.
But I'm not a lawyer.

Mike

 

Well, if the other driver made an illegal u-turn, it would be that driver's insurance doing the paying.

 

Sorry about the loss of your car. I just lost a Honda Fit to an accident that was not my fault. I feel your pain Anyway, as I was shopping for a Prius I found the following video. I took screen shots of the trim level feature lists in this video so I could get the specifics of the trim levels right. I can't vouch for the veracity of the docs in the vid. Anyway, hope it helps.

 

Then a texter totaled our 2005 Prius, the other owner's insurance (Geico) only offered us the value of a trim two. All I had to do was point out that it was a trim 6A and provided the KBB valuation and they revised their payout up by about $2k. I guess they had the VIN and confirmed it themselves? Not sure why, but I didn't have to prove it -- just explain it. Hope it goes that well. for you.

 

No sign of the year on that Grey one you posted. I suggest running the VIN numbers on the Toyota website suggested earlier in the thread to see what you get. Do you have CarFax's on them?

 

This is good to know. It sound like this might be a common practice of the insurance companies. They think we're sheep.

 

I'll give my opinion. Age is harder on a Prius hybrid battery than miles. I would go for the newer one with more miles. The 2016 is the next generation with improvements to the hybrid system. Not quite as much rear legroom and less storage space but more up to date tech. And, the styling is quite different which you might or might not like.

By the way, I have a 2010 Prius IV. After 10 years, the trim level doesn't make a big impact on the current value, about $500 more for mine (with 99,000 miles) that a Prius II with the same miles. that's according to Edmunds.com

 

Indeed they should. Where we hit a snag was the $20-30,000 in medical costs when the other driver had no medical liability coverage and no assets to go after and we had to fall back on our own medical coverages. A lawyer helped us negotiate the costs and minimize the pain. He saved us way more than he cost us. Unfortunately, the difference between a trim II and a IV is probably not enough to be worth hiring a lawyer.

On the other hand, I agree with @royrose on the replacement choice. Gen 4 is a huge upgrade in comfort and handling. Plan on better fuel economy, too. And as he said, it's a newer battery.