Newbie advice and tips on a new 2024 Prius Prime SE

I don't have the car yet, and I only see horror stories online pop up, so I was very confused if it was user error or a possible actual issue. I I didn't expect the manual to outright and explicitly make clear this sort of issue to someone who's a total newbie for what seems like a completely random thing (rather than "where do I find my radio presets for example).

It is surprising though that KMO notes that there's no 12V top up option - assuming of course that people will be people and toyota sees folks leave it plugged in for days on end without unplugging it, then having a low charge 12V throwing glitches.

 

Full hybrids don't use the 12V for starting the engine. It is just needed to connect the traction battery and boot up the computers. A much less demanding task. So the manufacturer tends to install a less powerful battery. Wouldn't be a problem except all the features and technology now on cars means there is a higher draw on the 12V when the car is off. If you drive regularly, and those aren't just short trips, it generally isn't a problem. Doing a top up charge on the 12V once in a while won't hurt.

One of those drains is the charging system when energy isn't drawn from the outlet. Plugged in, the system monitors things in case it needs to call AC power. If you aren't going to be taking the car out in the next few days, leave it unplugged to avoid this drain.

Bad 12Vs do happen, and this might be the case with the current reports of bad batteries. Dealerships can also install tracking devices for theft prevention that are additional drains on the battery.

 

It's only surprising if you think there's a real problem here, which I don't. People are just getting over-excited about a note in the manual. I don't think we've seen any evidence that leaving it plugged in is a significant contributor to any real-life problem.

It was worth them noting that leaving it plugged in is a net drain, rather than a net benefit - you can imagine someone planning to park up for a long time might assume the mains charger is a good idea for battery top-up - but it's a real leap to go from that to thinking there are going to be loads of people with flat batteries due to not unplugging, and Toyota are remiss for not fixing a problem that no-one's seen yet.

 

I agree with @KMO, we've only seen a few Gen 5 Prius `12 volt horror stories so far, and I don't know what anyone else thinks about them but I'm currently leaning in the direction of, yes, they ( 12 volt issues ) might be annoying and unexpected, but they're certainly not life threatening or even financially oppressive, so far, anyways ....

I hope what I've posted doesn't offend any Canadian owners who've reported dealer asking price of $400+ cnd for replacement 12 volt batteries.

 

here is something i did not think about on my 23 LE. the new A pillar can be dangerous as far as vision goes. there have been a few times when i didnt see people or objects because of the thickness and angle. But like other things i have learned to automatically move my head over to double check my field of vision.. Helps alot just to be aware of the new limitations.