Other than the Toyota OE battery, can anyone tell me other brand alternatives with model number info? The factory original battery has drain tubes and I am assuming the replacement must have that too, right? Thanks.
Yes, I did. Some mentioned Optima but their website "Battery Finder" does not list 2010 Prius in the list. I am trying to see if anyone who actually replaced the battery can give me the advice here. Toyota Canada dealer quoted me $270 for their OE battery but I am hoping to find something else cheaper and better, if possible.
One of the threads also mentioned the Optima Yellow S46B24R but the Optima website says it is for Prius 2004 and newer. Do you know if this will fit the 2010 model year?
I wasn't too sure if the GenII battery is the same as the GenIII. Factory confirms that it will fit both GenII and GenIII. It is better to double check with those who actually bought one than to get the wrong one and do the return and refund after.
Just FYI, they're vent tubes. I'm always inclined to go with OEM batteries, if they're available, mainly for fit issues. But a lot of people are more adventurous, LOL. Also, from what I've read the Toyo battery's quite expensive. I just replace a Honda Civic battery with OEM, retailed for $135 CAN.
For everyone's reference, in Canada, Toyota dealer on the OE battery is $270, Optima Yellow Top at Part Source is $250, Optima US online direct is $200 ($20 discount in April) but does not ship to Canada.
Battery's usually last around 4-6 years depending on the climate. I've never seen a battery died less than 2-3 years. If it is, its probably a defected one. Most places you buy battery, they have a 2-3 year warranty if the battery some how is defected, they will replace it for free. Make sure you don't buy the cheap battery or the warranty is only 1 year.
You may be interested in this as well: Fitting mobility 12volt AGM battery. | PriusChat Particularly the Ritar RA12-33 pointed to in the above might be a good fit. Ritar seems to be marketed in the US as Mastersafe: RA12-33 - 12volt 33a/h - Sealed lead acid battery for UPS and Telecom, RITAR RA12-33 RA1233 - xpressBatteries.com
I can confirm Gen II and Gen III batteries are the same. I just swapped 12V batteries between our 2004 and 2010. I had bought one of the direct-fit Optima DS46B24R yellow tops last year for the 2004 and it fit perfectly in the 2010 too (which had a stock 12V). This Optima has the drain tube hookup, correct battery posts, etc.... The 2010's 12V was also notably easier to replace because you don't have anything in the way other than the hold-down bracket. The 2004 has some stuff in the way including plastic ducting. My 2010 simply required removing a 10mm nut on one end of the hold-down bracket, a 10mm bolt on the other end, and loosening the two battery cable clamps (also 10mm), and disconnect of the drain tube at the battery. I used a small flat head screwdriver to pry the rubber tubing up a little bit to loosen it. Note that I bought the Optima from Advance Auto parts. They had been running a "25%-off-online-purchases" deal at the time--might be worth a look at their site to see if they have any deals going on. I also got free shipping to my door, but I think they had a ship-to-store option too (or just pick up at the store). I also use Mr. Rebates, and at the time that was another approximate 6% off for me at the time, so I got a $200 battery plus 31% discount. Note that I didn't swap batteries because the 2010 had a problem. I swapped it because I could.
