The other day I plugged my portable air compressor into the 12v outlet on my 2008 Prius and went to pump up my bicycle tires. I new my battery was a little weak (had to boost once after leaving the interior lights on for a few hours) but was surprised that pumping up two bike tires pretty well ran my battery flat. A quick boost (there are spots for jumper cables under the hood) got the car running and I was off shopping for a new battery. I picked up an Optima DS46B24R -- an AGM battery made specifically for the Prius. It even includes a little vent hole in the OEM location and a back-saving carry strap. The battery cost CDN $195 with a core exchange at my local battery shop. Shop around -- the other local shop that carried the Optima wanted $275! There are lots of good instructions on this site or even YouTube on how to R&R a Prius battery, so I won't repeat them here. Once I pulled the old battery out, I realized it was smaller than (not as long as) the Optima. My Prius is a base model without the smart key or a few other gadgets, so Toyota felt a smaller battery would do. Mine lasted 6 years, so I'm not complaining. The OEM battery is a sealed lead/acid battery, not a gel-cell or AGM unit. Getting the larger Optima into the space that the smaller OEM battery occupied is possible, but a bit of a kludge. I didn't want to leave it like that, so I did a bit of research on this site and learned that there is a different battery tray used with the larger battery. My Toyota dealer had one in stock (Part number is 74440-47020) so I picked it up and re-did the battery install with the correct tray today. I've learned lots from this site and thought someone else might benefit from my story (and small collection of part numbers) -- hence this post. I've also included a few photos comparing the old battery to new and old battery tray to new. Cheers!
Thank you Rstange1! Esp. the pics and tray explanation. I think there's a replacement in my future. Brutal year here in N.E. on batteries. Cliff
The OP is correct, the non-smartkey Prius had a smaller battery and smaller tray. If you replace a non-smartkey 12V, get the bigger battery and a new tray/bracket. You'll have more Amps available for your 12V needs and those pesky cold mornings. If you already have full smart key (black button on outside door handles) you have the correct tray/bracket for all the aftermarket batteries.
Ah next imd you want to run an air compressor from your Prius, have the car in ready, and let the main battery do the heavy lifting.
