I have a Prius C. How long should/does the hybrid battery last? Does the owner manual tell you whe

The warranty on mine is 8 years/100,000 miles.

 

it will most likely last many hundreds of thousands of miles. drive and enjoy! no worries.

 

I've seen reports of tests done on 100,000 mile Priii and the batteries performed the same as a brand new one.

 

my dealership told me they have never had to replace a prius battery out of warranty, and only two in warranty. that's since 2001
she also said the price of batteries drops so fast, by the time my warranty is up, battery will prob only cost $200

 

From what I read on the internet the owner's manual tells you when to replace the battery.....it right next to where it says the ICE engine will have to be replaced too.

 

If they're right about the future cost, you won't be replacing it, you'll be deciding which plug-in to buy.

Since the Prius c has a cut-down version of the Prius liftback, nobody really knows how long it'll last but there's no great reason to believe it'll not be as long lived as the Prius liftback' battery. However, since it has a smaller capacity it should be cheaper to replace in the event that it does fail out of warranty.

But, by the time you need to worry about it, two more generational advances in lithium or other battery technology should almost certainly see more shifting away from NiMh to lithium or newer technologies and it might be that replacement batteries will also be lithium.

In short: not a significant concern right now, just something to have a buffer for when the battery gets out of warranty.

 

8 years or 100.000 miles I think is the TOYOTA quoted warranty. Do not worry about the battery. On YouTube you can see vedios of a 2003 Prius with 300.000 miles with the original battery!

 

and sooner. that's why i said most likely. no sense worrying about something you can't control and is highly unlikely.

 

Just start saving up for new batteries, set up a reserve account. In 15 years you will have the needed funds. ​

 

I have a 2014 Prius Four. I chose this car after having the ability to drive about 100,000 miles in other people's Priuses. I drove a taxi in Phoenix, AZ. When the cab company originally (2007) decided to get Priuses the thought was that Phoenix heat might wear out the batteries fast.

I drove one of the first Priuses to be used as a taxi in Phoenix. Years later (I think four years), I drove the same vehicle again. This time it had 350,000 miles on it. I asked if the batteries had been changed and was told they had not.

What I noticed was a bit of a drop in gas mileage from new. Where I originally could coax 55 mpg from it and regularly get 48-50 when I now drove it I was now getting about 37 average. I know a battery will hold less of a charge when it is old. So I figure there is not as much power coming from the batteries as there used to be. The gas engine has to make up the difference, resulting in lower mpg.

My observations and comments

 

The Gen 1 battery is larger than all other Prius Batterys (288 v) It had corrosion issues that were fixed in Gen 2.
The Gen 2 battery (201 v) has been very reliable, about 0.5% die per year
The Gen 3 and v battery (201v) is an improved Gen 2
C battery (144 v) is much smaller than the other Prius. Time will tell.

The Plug In Battery is a entirely different technology (Lithium Ion verses Nickel Metal Hydroxide) Time will tell.

 

This site has a chart showing the percentage of hybrid cars that needed a battery replacement for the Honda Civic hybrid and the Toyota Prius. Note that the prius percentage is very low, even on the older models:

Honda Civic Hybrid Battery Reliability | Hybrid Batteries - Consumer Reports News

 

The hybrid battery is one item you hope to NEVER replace. Definitely not a maintenance item, to be replaced at some interval. Similar to the catylitic converter in the exhaust system, expensive items that hopefully last the car's life. If it happens it happens, and hopefully costs will keep coming down, and quality improving.

 

At 4.5 years & 18,000 miles, my Prius c could not be started. The first roadside assistance guy gave up on jumping my car and left me stranded. Another guy came out, and we still couldn't get it started; but he had a tow truck and took me to my dealer. My dealer replaced the 12V battery for $276 (plus $125 labor), telling me that my warranty didn't cover it (I even have the 8-year extended Platinum warranty). 9 months later (and only 1,000 extra miles), my car again won't start (it's obviously the battery). I've now moved clear across the country, so I'm not able to return to the dealer who replaced my 12V battery. So I'm having bad luck with the 12V battery!

 

Have faith, if the 12v battery was replaced by a Toyota Dealership, I would imagine the warranty is nationwide.

One thing to keep in mind with new vehicles is that tires, batteries and bulbs are typically not included in the new car warranty. Tires usually have their own warranty pamphlet in the paperwork. Batteries and lamps are pretty much consumables.

 

The scary thing about the experience is that you are truly stranded when the battery fails. A jump did not get mine going. I was lucky to have been in a parking lot in a suburb, but I had to wait 3 hours for 2 different roadside assistants; and my car was at the dealer for 2 days before the work was completed. Right now I'm "lucky" once again, as my car is at my apartment building. But I'm now terrified to take this car on a trip!

 

With only 1000k miles in 9 months, my guess is your C has sat for extended periods? Take that thing out for a spin every couple weeks - at least a good 20 mile drive. That'll keep your 12v & traction battery charged. You can of course get a trickle charger for cheap to hook up to that 12v, but my guess is your like me and in an apartment where that isn't possible.

I wouldn't be scared to take it on a trip however. It'll be fine.

 

That is extremely low miles for a Prius. We know they like to be driven. Did you forget a zero?