I read somewhere that some of the 2016s had the older style batteries in them I’m interested in a 2016 Prius for with 85k on it and want to know if it’s a newer style battery that’s in it Also is 12k a good deal on that car if it’s in very good condition?
You are asking about a Prius 4 (I assume you meant "four" rather than "for"), correct? It has a Lithium Ion main battery, as do all the other trims except the Prius 2.
Even if doing a carfax, be sure to run the VIN at : Track Your Service Records with Your Toyota Owners Account Most will use either NADA or Kelley Blue Book for vehicle valuations.
Yes, I believe the Prius 1 had the NiMH battery as well as the Prius 2, if you should happen to come across one of them. I understand the Prius 1 was only sold to local governments.
The AWD-e (mine is a 2020) has the older NiMh battery pack. My 2016 Prius 3 had the Lithium Ion battery pack. JeffD
I’ve posted a cross-reference to grades (trim levels), VIN prefixes (WMI/VDS), model codes, and HV battery types.
I wouldn't worry either way - it has little bearing. Both have the same tested MPG/l/100km. Most of the world got NiMH, only Japan and some models in America. We still get NiMH in Australia The only real advantage of Li-ION is that it's a bit lighter. It has slightly quicker charge/discharge patterns, but in a hybrid environment it makes little effect. And NiMH has better performance in temperature extremes, particularly cold. And heat - can affect longevity. The biggest difference I can see is that NiMH has been around for much longer - thus proven in Long Life situations - with Gen2 TAXIs recorded as having run them for up to 800,000 kilometres (or that might have been miles??). There seems to be less degradation with NiMH during the lifetime - but only time will tell, as Gen 4s have only been around for 5 yrs now.
The NIHM are rebuildable, and Lthium not so much, judging by John Kelley’s deep-dive video on a 4th gen battery pack. Believe it was a Prime battery, but same story, just more banks.
