I'm wondering if it's at all possible to put in an everyday 12-volt starter battery in my 2013 Prius C? I couldn't see it being a problem to just go and buy a standard battery versus the expensive little Prius C starter battery.
Mostly because there's a wide variety of "everyday" batteries. Only a very few will actually fit in the space under the seat. You can extend the cables and set it up in the right rear footwell- again, this has been done as an emergency measure. But then you get to figure out your own mounts, wiring extensions and so forth. There is no cooling fan, but there is a vent tube. (There is a cooling fan for the big hybrid battery- that fan is under the left rear seat mirror-image from the 12v battery) If you don't want the Toyota battery, try looking for a group 51R. It's also not super common, but you might have an easier time finding it.
ALL batteries have gotten more expensive in the last year or so. It is NOT a good idea to use a conventional wet cell battery because: 1) Any "gassing" that occurs will vent into the cabin space. Not good for passengers. That will also vent corrosive fumes. 2)It is hard to get TO the battery to check the water level and add if needed. As long as it will fit securely in the space available, any sealed AGM battery will work. But by all means, call around to independent auto parts and battery stores in your area. They likely will have better prices than the dealer.
With a trip to Foothills Toyota in Burlington, WA (USA) you could shave $56 CDN of the bottom line. It is a a bit of a haul though. If you do the install in their parking lot I think you could make it through customs without duty. Pretty much mandatory to install right there, to get any core charge back. https://parts.foothillstoyota.com/p/Toyota_2013_Prius-c-Base/Vehicle-Battery/62922740/2880021181.html?referer=parts.toyota.com&machineIDT1=25l41s5n4s41jr0g1hi1hibf ^ That's a compatible but superseded battery. Newer one here, is a bit more: https://parts.foothillstoyota.com/p/Toyota_2013_Prius-c-Base/Vehicle-Battery/69278075/0054421181320.html?referer=parts.toyota.com&machineIDT1=25l41s5n4s41jr0g1hi1hibf My calc: First thing I checked Canadian Tire, but they're not showing anything for Prius c right now. FWIW, for our 3rd Gen Prius hatchback the compatible battery is $285.99. And yeah, that's gone up, was $259 last time I checked, just a few months back.
Try the solar battery at Harber Freight, 35 Ah, AGM type. Carefully drill a hole on the side at top outside the chemical apartment, connect the vent tube. It costs under $60 if you use their coupon.
I use these: ML35-12 - 12 Volt 35 AH SLA Battery- Mighty Max Battery from Amazon The terminals often get bent in shipping. The bolt holes in the terminals allow you to bolt the car + and - cables pretty easily to the bat.. Securing the bat might take a piece of 2x4 as a shim. The above is not specific to Prius C. Depending on the space available you can also connect the + terminal in parallel to your old bat and disconnect the old bat - cable from the old bat and connect it to the new bat - terminal. (In the regular Prius this allows the "stuff" mounted on the + terminal - including in some cases a + disconnect plug - to be left in place.) Or if your old bat is still fairly good just connect the Mighty Max in parallel. In the regular Prius the Mighty Max can be more or less secured in the "trunk bin". Make sure the bats are disconnected from the car if you leave it for an extended time if your old bat is weak. And charge both bats together and disconnected from the car often. This is a lot of work to save $300, but depends on your motivation. I run 4 Priuses this way.
BAD advice. REALLY bad. The vent tube is there only for emergency situations.......which you may actually CREATE trying to drill holes in it. If you MUST let a low price be your only guide, just use it as is. But I wouldn't do that either. Most of the electronics from HF is pure junk.
It needs to be an AGM battery; since it's located inside the passenger compartment - rear seat passenger side. A standard lead-acid will out gas into the passenger compartment. Not good and technically illegal; but it's your car and your families life. Just my 2 cents....
I installed the Harbor Freight sealed battery about a year ago. No vent tube. All has been well. It was not difficult at all to file down the battery terminals to clamp on the car's battery leads. I took photos but never got around to posting. If it lasts 4 years I'll swap it just because it is such an inexpensive solution.
