Family/Friends concerned about Battery

I'm sorry. They are more worried about a Toyota product and you drive a BMW? *shakes head*

BMW has one of the highest repair cost for normal vehicles. Maybe they should compare reliability ratings between BMWand Toyota.

 

But data doesn't hurt.

Toyota Prius Reliability vs. BMW 3-Series Reliability

 

On here I read more about high mileage (200k range) Prius wearing out a catalytic converter before they wear out a battery. Of course it all depends on which car you buy and how you drive.

Same way you got your window problem solved is the same way you get an HV battery problem solved: 1/2 price. That way an HV battery is way less expensive and the rare folks who do need to replace a battery have been able to DIY it with relative ease. Or if you're in a CARB state you can get it for free before 150K.

Prius is #1 in low repair costs, especially the plug-in version... Do more research... Read the thread on here of people with 200,000 miles on there car. Some of their stories of having to do no major maintenance are incredibly inspiring. Also they've been selling/refining Prius for 15 years. This isn't an experimental car with significant limitations like the Nissan Leaf or newer hybrids made by less experienced manufacturers.

The real issue is your pocket and your lungs. If you're using 1/2 as much gas over the life of the car... 200k miles at Prius' 50mpg at $4 a gallon is $16,000. If you buy most any other type of car you can expect to pay near double that over the life of the car.

 

Consumer Reports names most reliable cars - (1) - CNNMoney

 

In the 4 months Ive owned my 2007 Prius, Ive driven 7000 miles and already saved $1200 in gas over the GMC Envoy it replaced!!!

Ive only made $810 in car payments. My insurance is $100 month. The car has been FREE to me!!

 

First it is amusing that they stress over the HV Battery, as jump starting your Prius badly is WAY more expensive, (new inverter) and transmission failure (change your ATF, honest) is pricier than that.

However all of these are very rare, and somewhat preventable.

ReInVolt is a nice example company that will install a remanufactured HV Battery for under $2000, parts and labor.
Remanufactured Hybrid Vehicle Battery Packs

Sadly, like any car, more Prius are totaled than fail, so used starts at about $500
Prius battery | eBay

Toyota has a detailed dismantler's guide,for each version, Re-assembly is just the reverse order.
https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/staticcontent/en/techinfo/html/prelogin/docs/priusdisman2nd.pdf

 

To the OP - tell your family/friends exactly what I, and a lot of others here have. Some of the facts you have already cited:
1.) The battery is warranted for at least 100k miles and 7 years, more in CARB states.
2.) Even if the battery goes bad AFTER the warranty, sometimes Toyota picks up some and occasionally ALL of the tab! They have GREAT customer service. The big 3 could learn a lot from them...
2.5) The Prius is super reliable and has won awards and much recognition for this fact.
3.) There are a few battery rebuilders around the US. You can get a refurbed battery for $1395-$2000
4.) If thats too much, you can rebuild the battery for around $30 a cell. Or buy a junkyard battery for $500.
5.) Taxicabs in NYC and California have logged over 300,000 miles on the original battery with little/no loss in performance.
5.5) Even IF the battery should go bad some day, the gas savings in a 6 month period would pay for your new battery. Remind them the Prius doesnt have a transmission or timing belt so you dont have to cough up $2000 when those parts go bad like they will.
6.) Remind your family/friends that FUD (google it) is very transparent. You have done your diligent research and know the reality of the matter, not rumors.
7.) Ask your family/friends if they've ever owned a hybrid themselves? NOT their friend of a friend or distant cousin, or what they heard on Fox News. But have THEY ever owned a hybrid. Because if not, they have no business trying to advise you on anything hybrid.

Haters gonna hate....

 

If you want to keep some of the "fun" from your BMW, consider a Volt.

 

As an Owner of two Prius, here are my reasons not to own a Prius:considering a Prius | PriusChat

It applies more to the Gen 2 Prius, but much is still true.

 

Yep. Warranty is 8 years/100K miles. For CARB emissions states, it's 10 years/150K miles. Yep on 2-5.

Failed traction (HV) battery, what to do? - Prius Wiki should help.

Lifespan/Operating costs - Prius Wiki has examples of Priuses w/a ton of miles on them. Do take a look at more recent Priuses and Toyota hybrids at Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity - Hybrid Electric Vehicles besides Hybrids prove very reliable | CTV British Columbia News .

Yep on #7. Much of the anti-hybrid garbage comes from FUD that comes from people who have never owned hybrids.

 

I've heard this on and off for many years and I think it primarily comes from competitors. If Prius batteries were so bad, the car wouldn't be one of the top selling models year after year, and by far the top selling hybrid. Further, one of the primary reasons people buy a Prius is it's crazy gas mileage--to save money. If the batteries were so bad, saving a few buck on every tank full would be negated many times over. More to the point, there should be some clarification. The car "battery" is made up of individual cells, which can be replaced individually. Though the entire battery might cost a couple grand in total, replacing a cell might cost from $100 to $200. Having never replaced one, I don't know. I'm buying my 2010 model after my lease expires. I am absolutely sold on this fine machine.

 

We all took a chance when we first bought, rumor was the hybrid battery was 9,000$ plus labor, but everybody bought one, now, "some" batteries are dying, lot's of use, but...you can replace the bad cell and possibly one or two near it and be on your way, or buy a rebuilt whole unit for 2,000$ not unreasonable, but, do a search, not many have had to.
Also notice while searching that battery questions get lot's of answers and responses, everybody's paying attention, we're all concerned, not trying to hide something, it turns out the batteries are not problematic, the cars get great mileage, fitting trd suspension parts makes them safer and more fun to use.

 

I think what you are looking for is some fleet history claims concerning the battery from Toyota. Something like "95 out of 100 Prius sold more than 5 years ago are still on the road." I don't know what the actual number would be.

 

Companies don't provide warranties to lose money. So Toyota, you can assume, is monitoring the battery life, the recycle costs, the labor costs...in fact everything about these batteries and has been for enough years that at the price they charge for the car they are sure that the batteries are making money.

I come from a long time car forum background and I've seen less complaints over engine equivalent issues on this forum than on any any I've experienced. My confidence after doing pre-purchase research is such that, when the dealer offered me a lifetime extended warranty for less than the cost of the replacement aftermarket battery, I turned it down. Since such warranties generally pay out 30% on the dollar the buyer paid, you can see the expected total reliability the insurance company expects. And I figure, if I spend that and get 120k miles out of the car, several things could happen...I'll be pleased, have saved enough on gas to buy another or I'll be dead and won't care. My 10 year gas savings over my prior Porsche or CRV means I could replace the car for free at that point. I use 10 years because that is how long I kept the last 3 cars on average. I maintain 'em slightly better than the manufacturer calls for in terms of oil change frequency but do nothing really special beyond that.

So the warranty cost can be used as a proxy for the expected repair costs and for the Prius, that is a darn good figure. Far far better than any actual first 5 years repair costs for the 40+ cars I've owned of every make, brand, shape, era (going back to '30 and in purchase cost to 3+ times what my Prius v cost).

Look at the number of early model Prius running around. If they were unreliable or uneconomical to keep running, they'd get scrapped as obsolete. That they are still on the road proves their economical reliability.

This isn't a new motor or new battery technology, hundreds of millions of miles already driven using them. And Consumer Reports only helps confirm.

 

Let's face it. All the hype/worry about Prius batteries going bad is totally unfounded. The only people that make those unfounded statements are people that don't own a Prius.

I have one of the first Prius to be sold in the US (a 2001 w/ 117,000 miles) and I am still enjoying assistance from my original traction battery. I just had some "warranty" service done by Toyota on the steering system (warranty service on a 12 yr old car). I 100% guarantee you that BMW will not provide and never has provided "warranty service on any of its 12 year old cars.

There is truly no comparison. Don't let any naysayer stop you from making a wise purchase or talk you into purchasing something you don't want. None of my family likes my Prius and they all scoff at it. I just smile inside as I pass the gas station and the service station. Or when I check my oil after 5000 miles and its still brown in color and completely full.

If anyone that purchases a Prius regrets it, I would be really surprised (I'm sure there are some though).