TrueDelta Reliability Survey results - Toyota Prius

The latest TrueDelta Vehicle Reliability Survey results have been posted. These are for the year ending June 30, 2007. Late responses could lead to further changes, but these are unlikely to be large.

Repair rates are low for all four model years, 2004 to 2007. No repairs at all were reported on the 2004, but this was no doubt due to the small sample size, just 15 vehicles. All results based on fewer than 25 responses are asterisked and visible only to panel members. The sample sizes for other years ranged from 34 to 51.

Everyone who has been helping out with this research, thanks, I literally couldn't have done it without you. Those who aren't yet helping out, please consider doing so. More participants are needed for all model years, and especially 2004 and older.

Other results:

TrueDelta Vehicle Reliability Survey results

 

The odometer readings are a bit tricky. They're for the end of each quarter, so I can have up to four for a single respondent. Cars where many owners were already participating a year ago will have lower averages as a result. So take a look at the months/vehicle stat together with the odometer reading.

That said, the Prius average is still high, suggesting that at least some people buy them for long commutes. I've definitely had some panel members buy them for this reason. They're using more gas because they drive more, so for them they calculate that a hybrid makes the most sense.

I ask about repair costs, but especially for cars under warranty the data are iffy. Also, tracking average cost would require larger sample sizes than I have now, because repair costs vary much more than the number of repair trips. People typically have 0, 1 or maybe 2 repair trips a year, while repair costs can range from very little to $5,000+.