What is the best battery for the plug in?

Plug your car info into local auto retailers, see what they've got. Pep Boy's Bosch battery seems to be working ok.

 

oem. call around to all the dealers you're willing to travel to and purchase the cheapest one available. don't be afraid to tell them you can get an autocrats store battery for $150.

 

For me, the Mototaster Eliminator Ultra AGM (same battery as 2012 PIP I think) is a mere $250 (CDN), at Canadian Tire. What's that, about $180 (US)? Actually that's not too bad. Except it's about $50 (CDN) price jump over the last few years...

MotoMaster Eliminator Ultra AGM Automotive Batteries | Canadian Tire

The dealership battery (Yuasa?) was $273 (CDN), best price, last time I checked, close to 4 years ago. I would guess about $325 now?

Bottom line, the "best" battery is one that'll fit, meets the specs, and is reasonably priced. Keep on top of battery maintenance, don't let it get run down, and any battery meeting the criteria should be fine. For about 5 years.

 

In my opinion, the best one is the TrueStart OEM which, I believe, comes with a 7-year warranty.

 

Did you get one; how was the price?

 

I did. I think it was a little over $200 installed, but I'm too lazy right now to try to find the receipt. Since it was already in their shop, I let them do it. I figure that a battery that can stand up to a 7-year warranty has to be pretty good.

 

Local dealer has the factory battery installed for $119.00 on special.

 

no way. the specials are for non prius batteries only

 

I have the postcard at work. I will check Monday.

 

you have to call and ask. and even then, they might say yes, and when you go in, it's no.

if they have prius specific battery on the post card, you might have a case with consumer affairs

 

Happen to have this link open in another tab:

Car Batteries & Auto Batteries For Trucks & SUVs | Pep Boys

and a screen grab, in case it's not working:


(Click on the circled text to spec whatever model/year. I believe they're all the same, even 2nd gen. The Optima's down the page in the link, a lot pricier though.)

 

I know this was probably discussed before, but are there any recommendations for how to keep 12V power going while changing the battery so you don't lose trip computer data? Will keeping the car plugged in and charging achieve this, and is that safe to do?

 

The PiP only charges the 12V while it's charging the traction battery, so using the EVSE won't help. They sell really cheep "data savers" that you can connect to a 12V battery and. plug into one of the power sockets. That'll keep the 12V system alive while you change the battery. Here's a basic example:

 

I you have a jump pack with a 12 volt style outlet, one of these memory-saver cables is handy, has 12 volt plug on one end, OBD plug (with just the 12 volt pins) on the other end, and indicator light(s) to confirm connection. Google "memory saver cable".

In the past I've also hooked up a 0.5 amp trickle charger, prior to disconnecting the battery, that's worked.

Still, it's no big deal: I disconnect the battery every time I do brake work, and it doesn't mess up a lot.