New Gen III 2010 Prius Owner - 3 Questions

1. That's low. How long are your trips? IF all short that will negatively effect mileage.

2. Definitely not normal and needs to be investigated. When the car is off the traction battery is out of the system and should have no draw at all. This will also affect your mileage as the car has to run the IC engine longer to recharge the battery.

3. Normal. You will only see the top bar if you are coming down a very long grade.

 

Your location is vague, I will guess Tyler TX.

1) I always advise not to stress out on mileage for the first two tanks, you should be learning the controls. As your tires wear in and your driving pattern start to adapt to the Prius, it WILL rise.

2) You should have the approximately same number of bars when you power up, I would have the dealer look at it. (they do drop rapidly once you start moving first thing in the morning)

3) Any time you descend down from a mountain pass more than 1000 feet elevation, the battery should 'fill'. Normally, you want some 'room' to store regenerative braking.

 

First of all, congratulations on your car! Also for getting a license at only three weeks old. Most people have to wait until they're at least sixteen.

For your first question, I find that my mileage varies depending on the terrain, how I'm driving, traffic patterns, etc. I've averaged as little as 40 or as much as 60 for a given period of time. Driving a Prius is not like driving a regular car (any more than driving an automatic is like driving a stick), and I would gather that you will see that number climb as you begin to grok your car better.

For the second, I cannot help you.

For the third, I've only hit that last bar once or twice in seven months of Prius driving. Usually I'm two bars down and holding. I've heard that 80% or so is what a battery "wants" to be at, so I don't worry.

Enjoy your car!

 

Better get the 2nd problem fixed before we can even address the first problem, as your low mpg might be related to the battery leak during driving. The battery level shouldn't drop overnight. On the other hand, my wife gets somewhere in the high 30s (whereas I average 50 computerized) so it's entirely possible that it's your techniques or driving route.

The only time the battery will get all 8 bars is if you go downhill for a long enough period of time.

 

Hmmm...#2 is intriguing.

Are you only hitting the power button when you leave the car, or are you pressing the brake, and then hitting the power button? If you happen to not actually turn the car off when you put it in the garage, that would explain both #1 AND #2.

 

Defo need to get #2 checked. Even if the battery was on 2 bars in the morning, it should increase steadily to almost full after a mile or two. I sometimes find mine will drop to 2 bars in the morning every once in a while but it quickly comes back up to normal.

One quick question - is your garage hot?

 

Have you try resetting your trip? When I got my car from the dealer it had 80+ miles on it and was at a very low MPG. I still use that trip as my lifetime average and still not at 50 yet. Try resetting either Trip A or B and see if you cant get it up. As far as #2 I would def. consult with the dealership. #3 is probably a result of #2.

 

What is your tire pressure? For better FE increase to max sidewall pressure. Is the oil level over the top mark on the dipstick?

It sounds like the car is not being powered down. If the car is left on when you try to lock the doors (or 1 insn't closed) it will beep.