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Is it very bad to only drive a Prius once a week?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Sal43, Aug 6, 2019.

  1. Sal43

    Sal43 Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2018
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    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I only drive my Prius roughly once a week usually driving 13 to 20 miles to a mall to eat, walk around, and watch a movie with my friends and then drive it back 13 to 20 miles home.
    It depends on which mall I go to. One is 20 miles away and has a fantastic movie theater with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and Rumble Seats as well as another theater with IMAX, while the other mall is 13 miles away only has a basic theaters.
    I have other cars that I drive much more and I really bought the Prius because I though I was going to get a job in L.A. and that fell through. I am eventually going to move to L.A. though so it makes sense to keep my Prius instead of selling it. I will sell my other cars before moving to L.A. I bought it in April 2018 with just over 58,000 miles and as of today it has just under 61,000 miles. Is the battery health be damaged by driving a car between 1,000 and 2,000 miles per year for several years in a row?
     
    #1 Sal43, Aug 6, 2019
  2. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    13-20 mile trip is far enough for a good warm up and battery charge cycle, so I wouldn’t worry too much as long as you change your oil on a “time” basis. Once a year is probably a good rule of thumb for your kind of driving. Now, I know there are going to be skeptics out there but I’ve been driving my car under similar condition since new. It’s a 2012 with less than 60k. It’s 5000 miles or once a year, whatever comes first.
     
    #2 BZzap!, Aug 6, 2019
    RMB and Mendel Leisk like this.
  3. StarCaller

    StarCaller Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2014
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    Location:
    Cedar Crest, NM, USA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    rule of thumb / (y)
     
    #3 StarCaller, Aug 6, 2019
    RMB likes this.
  4. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2012
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    My rules
     
    #4 BZzap!, Aug 7, 2019
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
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    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    If practical, keep the car on a smart battery charger, to keep the 12 volt in good shape. Ours is connected more often than not, I just leave it hooked up.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Aug 7, 2019
    RMB and KeinoDoggy like this.
  6. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
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    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    of COURSE not

    Think of the different brands of plug-in cars there are. Some will run around all electric for many week - before cycling on just as a maintenance precautionary process. In many instances, people drive plug-in hybrids over 95% electric , and the ICE only comes on 5% of the time or less.
    .
     
    #6 hill, Aug 9, 2019
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