2013 Toyota Prius. Do I need new tires? Image included.

pics can be deceiving, can you give more info on tires?

what is the depth of the tread?
how many miles on them approx?
brand and size?

You are getting these symptoms only when applying gas?
would that be spinning, not skidding?
What was temp? could there have been ice?

was it only this drive? first time?
any new reports since this time?

you happen to be in "D" and not "B" and any other dash lights on?
you happen to have obdii scanner?

 

Well you didn't say what brand of tires. Or how much mileage you've put on them. Or cough..what PSI you're inflated. However....

Listen this is a default answer from me.
But tires are your vehicle contact with the road. There's the countless design elements that make up a vehicle, and then there is the small patch between tire and road surface from which everything called driving springs.

So to me? Tires are a HUGE safety issue.
So my default answer when anyone asks "Should I replace these tires?" is yes. If you are at all not confident in performance of the tires, replace them.

I can say, in the past, this was a while ago...1990's, I had OEM tires that were so poor in quality, I was forced to replace them when the tread "looked" great. Very early in their life. I bought a more expensive set, didn't regret it...and the problems went away.
So I do think sometimes you can have a tire that looks good, but just isn't performing well.

Over the internet, even with pictures, even with more information, I can't really judge that. So my answer has to be...if you aren't for any reason confident or feeling safe with your tires? Go ahead and replace them. That potential safety, and that driving peace of mind. is worth it.

 

The tears circled in red are just local/surface abrasions and are no issue. Looks like the tires are 2017, see the date code oval in the lower right of your photo. Even though you bought them new 2 years ago they could have been old stock, but they are fine, still new and should be pliable rubber. If it just started raining when it felt slippery it could be because fresh water on a road can be slick when mixing with the oils on the road surface. As it rains more that washes away. Did you notice any slipping later on? Sometimes cross walk paint is slippery. How was the traction last winter? It should be the same this winter as it was last winter, the tires look good.

 

No photo... BUTTTTTT... if they are cracking, You are past the time of replacement!!!!
Now it is WHEN will one or more of them fail???
2.5 years? So you don't drive much? Prius tires last longer, usually. Even if you only drove 5000 a year,
that would only be 12,500 miles. Depending on the tire the average warranty is 40-60,000 miles.
They "should" be under warranty. Unless, it is for tread wear only. But it's worth checking and pushing for.
They will pro rate it, so you won't have to pay the full price for the new tires.

For some reason I do NOT see any photo, so I can't say what the cracks are....

 

The tires look like they have adequate tread. Perhaps there was oil or leaves on the road surface that caused your lack of traction.

 

What tire make and model? If you got summer tires then it’s slip and slide time.

 

You left out the most important fact. How fast were you driving when this "skidding" happened? Or did it only happen starting from stop? Other information asked by others are also needed. But the first thing first. Just slow down and slow start. That maybe all it takes to correct this problem.

 

You just missed it.

In addition to what has already been provided......those colored lines "painted" on the roadway can be slicker than ice right after a rain starts. The wide white "stopping line" will often do that because.......that often is where you stop the front wheels.

 

Even though my recommendation is to just replace. I have to say..Safety First.
I would say I live in the Pacific Northwest, and with the leaves of fall and dry pavement getting the first drops of rain, that can be a very slick time. Also, a benefit/drawback depending on how you look at it, is IMO the Prius starting out with the instant torque created by electric motors, can have a tendency to skid tires on start up.

But I also think the OP is right. If it's slipping, skidding now? It isn't going to get any better on snow or ice. So I'm still for replacement.

 

Any recent brake work?

A malfunctioning brake on one corner (brake not working) had traction control going off like crazy on a previous car of ours. Plus overshooting when trying to come to a stop, say at a red light. Turn out one rear corner was not working at all, after a (dealership) brake fluid replacement.

I doubt it would be the tires, out-of-the-blue, and they look ok.