Very low mileage for 2017 Prius: what needs maintenance after 5 years?

Just go by what the manual says, using time instead of mileage.

 

Change the oil every 6 months regardless of miles, keep the 12v on a battery maintainer, check cabin and air filters for rodent intrusion every so often, keep an eye on the tires. They can get flat spots and dry rot if left parked for a long time. Going on regular drives helps. You may want to take some drives every so often to keep things lubricated and keep the gas from going stale in the tank

 

1) - the RIGHT answer - as suggested above - do it by the book - by time.

2) - the REALITY answer - as we did with my Mother-in-Law who drove 1000kms a year, and my Dad who was doing about 3000kms/yr. We stretched the time out to about double, or a bit more - so instead of a 6month service, we went to 12-18 months. BUT I did insist on checking fluids, tyres and taking it for a quick run every month or so, to ascertain it was running well - and stopping well for that matter.

The problem with 2) - is that, in the unlikely case of having a warranty problem - TOYOTA could wipe you.

 

I’ll give you what we’re going to do. We’re driving less than 3k miles a year. Right now, since it’s on Toyota’s dime, I’m doing the maintenance every 6 months. After that I’m going to go down to once a year oil changes and tire rotation. Battery probably at five years, and double the maintenance schedule (time wise) for the other stuff. I doubt we’ll own the car more than 5-6 years fwiw.

We have a 2020 XLE AWD-e

 

If it's not being kept for long - there is another consideration. Newish cars, when you go to trade - at least here - the first thing the dealer does is go to the LOGBOOK and check if services are 1) done; and 2) up to date. I think - it can affect trade-in value.

 

General rule of thumb is you should have the brake fluid inspected for moisture content (which the dealer is SUPPOSED to be doing when the manual says "inspect the fluids", but they seldom do) or you can do yourself) and have it changed every 3 years or so. The brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air very easily.

 

Yours is an extreme case to be sure. I hope some of the earlier posts recommended keeping the 12V on a maintainer. That's probably the weakest link in a minimally used Prius. Air filters (engine and cabin) can be inspected and only changed when needed (dirty). As long as the two coolant tanks are clean and bright pink, I would not touch it. If the level drops a little, I would just add water to top off. I would also leave the "transmission" fluid alone. So it comes down to oil change frequency. I'm of the opinion that miles trumps time, even if time extends to years before reaching the desired miles. Since you are examining the oil on the dipstick and it appears fresh and clean, I would not worry about running past the time.