What happens when you run a Prius out of fuel?

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Fuel Economy & Prime EV Range' started by Paul Gregory, Oct 24, 2025 at 12:18 AM.

  1. Paul Gregory

    Paul Gregory Senior Member

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    I ran my Gen 3 out of fuel years ago, and I was surprised when the engine finally died at 181 kms, after the red indicator came on. The car would still limp along at about 30 kph. I have no idea how far this would have got me.

    My Gen 5 behaves as follows:

    The red refuel indicator comes on with 40 kms remaining on the fuel range indicator. A message, "Refuel" shows on the console about every 10 minutes.

    When the fuel range indicator reaches zero, the range is replaced with the word, "Refuel." The console message no longer appears. At this point, I set the trip meter to see how far I got before the engine quit. The car does not switch to EV mode when this happens; it just runs on the battery, which had more than enough charge to get me home.

    The engine finally died at 99.8 kms. This is the message:
    Prius Fuel Range.jpg

    Overall range after first "Refuel" warning, ~140 kms.
     
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  2. VelvetFoot

    VelvetFoot Member

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    Good to know. An advantage of the PHEV vs HEV.
     
  3. Paul Gregory

    Paul Gregory Senior Member

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    I was at the end of a long road trip, and I had fully expected to run out of fuel along the way, based on the distance to home and the indicated fuel range. I recall seeing "233 kms to home on Google Maps, and 103 kms fuel remaining." I had kept more than 40 kms EV range as a reserve.

    As it happened, when I got home, I still had fuel, so I took an extra excursion to see when I ran out of fuel. which turned out to be about another 30 kms. Quite a surprise.
     
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how did you refuel? when i ran out in my 08, i had to get a gas can with a skinny nozzle to fit through the check valve