I am finally asking the question I have dreaded to ask those (and only those) who owned both a Gen 2 and a Gen 3 Prius. Which one do you think was a better car—Gen 2 Prius or Gen 3 Prius—and why? A very green friend of mine (Sierra Club, Democratic Party, environmental and transit activism of all sorts) had a white Gen 2 he loved, which was totaled in an accident. He replaced it with a brand-new white Gen 3, but he hated its looks and never liked it. He traded it in for a white Model 3 when it first arrived. It also looks like Gen 3 had a lot of serious engine problems. Incidentally, I always regretted not getting a red 2008 Prius but a red 2009 Corolla XLE instead in February 2008. So, what do you think?
It's no contest... Toyota made some huge blunders "improving" Prius after Gen2... If you own a Gen3 (2010-2015 in the US) then you can count on not getting very far past 200K miles before head gasket failure. Then once you spend a fortune to get that fixed the super high mpg piston rings was a failed design and burn oil before you get very far into 200K miles. What's more, their horribly designed EGR system gets clogged and needs regular cleaning and when you combine a clogged EGR with an electric engine water pump design that has a hard time regulating its speed and tends to fail (gen2 engine water pump is belt driven) you get an overheated engine / headgasket failure. As in there's endless people in the 300K mile club with Gen2, but I only know of two Gen3 Prius that made it to 300K mile club without major engine repairs. There's simply no comparison... Gen2 is ten times the car than Gen3 Prius is in terms of long term repair costs.
I had two new gen2s which had no issues but I sold them both under 150k miles. Bought the 2012 Prius v because of its increased size and better ride and still have it at 345k miles. Inverter, brake booster, hybrid battery and oil consumption all had to be dealt with one way or another. Only cleaned the egr twice - the second time replaced the egr valve and software with updated versions. The first time was due to oil burning. In 2026 I would not recommend a used gen2 (too old) or a gen3 (too many high dollar problems) to anyone. In reality gen3s are rare around here as most have died and gone to salvage yard heaven. A 22 Rav4 hybrid now shares the garage with the v and is a much better car in almost every way.
Have at least 4 gen2 here at all times just pikd up another yesterday .. had two gen3 even persona no count vehicles jokes . Of course I never had to depend on them because I had generation twos here so they the gen3 could sit in corner and rot far as I cared . Practically gave em away to come folks from far away . They was happy to get . After 10 Toyoda is equal to the rest. Oh what a feeling left the building .
Our 10’s been stellar so far, but low miles on the odometer and hanging out here are likely instrumental. I suspect it’ll outlast our need for a car, barring an accident. The engine’s been pampered and only seen 65k miles, and if something untoward lets go, say the brake booster or hybrid battery, we’ll deal with it.
Gen 5 is better. An old Gen2 is basically a start stop motor setup with a de-rated traction battery. I'd take ANY new car over an old beater any day...especially here in the rust belt. No car last forever. The average car lasts 7 years OR 210K kms. Remember that when you start burning cash in a money pit.
Having owned multiple Gen 2 and Gen 3 cars, I can say they both have their problems. I still have 5 of them in my family. Mechanically the Gen 2 is only better than the Gen 3 because their engine is not prone to the Gen 3 head gasket issue. My Gen 3 cars, 2010, 2012, 2015 all have not needed a head gasket yet. The highest with 245k miles. I believe the Gen 3 is a superior car, but it will feel a little less roomy inside due to the flying center armrest area that the Gen 2 does not have. Gen 2 are approaching 20 years old. You will find they are all worn down one way or another. My white 2008 has 240k miles and has all sorts of issues related to a 20 year old car. Water leaks inside, steering column rattles, engine starts up rough every morning, paint starting to look like crap. I've spent a lot of money replacing parts as well. Suspension, HV Battery, brake actuator, MFD screen, inverter pumps, combination meter...and the list goes on. So although this is considered a "reliable car", it's not reliable without changing out lots of parts as it ages. Gen 3 cars are newer and have a bigger engine. It feels more solid and has more power. I'm sure over time this car will have similar parts replacement issues as the Gen 2. They will all fail. I've been able to avoid the head gasket issue so far by keeping the EGR circuit clean and changing out the electric water pump at 150k miles, before it fails. I feel if I had to choose now in 2026, I would get the newer Gen3 with low mileage. At least you're not starting with a 20 year old car.
My current Gen 2 only 2 now have no issues no. Leaks no water damage to fan plugs no leaks in battery tray . No mice etc I had 4 in like same condition the kids wrecked two they sitting rt here perfect insides bashed outside . Still can move and ready . All leather interiors almost a 9.5 in all of them . Still easy to find like this too. Until gen5 has 200K or close to it on that de tuned Camry ma engine I won't touch it. And if I do I need a strip down version without the 19-in wheels no noise inside car lane assist etc . I'm cutting in and out of traffic so close in My vault Lane assist and collision avoidence never stops talking maddening . I am well aware wer I am in my car . Haven't hit anything in 33 yrs or so.
My 2004 is still going strong with a couple hundred thousand miles. 2008 was sold at 150k or so to someone idk. 2012 started exhibiting head gasket symptoms, so I traded in at 87k. For that reason, I vote gen 2. The rest of the car was pretty much the same imo.
All the items above, a rear hub, brake pads (fronts just last week as the originals were almost worn out) and regular maintenance items. A couple of the big items went out under a Toyota Customer Support Program. Twice as many oil and coolant changes than specified.
