After 22 years I've replaced my Gen II Prius with a 2026 Corolla hybrid. Gen 5 Prius visibility was just too limited; the interior felt like a capsule. So far, so good, but I miss having a reliable comprehensive source of info and discussion, as is PriusChat. For example: - Toyota specifies 0W-16 oil in the US and 0W-20 in Europe. Plausible rumor has it that this is for better EPA fuel economy in the US and longer engine life in Europe. I don't dare risk the Toyota warranty by using the heavier oil. - What is the maximum amperage that can safely be drawn from the 12V system by an aftermarket accessory? Gen II Prius was rated for 100A, sufficient to power a 1kW AC inverter. I've no clue yet what is safe in the Corolla. Gen II Prius things I miss: temporary spare tire and rear window washer & wiper. Things I won't miss include the fuel tank bladder, the brake accumulator, the belt-driven engine coolant pump, and the coolant thermos and associated transfer pump and valves.
Double check your oil fill cap or OP manual; I believe it's down to 0w8 now - at least the regular Corolla had been down to that for a couple of years now, I believe.
congrats Richard! we're considering the corolla cross to replace our hycam in the future. pics, or it didn't happen all the best!
True, for the non-hybrid. For the hybrid the manual and the oil fill cap both read "SAE 0W-16". Good to check :_>
I came from a Corolla hatch to the current Prius. The Current Corolla sedan is shorter, is easier to get in and out of, has a better back seat, a pretty big trunk, and simple, intuitive controls. It is zero percent weird. Weird is the calling card of the Prius.
There is a ToyotaNation forum which has a fair bit of traffic: https://www.toyotanation.com/forums/corolla-12th-gen-hybrid-2020.1046/
Congrats on the Corolla Hybrid...it's a great car, I like my wife's 2024 more than I like my 2021 Prius! She has a 2024 Corolla Hybrid SE AWD model in the blue (Celestite) Since maintenance is so easy, I'll just do both our cars on the same day for oil/oil filter change and tire rotation. (Every 6-months or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first.) Yes, it takes 0W-16 oil and it's fine....just cut in half every Toyota Maintenance recommendation if you want to keep the car for the long-term. The Corolla Hybrid and Gen 4 Prius are almost identical, mechanically. (I'm not familiar with the Gen 5 Prius but would assume it's, also, similar.) Same oil filter, air filter, even same charcoal cabin filter. I like Mobile One Advanced fuel economy but switch our older (10+ years) cars to Valvoline Restore and Protect. The Corolla did not come with a spare tire (AWD uses up the space in the trunk) so I bought a wheel/tire and store it in the trunk....no way I'm waiting 2-3 hours on the side of the road for help when I get a flat.
I preferred a hatchback, and being a bit shorter overall one would have been a better fit in our garage, but the Corolla doesn't now have a hybrid version. Dang it. Following my rule of buying a new car every 20 +/- 2 years the next one will be an EV.
So far as I've found, the generally preferred solution for aftermarket spares and kit is ModernSpare/ValueSpare (they say they're "sister companies", whatever that means legally). Engineered Model-Specific Compact Spare Tire Kits | Modern Spare Moments ago they emailed saying that their offering for the 2025 Corolla is compatible with the 2026 hybrid, and that they will update their website to show it explicitly in the pulldown selection menu.
