Batteries from AAA are SH*T Beware only last exactly 3 years

Does the vehicle have the SKS fob feature?

How many hours per week were your driving (averaged) over the last 3 years?

 

It's not like AAA is manufacturing batteries. They just resell some common brand and get to put their name on the label for advertising purposes.

 

Without knowing your driving habits and conditions........
That story is mostly worthless.

 

Yeah, 2 miles isn't enough to keep the 12v fully charged going forward.

 

battery maintainer from amazon, $35.

 

Maybe NOT.
What you are doing amounts to battery abuse and would be hard on ANY brand.
Yellow Tops have fallen from grace lately because of quality problems.
YOU need to do 20 miles or so once a week OR get a battery tender to keep the charge up.

 

Well, 3-year life seems like the norm these days.
My 2022 Mazda 3 lasted 39K miles, under 3 years, but mileage exceeded the replacement warranty.

5 or 7 years in my experience is rare, unless it was the original installed battery.
Even OEM replacement batteries don't seem to last as long as OEM install, but they fit every time
PSA many say if you leave your headlights or stereo on (for examples ) and "kill" a battery so it needs a recharge, you took life from said battery.

Yes AAA is just selling a rebranded/relabeled battery, but AAA can sure be convenient.
+ 1 for battery tenders if your car is not driven most days.

Good luck wished to the OP with their replacement battery.

 

Battery lifetime for most cars over the course of the pandemic have been terrible. People not driving enough to keep them fully charged, or making only very short trips where the charging time doesn't make up for the cranking losses. It isn't just the Prius, but the Prius is especially bad because it charges the 12V slowly regardless of how the car is being driven. Drive a "normal" car (with an alternator) at high revs the battery charges up quickly. Not so on the Prius. My wife drives her Accord on only very short trips at very low speeds. I have lately been in the habit when I drive her on these short trips of forcing it to stay in 2nd to get the RPM up above 3K. Not so great for mpg but at least the 12V battery has stayed charged better.

 

To be burning extra gas to charge the 12 volt is frustrating though; if at all practical a smart charger with convenient hook up is the way to go.