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Battery Life on a Low Daily-Milage commuter

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by HerbCherb, Sep 5, 2018.

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  1. HerbCherb

    HerbCherb New Member

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    Hey guys! Prospective Prius owner here, I was hoping you all could help me out. Here's the story:

    I have been looking around for used a Prius as my daily commuter. (I only average about 10-20 city miles a day.) I found a pretty decent deal on an '08 with 135,000 miles on, it in really good condition and with a new 12v battery, so I called my local mechanic that specializes in hybrid vehicles and he told me that I should not buy it. According to him, the Hybrid battery will need to be replaced soon and since I will be putting so few miles on it, the battery is likely not to last as long as someone putting in more daily miles. He said that Prius are ideal fleet vehicles because they are made for high milage. He also said he wouldn't put a refurb battery in a Prius with that low daily milage and putting in a new battery would cost about $2800. He says this cost, and the increased maintenance cost for a hybrid, just wouldn't be worth it for me to purchase.

    So, now I feel like I am back at square one and have been searching for anything that says only putting 10-20 miles on a Prius daily will shorten the battery life compared to longer commutes. But I have found nothing! Also seems like folks are getting a ton of miles out of the original battery.

    What do you all think?
     
    #1 HerbCherb, Sep 5, 2018
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    he is fairly correct, but. it is not the 10-20 miles a day that matters, it is how many miles a year.
    mime batteries prefer to be used . 10 x 365 = low. 20 isn't bad, but 12-15,000 a year is better.

    all that being said, buy it with the $2,800. in mind for a new battery. if and when you do need it, you'll be good for another 10 years.

    all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, Sep 5, 2018
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  3. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    No matter how it's driven the HV battery is over 10 years old. If you factor in replacing the battery with a new one then see what your good deal looks like. All batteries have a lifespan, how long it will last who knows.
     
    #3 padroo, Sep 5, 2018
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  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Who is this expert? He is probably a member reading your post.
     
    #4 JC91006, Sep 5, 2018
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  5. audiodave

    audiodave Active Member

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    What's the cost to buy this car? I'd mention the fact that the battery is at 10 years but that's probably why he selling it.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #5 audiodave, Sep 5, 2018
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    my daughters '08 has about 110k. i don't expect it to fail soon, but who knows?
     
    #6 bisco, Sep 5, 2018
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  7. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    There is a reason why Toyota has the HV Battery warranty pegged at 8yr/100K miles (non CARB States) and 10yr/150K miles (CARB States): Very few failures will occur in that time period, that they will be responsible for.

    Longevity of the HV Battery is all over the place. This is what seems to help w/ longevity:
    Driving a lot per year.
    Living in cooler places.
    Not having to many mountains.

    This is what seems to kill HV Battery longevity:
    Not driving much.
    Letting the car sit for prolonged periods of disuse.
    Living in mountains areas.
    Living in HOT areas.

    How far beyond 10yrs/150K miles, one gets is all over the place.

    Why not just get an electric car? No more gas. Maintenance will be even less. If you need a long distance car, borrow or rent a gas car.

    The Gen2 Prius is one of the cheapest cars to operate, and many here will agree with this. What is he talking about increased maintenance costs? If you keep any vehicle long enough, yes it will get expensive to maintain, esp if you can't DIY.
     
    #7 exstudent, Sep 7, 2018
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  8. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I don't think I would buy a Prius that didn't have at least some warranty left on the HV battery.
     
    #8 padroo, Sep 7, 2018
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