European versus USA 3rd Gen Prius, what's different ?

There is anecdotal evidence that the battery in the European versions isn't quite the same as the US version. Now whether that's because Toyota have used grade A stock for the US (where warranties can be 150,000 miles/10 years) and B stock for Europe OR that driving conditions in Europe are harsher, is heavily debated. Think of the long, wide, open American Highways and then the short, narrow, congested city streets in Europe, some road layouts dating from the 11th or 12th century.

One difference between the two cars is that US brakes are hard to last longer and the European brakes that have much more 'bite' but they use softer materials and thus the brakes discs and pads don't last as long. It is almost unheard of for US brakes to wear out under 100,000 miles but European brakes will last 30,000 to 50,000 miles depending on use. I know which I prefer. The brakes on my car are keen to say the least.

Otherwise I don't think there is much difference other than those you've already mentioned.

Enjoy your car.

 

There is anecdotal rumor that the battery in the European versions isn't quite the same as the US version. Now whether that's because of feelings of inferiority, or excessive hair loss, is hotly debated by at least one cabbie.

 

Not sure where you're going with that but a number of taxi drivers in the UK and Greece have both reported issues with their gen3 HV battery as well as experiences of gen3 Prius owning colleagues. That doesn't count scientifically but there are numerous reports of it on the UK forums.

Is there any proof. Nope. Is there any proof you're not an exec working for GM or a librarian from Minnesota rather than a Prius owner from New Mexico. Nope.

But one can't criticise the Prius on this forum. It isn't perfect as many would have you believe. It is a nice, smooth drive and when the car is running fine and in warranty it's a great car to have.

 

This part of your post I applaud.

Facts I like, wild fancy and innuendo leading to conspiracy theory -- not so much.
May I also suggest that your taxi driving acquaintances would be better served by advice to keep the traction battery fan clear of hair and debris from their passengers instead of baseless speculation that an international intrigue is out to get them ?

--- Somewhat unrelated anecdote --
Long ago I was visiting my father in your Cambridge. I cannot now remember the exact situation, but I was in a group of men who were casually discussing politics. For some reason I remember a Sauna, but for this story a Pub fits well. The decline of the UK as a world power came up, and the reasons behind the fall. One fellow stated with not a little righteous indignation that the US was at fault for printing dollars with wild abandon. His opinion was heartily seconded.

Even my teenager self knew the stance was nonsense, but I had the sense to keep quiet since I was the only American and reason was not the order of the day. I have since learned that poppycock 'theories' flourish everywhere that ignorance lets emotions reign.

 

Both are eCVT. They are Toyota HSD, after all.

 

Lots of places in the US are very hilly too.

e.g. San Francisco is very hilly and a lot of people there drive a Prius

 

I've seen it on tv. Big wide open roads with big long runs before junctions. I've also seen that really winding hill in SF (Lombard Street). That's more like a European street or back road. And if it weren't on a hill, it would be like some of the streets near me where you accelerate for about 5 car lengths before braking and turning and repeat, and repeat and repeat. Most streets are 2.5 car widths wide (or less) here so if someone is parked against the curb they're blocking people passing so you have to slow down, wait for oncoming traffic to pass before setting off again. Weaving in and out. All that puts wear and tear on the car and hybrid system.

vs

Now do you understand the argument? Fancy coming across an oncoming car in the last two streets? They're not one way! In SF you are unimpeded other than slow traffic. In the UK try driving up and down those narrow streets all day, braking, accelerating, braking again, squeezing through without hitting anything etc.

A hybrid gets a work out here. The above driving is not the same as sitting in congestion where the HV battery level drops to 2 bars and then sits between 2 & 3 bars as the engine switches on and off. Here the battery gets cycled up and down frequently.

 

In case you start looking at a plug in, there is the documented difference that the EU PiP has a City mode for low emission zones where the US has PWR for a more responsive throttle, plus some undocumented ones such as the EU only doing 85kph in full EV when the US version will stay in EV up to 100kph.

 

That's an interesting thread. Thank you for creating one.

I have Prius 2014 (trim II) that was purchased seven months ago. Due to work, I will be relocating to Luxembourg (Lux) in a couple of months. I consider taking Prius with me since company pays for relocation. If car is imported as a part of relocation, neither import tax (10%) nor Value Added Tax (15%) apply. The caveat is that cars imported into Lux must comply with the European standards. Certain modifications may be in order before car can get registered. I am trying to figure out whether any changes need to be made to my Prius and, if so, what the price tag might be. It would be rather silly to bring Prius only to find out modifications are cost prohibitive.

I e-mailed to Toyota Lux dealer earlier today but I am not sure they would know the differences between US and European models (fog lights / VIN imprint / etc.).

Any word of knowledge / wisdom is greatly appreciated

 

I imported a 2010 Prius (trim IV) from the US into the Netherlands in 2011. No major modifications were required for the car to pass the local inspection here. As I recall: add rear fog light (aftermarket); add sideview mirrors with LED turn signals (ordered from JDM and installed myself), changed parking light bulbs front from orange to white. There was no issue for the headlights (they were checked). Relatively easy...on some car models the headlights have to be changed and that can be quite expensive. Service here has been no issue (cars are almost identical). They even called me in for the recent software update (inverter) and did it for free. Took 2 days since they discovered they needed a different software version, but gave a loaner car (also free).
Luxembourg is fantastic. Enjoy!

 

I knew PriusChat was the right place to check

Thank you for the insights! I did order JDM side view mirrors with LED turn signals. I wasn't aware they were required so this mod is not a whim anymore but requirement. I will look into changing parking light bulbs from orange to white but you got me with rear fog light. I didn't see one on either EU or JDM Prius version. Would you happen to recall where you bought that rear fog light?

Also, trim II comes with regular halogen head lights and I thought of upgrading them to aftermarket HIDs. Given inspection on Lux side, I am not sure car will pass inspection. I may hold off on installing HIDs then.

Thank you!

 

The rear fog light in European versions is integrated into one of the reversing lights (depending which side of the road the car is driven on). It's hard to see this in the pictures as the lens is still white on the outside.



You can just about see it on the picture of a UK RHD Prius. The right hand side rear lamp has a red part at the bottom. A LHD version is the reverse.

Now you can try and change your rear lights to a European version with the fog included but you then have the fun of changing the wiring and installing a switch. The official rear fog light switch is on the headlights like your version but it has an extra turn for the rear. Turn it once and you get front fogs, turn it again and you get front and rear, but it has a switch so that once you turn the car off the rear fog is switched off automatically so people don't forget and blind people behind them 4 weeks after the last foggy day.

Grey imports from Japan are very popular in the UK so you won't have a job finding a modification kit that meets the legal requirements and height etc, but whether you can find such a kit in mainland Europe is questionable. You might have to cut a hole in the rear bumper which doesn't look quite as good as an integrated light.


Two grey imports with added rear fog kits.

Or you could just sell your US car and buy a local car? There are strict rules on placement and brightness and it depends on the area you'll be living. The UK are quite flexible on it but some places aren't.

 

Thank you for the clarifications!

I suppose JDM version of rear light should work on US Prius as well. I've seen quite a few posts from fellow Prius owners regarding that. eBay search shows "Toyota PRIUS ZVW30 35 PHV Optional Tail Lights LH + RH set Genuine OEM Parts" for $739 +S&H. In the description, it states:

Lamp assy, rear combination, Right x 1,(Rear fog lamp)
Lamp assy, rear combination, Left x 1,



I guess the question is how to wire it properly and whether this mod is legal in the streets of California I will check around.

As to the cost...Prius trim II here costs around $25K with taxes. Prius trim II in Europe costs around 27K euros so that will be around $33K. Also, I would have to sell it at a bargain. Given that employer pays for relocation, I figured import option is worth considering.

 

If you're in the armed forces then yes it will be worthwhile as they pay for lots of relocation expenses and pretty much spoon feed you when you arrive regarding vehicle compliance and insurance etc.

But be aware an imported vehicle may cause you issues with things like insurance. In the UK it does limit the number of insurers who'll cover you but obviously many don't mind either - market forces at work. But car insurance in Europe differs in each country so you could end up with a cheap car but one that is difficult to insure or at least get the full cover for. It would also affect the insured value. They're not going to pay out a normal replacement cost.

Just do your homework before you go and maybe check with your employer.

Update: You might have to replace the headlights too. The Euro versions are slightly different and each country has rules and regulations ranging from slack to very strict. Remember a couple decades ago the French insisted all cars had yellow headlights and even visiting cars had to have them. That has changed but the same strictness still prevails in some places. I also think some places don't allow yellow/amber front market lights.

 

Nope, it is a regular business move. My company covers cost of relocation including car import but car registration (and any required modifications) is on my tab. Indeed, I see that euro headlights have white parking lights instead of yellow. A few posts above user gregn mentioned he "changed parking light bulbs front from orange to white" so I am not sure it is about changing the bulbs. I may need to change entire headlight set.

I would think EU has universal auto regulations within its borders but it looks like every country is still a bit different; Germany / Netherlands / Luxembourg The annoying part is that I e-mailed Societe Nationale de Controle Technique (SNCT - Société Nationale de Contrôle Technique) asking about requirements but they said they needed to see the car to say for sure. So it can go either way

Let me check price tag for a set of euro head lights.

 

Hi Elric, this is Maurizio from Rome, Italy
What GrumpyCaddie says is (mostly) correct but also (vaguely) out of date.
1) ALL EU cars must have ALL their lights (front and rear) compliant to "e" specs: in the case of headlights, in a LHD Country such as LUX the "dipped" beam will slightly dip (tilt) to the right (towards the Kerb/shoulder) while the "high" beam will be straight forwards; in US cars, both high and low beam go full forwards. Nobody uses yellow headlights anymore, not even the French.
2) IIRC, US/Can vehicles are NOT allowed rear fog lights (the reason befuddles me, as it is a safety precaution) while in EU you MUST have at least one rear fog light on the "offside" of the car, i.e. towards the center lane, and one reversing light on the "nearside", i.e. the kerb side.
3) Parking lights aka sidelights MUST be white, not amber/yellow/orange.
4) Low beam is 50/55W, high beam is 60W max.
5) Quite possibly your car radio might not work. This is because US radio frequencies are spaced at 250KHz intervals, EU are spaced at 100KHz intervals. So we squeeze 10 radio channels where you only get 4.
6) Mirrors with side LED indicators are a treat, not a law-imposed technical spec. You MUST have side indicators of some sort, to tell drivers on your side you are going to change lanes. If not integral to the mirror, an amber idiot/marker light will do the job. They can look modern or vintage, and you don't have to drill the bodywork, either, just glue them on the body panel and run the wires through the door crack and splice them into the relevant circuitry.

7) Tires: haha... make sure the Vehicle Export papers state tire size in "EU format", i.e. 235/65xV16, not "FFx16V" (fantasy figures, merely as an example)

Hope this helps

 

Just shows the differences between countries.

There is a difference in compliance between what a brand new car being registered for first use and a second hand personal grey import. We have many second hand cars imported from Japan (grey import) and I know for sure that they don't have E rated headlights. They comply in that they point the correct direction, but don't technically comply if they were a brand new car. The EU is like that; you must have the correct box ticked or no way. It's a bit more flexible in the UK for for second hand/person imported cars. So long as the lights point in the right direction, are of the same colour, have a rear fog light in the correct place etc, then you're pretty much good to go. Other countries are very much particular about ticking every compliance box, even for second hand vehicles.

So back to my first sentence. It depends which country you're heading to.