You have options for Toyota Prius hybrid battery repair from coast to coast. What they can do for you is as follows.
Toyota’s Prius is reputed to have a battery life of well over 250,000 miles. If you own a Toyota Prius Hybrid, you could discover that the battery requires a little tender loving care at some time far into its natural life. Your local Toyota dealer is the best place to go if your car is still covered by the hybrid warranty. They will swiftly and cost-free fix the issue and get you back on the road. You shouldn’t go to the dealer, though, if your Prius hybrid has a battery problem and vehicle has passed its warranty period. Instead, you must resolve the problem more affordably. The expensive replacement of the battery is Toyota’s suggested fix. The battery is repairable, though, and can usually be done for a very low cost. single hundreds of dollars as opposed to several thousands.
You could panic if your Prius alerts you that the hybrid battery has failed and fear the repair will cost more than the car is worth or that it would be so expensive that you cannot afford it. Typically, this is not the case. Additionally, the car can usually be driven. You can go home, but we can’t speak to whether the car is safe to travel great distances or how much performance will be lost. How are we aware? We talked to a ride-sharing driver who had driven various hybrid vehicles with more than 250K miles and had accumulated over 1 million miles. He admitted to us that he had frequently driven Prius vehicles with dead batteries.
Numerous distinct battery cells are present and peacefully coexisting inside a Toyota hybrid battery. When they malfunction, it usually happens because one or more of the cells can no longer maintain the appropriate level of power. They fall short, in other terms. They can be changed, which is fantastic news. The bad news is that not every owner can handle this task. Many owners who are confident working on electronics and doing simple auto repairs rebuild the battery on their own using Prius hybrid battery cells they order online. Typically, each cell costs less than $50. These people have countless YouTube videos where they explain what they did and how you can fix your Prius hybrid battery.
In This Article...
Can you fix a hybrid battery?
Hybrid Battery Repair can be carried out in a number of ways. Of course, each strategy has advantages and disadvantages.
- swapping out harmful cells
- regenerated cells are used to replace all others.
- replacing the battery
It is crucial to remember that you should have your hybrid battery examined first to ascertain its condition before carrying out any of the following. Let’s take a moment to discuss your alternatives for replacing or repairing your hybrid battery.
Hybrid Battery Cell Repair
One battery pack is made up of 2040 cells joined together. The Prius C has 20, the Prius has 28, the Camry has 34, and the GM trucks have 40, as examples. Typically, not all of the cells degrade at the same time. Typically, a technician will find 2 to 8 defective cells that need to be changed when testing the hybrid battery.
The report details the quantity of weak and defective cells in your battery as well as our advise regarding how many should be changed. All of the healthy cells in your battery pack are revitalized during this process, increasing their capacity. We swap out the damaged and underperforming cells and balance the entire battery pack.
The issue might be temporarily resolved if the “other folks just replace the bad cells.” Their final output is a battery pack with cells of varying capacities, which makes it unstable. Additionally, older cells in your battery pack that have not been revived have a higher risk of becoming weak (bad), which could cause the system to malfunction once more.
Our method requires a full day, but it results in a superior battery for you. This is the most affordable method of having your battery fixed.
Hybrid Battery Rejuvenation
replacing all of the battery’s cells with revived ones. Cost: $890$1890
Your battery pack will be entirely repaired and reconditioned if you choose this option. Before we use any of our cells, they all go through the rejuvenation process. Each cell is capacity-tested after the process.
We combine them into a battery pack after the capacity test, then use a high voltage charger to charge and balance the cells. The bus terminals’ copper tabs are also completely replaced because the previous ones are typically rusted. This renovation procedure is more time-consuming and expensive, but it will last longer. Depending on the car, this option only requires 1 to 2 hours. Alternatively, we may come to you and change the battery there.
New Hybrid Battery Replacement
Poor air circulation inside the battery pack is one of the reasons cells degrade, according to our research. The battery heats up as less air flows through it. The batteries do not like heat. The new cells in your hybrid battery are set up differently than the original cells. Our battery’s configuration permits air to pass between each cell in the battery pack, which lowers the temperature and enhances the battery’s performance.
Customer happiness is important to us. For this reason, whenever we repair or replace the hybrid battery in your car, we always advise renewing all the cells or utilizing all new cells. A warranty on replaced parts is offered with each of our products.
We began evaluating fresh cells from various suppliers to use in our batteries in December 2017. I’m happy to share that we began offering hybrid batteries with NEW modules for sale in August 2018.
How much does it cost to have a Prius battery reconditioned?
A Prius battery is expensive, but that may not be a problem until the battery life is gone and a replacement is required.
Depending on the automobile model, replacing your Prius battery will cost money. The battery for a Toyota Prius from 2001 will be less expensive than one from 2016.
A new Prius battery pack will typically cost between $2,400 and $2,700, not including labor. When parts and labor are taken into account, you should anticipate price ranges of $5,000 or higher.
Your Prius battery may only require reconditioning before you decide it needs to be replaced.
Reconditioning your Prius battery is more likely to remedy the issue if the only issue is that it cannot maintain a charge.
Your Prius battery can be repaired to get it back to how it was before. Costs for reconditioning range from $1,300 to $1,900.
Can a Prius with a dead hybrid battery be driven?
In the event that the hybrid battery fails due to a P0A80, your Prius will still run, albeit more often. Since we lack the necessary amount of battery energy, the car will still run, but with less power. The automobile won’t start easily and won’t stop smoothly either.
Prius is a parallel hybrid, which means that even if one part breaks down, the car can still run until the problem can be fixed properly.
Yes, the Toyota Prius can continue drive even if the hybrid battery fails, to give you the quick answer. However, you will experience a worse drive and poorer fuel economy. Visit your dealer or a qualified company that can assist you in getting it back into working order if you run into this problem.
I sincerely hope that this is helpful to anyone who has experienced a bad hybrid battery. For extra assistance, feel free to contact us through the Toyota Prius Owners Club Facebook group.
How much does a hybrid battery refurbishing cost?
Perhaps astonishing to learn, but Dr. Ferdinand Porsche actually created the first hybrid automobile way back in 1898. Gas-powered automobiles didn’t surpass electric ones until Henry Ford refined the assembly process a few years later. But it’s obvious that electric and hybrid vehicles are returning in a significant way now, more than 100 years later.
While driving a hybrid automobile can significantly reduce your petrol costs, it’s crucial to be aware of other associated costs. For instance, it would be wise to be aware of the cost of replacing a hybrid car’s battery considering how important it is.
Are you curious to find out more? We’ll go over everything you need to know if you keep reading.
What Is a Hybrid Car?
It’s crucial to grasp what a hybrid car is in order to first comprehend why a hybrid battery costs what it does. A hybrid vehicle, as the name suggests, mixes various forms of energy to propel the vehicle. A hybrid vehicle typically has both a conventional internal combustion engine and an electric motor.
When it comes to fuel efficiency, hybrid cars frequently benefit greatly from this combination.
What Is a Hybrid Car Battery?
A hybrid car can typically go a short distance of about 25 miles on electric motor power alone. As we can see, a vehicle like this will require more energy to move. It will require a battery pack that can give a lot of power, specifically.
A hybrid automobile battery, unlike the majority of other types, must be able to completely discharge without being harmed and then fast recharge. Those are not simple things to complete together. A hybrid car battery is substantially more powerful than a standard car battery, which is used to power a 12v system.
For instance, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid’s battery has a 288 volt capacity. However, you may increase the power to 500 volts by adding an inverter!
How Often Does a Hybrid Car Battery Need to Be Replaced?
The typical lifespan of an automobile battery is between three and five years. Though don’t bank on it, some can last longer. Given that having it properly updated doesn’t cost much, that lifespan isn’t too problematic.
But the batteries in hybrid cars aren’t your standard, everyday batteries. These batteries are far more powerful, costly, and larger.
The way a hybrid battery is charged and how often it is used will have a significant impact on how long it lasts, just like with all other batteries. Your battery’s lifespan can be increased by regularly charging it, preventing it from totally discharging, and making sure it isn’t exposed to severe temperatures for an extended period of time.
Practically invariably, hybrid battery warranties are extended by auto manufacturers. The minimum lifespan of a hybrid automobile battery is eight years, thus these warranties are often valid for that long. However, when well-maintained, hybrid car batteries can outlast virtually every other mechanical component in the vehicle.
How Much Does a Hybrid Car Battery Cost to Replace?
A hybrid battery can be replaced for a wide variety of prices. This is due to the fact that every auto manufacturer employs batteries designed uniquely for their vehicles. Giving a single value for all hybrid batteries is therefore challenging.
Additionally, the materials used to make different hybrid batteries vary. Toyota, for instance, employs nickel-metal-hydride. Lead-acid sealed batteries may be used by other hybrids (SLA). And many modern automobiles now use lithium-ion batteries.
Because the cost of manufacturing each of these batteries varies, so do their replacement costs.
With that said, you can probably expect to pay between $1,000 and over $6,000 for a replacement hybrid battery. In addition, there will be charges for conditioning and testing on top of the price of the battery. These battery replacement process components can run you about $1,500.
Additionally, new batteries typically cost more than used batteries.
Not to mention work. The labor cost to replace a hybrid battery might occasionally reach $1,000 or more. In some cases, the labor cost to replace the battery will be higher than the cost of the replacement battery.
The labor and battery costs for a typical hybrid vehicle are probably less expensive than those for batteries for more specialized vehicles.
Labor Costs
A hybrid car battery replacement is different from a standard car battery replacement. The use of specialized tools and sufficient training are requirements for mechanics. A hybrid battery needs to be changed more frequently as well.
For instance, changing a battery in a Prius C can take up to three hours. For the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, changing a battery might take up to 6 hours.
It is clear that it will be challenging to estimate the labor costs for your hybrid after viewing the stark contrast between replacing batteries for just two distinct Toyota hybrids. Get a reliable labor cost estimate by speaking with your mechanic.
Improvements to Hybrid Batteries Being Made
Even while a hybrid battery may seem pricey, battery failure rates and replacement prices are really far lower now than they were a few years ago.
Unfortunately, consumers are greatly turned off by the expensive expense of battery replacement. However, while a new battery would set you back a few thousand dollars now, it would have cost you tens of thousands of dollars back in the early 2000s.
There is a switch to lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in addition to the well-known nickel-metal-hydride batteries. These batteries are more powerful but smaller, lighter, and smaller, which puts less strain on the car’s components and makes it healthier overall.
Lead-acid batteries are another option. There have been these batteries for a time. In actuality, Gaston Plante, a French physicist, developed them first in 1859.
Researchers improved lead-acid batteries throughout time and produced the UltraBattery. Supercapacitors are used by the UltraBattery. Supercapacitors are electric components that provide powerful energy bursts to hybrid vehicles so they may accelerate without causing battery damage.
For People Considering a Repair Instead of Replacement
You might be thinking about having the hybrid car battery repaired rather to having it replaced because doing so can be pretty pricey. Even though fixing a battery can be all you require, you should be aware that this is only a temporary fix. There is just so much a technician can do if your battery needs to be replaced because mechanics aren’t magicians.
Additionally, future issues are likely to worsen if your battery is outdated. For instance, even if your technician fixes one battery cell, it doesn’t guarantee that a different cell won’t malfunction on its own at a later time. This is why it’s crucial to evaluate the prices of the battery in relation to its lifespan and the worth of the vehicle.
Only Use Professionals
Never attempt to fix a hybrid battery yourself unless you have received the necessary training. Always leave repairs and replacements of hybrid batteries to the experts. A person who doesn’t know what they’re doing could be killed or seriously injured by the assembly’s amount of electricity.
Working on a hybrid car is different from working on a regular car. You can’t just take it to any mechanic as a result. Additionally, various hybrids need various tools.
Make sure the mechanic you choose is knowledgeable about hybrid batteries in general as well as those used in vehicles like yours.
Before you proceed with a repair, carefully read your warranty. If the vehicle is more recent, this is very crucial. If you purchased an extended warranty, you might still be covered for a vehicle that you purchased several years ago.
Comparing Hybrid Car Batteries Among Different Makes and Models
Your car’s make, model, condition, year, and other considerations will all play a role in how much you ultimately pay for a replacement hybrid. We’ll go into a brief summary of some of the most well-known hybrids and what their batteries are like to give you a better idea of what you can anticipate your hybrid battery prices to be.
Toyota Prius Hybrid
Most likely, if you’re looking for hybrid car battery replacements, it’s for a Prius since it’s the most popular hybrid in America. The Prius, one of the earliest contemporary hybrids, has maintained a high level of popularity due to its dependability and solid reputation. There are several different Prius models available now, including the plug-in hybrid Prius Prime, the slightly bigger Prius V, and the slightly smaller Prius C.
As previously mentioned, the Prius is powered by a 168-cell nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery. Toyota says that the Prius’ batteries can last for 10 years/100,000 miles, despite the fact that a battery’s typical lifespan is between six and eight years.
But it is anticipated that those numbers will result from “perfect” usage. This signifies that your battery is being charged and discharged at the proper rates and at the proper levels. Nobody is flawless, therefore you shouldn’t count on always hitting those statistics.
Having said that, a battery that can survive almost ten years is unquestionably a high-quality battery.
Chevy Volt
In 2011, the first Chevrolet Volt hit the market. This hybrid is a plug-in, which sets it apart from other hybrids in a little way. The Chevy Volt uses its battery until it runs out of power instead of the typical hybrid setup.
After that, the vehicle turns to its standard engine to use an electric generator to charge the battery.
Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf is not technically a hybrid car because it is an all-electric vehicle. However, changing the battery is identical to changing a hybrid battery. Unfortunately, Nissan Leaf batteries are among the most expensive to repair.
It’s important to take the age of the automobile into account with more expensive batteries. As your automobile ages and accumulates more kilometers, it’s inevitable that more and more parts may start to fail. After that, you’ll need to decide if you want to keep buying components or whether you just want to buy a new car.
Toyota Avalon Hybrid
One of the top luxury sedans on the market, the Toyota Avalon is a popular choice. It’s the largest hybrid currently on the market that isn’t a full-fledged SUV. This vehicle averages 44 mpg (44 hwy and 43 city).
The Importance of Knowing How Much Hybrid Car Battery Costs to Replace
Battery types for hybrid vehicles vary widely. However, by knowing how they operate, how they vary, and why they are so expensive, you can get more knowledge about the vehicle you drive and make wiser repair and replacement choices. You should feel more knowledgeable about the issue “how much does a hybrid car battery cost to replace” now that you have read the aforementioned article.