Prius Repair Costs Can Vary

By: Bill Waters
Staff Writer
Published: Oct 10, 2009

Repair and Labor For Toyota Prius

There are a lot of speculations based on what the costs are to repair the Prius. You have to understand that the 2010 Prius is a full hybrid car. The hybrid has fewer belts than conventional vehicles because it has fewer moving parts. The prices for labor and servicing will vary.

If you already own a Prius, you probably already know that the hybrid vehicle doesn't need a new engine every 2,000 miles. You should know that replacing the battery pack all the time is also a myth. Repairs on a Toyota hybrid shouldn't cost anymore than a non-hybrid automobile. In fact, the repairs should be less costly.

If you are shopping for a new 2010 Toyota Prius and have concerns regarding the cost for repairs, we can tell you that there shouldn't be any great worries. It doesn't matter if you are buying a hybrid or a non-hybrid, you have an equal chance to blow the engine or transmission. New cars are covered by a warranty, and it certainly doesn't help when so much misinformation on the Internet about new hybrids.

When your Prius needs a repair, it is often because of regular maintenance or oil change. Rotating the tires and changing the brakes is normal wear and tear. It doesn't matter if the car is a hybrid or not, this is the cost for maintaining your vehicle.

The Toyota Prius battery is expensive, but did you know that most of the first-generation models are still using the original battery packs? Batteries do have a life-cycle, and they will need replacing, but the cost of these battery units are going down due to growing demand. The 2010 Toyota hybrid comes with a great battery and the warranty should cover it between eight to ten years.

The average price for a battery today is about $3,500. This cost will further decline as demand increases. There are a lot of myths that fixing your car will have to be done more often than non-hybrids. This is not so, and, even if it was, it is covered under warranty.

In my opinion, any car with the Toyota logo gives me enough warranty. However, that's just me. New car buyers have legitimate concerns of repair costs should anything happen to their automobile.

A friend of mine owns a second-generation Prius and has more than 120,000 miles on the car. Nothing has ever broken down. He has never taken the car into a mechanic to have something fixed. However, he does all maintenance including brakes and oil changes all by himself.

New cars, whether they are hybrid or not, are going to cost an arm and a leg if they need a new motor or transmission. Your chances are better with something like the 2010 Prius because there are fewer problems that can go wrong. The automobile has fewer parts, fewer belts, and diagnosing the vehicle is easier for any mechanic.

Some repairs could be paid by the warranty or insurance company. For example, if you get into an accident, your insurance company might be able to pay for the cost. However, if it's something more minor such as a fender-bender, it's better to pay out of pocket to protect your insurance rates.

The only thing I do recommend, if you don't have a mechanic you can trust, is to have all the work done by a Toyota dealership. I have a neighbor that owns a 2010 hybrid, and he watches his mechanic to be sure they are using Toyota synthetic oil and not some generic brand he's never heard of. Toyota has great servicing and you can probably ask any mechanic at the dealer how many repairs they do on a Prius.