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I am considering a hyprid, particularly Prius. I wanted to know what sort of maintenance costs are associated with a hybrid (or Prius) - as compared to a gasoline equivalent.

  • Battery life (when does it have to be changed? Km? years?)
  • Schedule maintenance costs (amount, frequency)?
  • Other significant costs and when does it come due?
  • Any Tips or things I should consider?
  • Effect cold weather (upto -10C) has on battery? significant? or immaterial?

I plan on buying it new and probably keeping it for 10 or so years at least, possibly longer (~150k estimated over 10 years).

Thanks.

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1 Answer

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i've owned two prius's.

  • battery life: the battery has an 8 year, 100k mile warranty.
  • scheduled maintenance: same as a regular car. the hybrid system has no additional maintenance.
  • other costs: nothing beyond a regular car.
  • cold weather: no impact additional impact. as with a normal car, extreme cold weather lowers fuel efficiency.
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thanks. Since you've had 2 prius's, perhaps you would be able to tell me if the mpg's you get are as advertised? or no-where near it? I have read some forum posts where people claim advertised mpg's are not achievable. – Nasir Feb 28 '12 at 14:16
I do not drive conservatively and I average about 48 mpg. My wife now drives my prius and she averages 55, but can get about 60 if she tries. We both drive a mix of highway and city. – longneck Feb 28 '12 at 16:29
Also, on a couple of road trips I was able to sustain 85 mph for more than an hour. My mileage during those spans never dropped below 42 mpg. That's with 3 people and luggage. – longneck Feb 28 '12 at 16:30
thanks, that helps :) – Nasir Mar 2 '12 at 15:35

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