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Toyota Prius reliability.

Is it reliable? Not really. 1.8× the average car's complaints.

179All years 2010–2022 · 100 = average car

Worse than average · 2010–2022

Fewest 2021Most 2010

2015 Toyota Prius illustration

20153rd generation

Lemon Index 36YouTube #21 of 24See the 2015 report ›
2001Taller bar = more complaints per car sold2025

What owners say on YouTube

#170 of 269YouTube owner tone vs. cars the same age · 988 videos
2020YouTube's favorite year2007Least-liked year on YouTube

2010–2015 Prius · 198 most-watched videos

Owners praise

Reliability7%
Looks7%
Power7%
Fun to drive7%

Owners complain about

Coolant leaks / water pump / overheating4%
Spark plugs / coils / misfire4%

Fixes owners look up most

  1. Oil changes & service1.5M views
  2. Infotainment, battery & electrical1.3M views
  3. Intake, EGR & engine sensors912K views

Before you buy, watch

Top 5 Problems Toyota Prius Hybrid 3rd Generation 2010-151A Auto: Repair Tips & Secrets Only Mechanics Know · 543K views2010 Toyota Prius Review - (High Mileage Reliability?)Jake Tiesler Auto · 173K views2011 - 2015 Prius Review! Real Fuel Consumption - Reliability - How to DriveDIY Approved · 87K views

Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.

Every year2021Fewest owner complaintsSee every year →Comparevs Chevrolet VoltAlso Chevrolet Bolt, Tesla Model 3See comparisons →Questions6 quick answersIs the Toyota Prius reliable?Is the Toyota Prius a good car?See questions →All the data25 model yearsin one table: index, complaints, recalls, mpgSee the table →

Looking at a 2023 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2025 best.

Fewest complaints

2021.

20219less than a sixth as many complaints as the average car201914less than a sixth as many complaints as the average car202021about a fifth as many complaints as the average car

Most complaints

2010.

20101107about 11 times the average car's complaints201698about average201784somewhat fewer complaints than the average car

Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.

2025–·202470#5202344#3202236#620219#2202021#1201914#7201825#9201784#13201698#4201536#21201445#17201346#8201276#12201166#1420101107#102009226#112008467#202007640#242006987#152005248#162004490#222003115#192002229#182001236#23

Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average, too new (2023+: a partial score, marked “partial”) or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 24 Toyota Prius years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.

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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/toyota-prius/" title="Toyota Prius reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="767" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/toyota-prius/">Lemon Index</a> (Toyota Prius reliability by year)</p>

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Scores before 2010 are rough: fewer owners filed complaints back then.

YouTube rank: we read 988 YouTube videos about the Toyota Prius, 2001 to 2025, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2020. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.

Compare the Toyota Prius.

Toyota PriusChevrolet Voltvs Chevrolet VoltToyota PriusChevrolet Boltvs Chevrolet BoltToyota PriusTesla Model 3vs Tesla Model 3Toyota PriusKia Fortevs Kia Forte

Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →

Quick answers.

Is the Toyota Prius reliable?

Not really. It draws 1.8× the average car's complaints, and YouTube owners rate it about average for its age. Fewest complaints: 2021. Most complaints: 2010.

Is the Toyota Prius a good car?

Not overall: it draws more complaints than the average car, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2010-2022: Lemon Index 179; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2021 drew the fewest complaints since 2010 and 2010 the most.

What are the best Toyota Prius years to buy?

By owner complaints per car sold since 2010: 2021, 2019, 2020. 2021 drew the fewest.

What Toyota Prius years should you stay away from?

The 3 years with the most complaints per car sold since 2010: 2010 (avoid, Lemon Index 1107, the first year of a new generation), 2016 (about average, Lemon Index 98, the first year of a new generation), 2017 (better than average, Lemon Index 84). 100 is the average car; lower is better.

How many recalls does the Toyota Prius have?

90 safety recalls across the 25 model years we track. Most: 2010 (10), 2004 (6), 2005 (6). Each year's page lists them, and every Toyota Prius recall is in one list here.

What are the most common Toyota Prius problems?

Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name lights, brakes and brakes (electric) most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.

Every year in one table
YearIndexCompared with averageComplaintsTop complaintRecallsCrash testMPG
2001236about twice the average car's complaints53tires (45%)3—41
2002229about twice the average car's complaints47tires (32%)2—41
2003115a bit more than the average car's complaints23tires (39%)1—41
2004490about 5 times the average car's complaints225electrical (47%)6—46
2005248about twice the average car's complaints185electrical (25%)6—46
2006987about 10 times the average car's complaints666lights (88%)6—46
2007640about 6 times the average car's complaints1,026lights (64%)4—46
2008467about 5 times the average car's complaints735lights (37%)4—46
2009226about twice the average car's complaints254service brakes, hydraulic (37%)6—46
20101107about 11 times the average car's complaints1,788service brakes, hydraulic (49%)10—50
201166about two-thirds as many complaints as the average car105brakes (36%)6★★★★★48
201276about three-quarters as many complaints as the average car121wipers & visibility (21%)6★★★★★48
201346about half as many complaints as the average car84brakes (24%)3★★★★★48
201445about half as many complaints as the average car65electrical (25%)3★★★★☆48
201536about a third as many complaints as the average car42electrical (24%)1★★★★☆48
201698about average102wipers & visibility (34%)5★★★★★52–56
201784somewhat fewer complaints than the average car68wipers & visibility (22%)3★★★★★52–56
201825about a quarter as many complaints as the average car22wipers & visibility (23%)1★★★★★52–56
201914less than a sixth as many complaints as the average car11brakes (36%)3★★★★★50–56
202021about a fifth as many complaints as the average car10brakes (30%)0★★★★★50–56
20219less than a sixth as many complaints as the average car5engine (40%)0★★★★★49–56
202236about a third as many complaints as the average car19electrical (21%)1★★★★★49–56
202344a bit under half as many complaints as the average car20electrical (25%)4★★★★★49–57
202470about two-thirds as many complaints as the average car27lights (15%)4★★★★★49–57
2025–too few complaints to score16electrical (38%)2★★★★★48–57

The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: en.wikipedia.org. How it works

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