Best and worst Toyota Prius years — which to avoid?

The Toyota Prius is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a dependable hybrid electric vehicle, but not all the Prius model years were created equal. Before making a final purchase decision, it’s crucial to know about the known issues and complaints to avoid the worst Toyota Prius years.

We’ve evaluated the best years to buy and worst Toyota Prius years to avoid through driver ratings, reviews, and reports on the most common Prius issues. Our team went through NHTSA ratings, as well as information from other trustworthy automotive agencies, details on Toyota Prius recalls, and other sources to help you make your final decision.

Why you can trust REREV’s advice on which car model years to avoid: Our car experts look at official data, ask real drivers what they think, and talk to experienced mechanics to make sure our list is useful. This reliable info can make buying a car easier for you. Want to know how we do it? Find out more about our research methodology.

How we rated the best and worst Toyota Prius years

While crafting this guide on the best and worst Toyota Prius years, our team mainly relied on driver experiences and complaints, as well as information on trusted automotive agencies and organizations for traffic safety.

We mainly focused on NHTSA ratings and reports for the US market, along with recall details from Cars.com and Toyota Prius reviews and safety ratings from renowned sites like Kelley Blue Book. We wanted you to have double-checked and verified details on one hand, and first-hand ownership experiences on the other, which is why we also referred to Toyota Prius forums.

Most common Toyota Prius problems

The Prius has been one of the best-selling hybrid vehicles in the world, and it’s Toyota’s number one electric vehicle up to date. Even so, some model years have common issue reports that you shouldn’t overlook, so we scanned through the common Toyota Prius problems to explain everything to you:

1. Engine problems

One of the most often reported issues with the 2010 Toyota Prius is engine issues. Some owners claim that a wide range of engine-related problems, including symptoms of a blown head gasket, stalling, overheating, and hesitancy, have occurred with their cars.

Toyota had issued hybrid system recalls for this model year to remedy some engine issues since the hybrid system used to simply shut off. It’s advisable to seek the advice of a qualified mechanic to thoroughly check these problems and receive a proper diagnosis.

2. Excessive oil consumption

Many 2011 Toyota Prius models have issues related to high oil consumption, according to some owners of this model year’s Prius. Engine oil would be used up at about 1 quart per 1,000 miles in affected automobiles. To keep their oil warning light off, some owners had to fill off their engine oil every other week. To avoid significant engine damage, drivers have to pay close attention to the oil levels in their vehicles.

Some owners reported oil leaks that led to replacing their leaking timing cover gaskets to fix the problem. Others weren’t as fortunate and had to have their cars’ engines replaced.

3. Crack-prone windshield

One of the most common 2016 Toyota Prius issues is windshield cracking. Some owners claim that the crack in the front windshield spreads quickly. According to reports, even the smallest stone has the potential to break the windshield’s surface by up to two-thirds.

The problem appears to be a design defect. However, some owners had to change their windshields to fix this issue.

4. Faulty headlights

Many 2008 Toyota Prius owners have reported issues with their car’s headlights, which may go out while driving. Turning them off and back on may help, but only for a few minutes. In some cases, both headlights would go out at the same time. This is mostly associated with Prius cars with halogen headlights before Toyota started using different types of headlights.

In some cases, more than simply replacing the headlight bulbs was needed to resolve the issue. Others had to replace the headlight assembly to correct the problem.

5. Inaccurate Fuel Gauge Reading

Many 2006 Toyota Prius owners have complained about issues with their fuel gauge, which provided inconsistent and erroneous readings. The affected vehicles’ owners would realize their fuel levels would remain low despite filling up their tanks and dropping considerably more quickly than the odometer indicated.

The fuel gauge on the car might need to be recalibrated to fix this issue.

6. Interior accessories problems

Owners of the 2007 Toyota Prius report that some vehicles frequently experience issues with the cruise control, warning system, backup camera, and dashboard display.

The most typical of these interior accessory faults is a dashboard display issue. Some motorists claim that their dashboard display would abruptly go out, leaving them without the ability to see their speed, odometer, and fuel gauges. Their cars wouldn’t lock up, and their engines wouldn’t shut down.

These issues resulted from a defective battery, which needed to be changed, as many who took their cars to the shop learned. 

However, this problem can be covered by the warranty on your automobile even though there haven’t been any recalls to fix it.

Worst Toyota Prius years to avoid

We don’t want you to get us wrong, Toyota Prius is a pretty decent and reliable car in lots of its production models. However, ownership reports and reviews along with commonly reported problems and complaints state otherwise for some model years, so these are the Toyota Prius years to avoid:

• 2001
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012
• 2016

We’ll also take a closer look at each of these model years by their generation, and further discuss some issues that might have made them unreliable.

First-generation Prius (2001 model year)

The first-gen Prius is pretty reliable overall except for the 2001 model year which received over 200 complaints according to platforms like Car Complaints. The issues were mostly related to electrical issues and problems with engine cooling, so it’s best to avoid this one.

Second-generation Prius (2005-2009 model years)

For the second-gen model, owners have reported that even after replacing the bulbs, the headlights still fail to work consistently. There were also some reports that their lamps began to flicker in the middle of a drive, resulting in a dangerous driving experience.

The Toyota Prius 2006 and 2007 had serious headlight issues, with some reports claiming that the headlight and tail light bulbs prematurely burned out. It was deemed a clear safety issue because it would reduce the driver’s visibility, especially at night. The worst-rated model was a 2007 Prius that received more than 2000 complaints on Car Complaints, most of which were directly related to NHTSA reports.

According to one of the owners’ reports, the Prius failed to show speedometer readings, fuel gauge readings, headlight indicators, caution indicators, and other status updates available on the gauge cluster, making every journey risky and unpredictable.

Due to a broken brake actuator, the 2009 Toyota Prius experienced brake problems that resulted in uneven or ineffective braking, which in turn caused safety problems and poor fuel economy ratings.

Third-generation Prius (2010-2014 model years)

The 2010 Prius is statistically the poorest Prius model year to date. The brakes’ persistent inability to engage was considered the worst mechanical problem and a serious safety concern, and it had more than 3,000 complaints overall.

The service brakes, electrical system, and external lights were three key areas where the 2011 Toyota Prius experienced issues. Standard brakes have reportedly failed to deploy while a vehicle is moving, increasing the risk of an accident.

The 2012 Toyota Prius had a lot of problems at the time. According to multiple reports, applying the brakes while driving caused the car to vibrate a lot and some warning lights to illuminate. It received over 480 complaints, making it one of the worst-rated options in this generation.

The 2013 Prius engine had various issues. Numerous owners complained that their engines were stalling or performing poorly. Several problems led to it, including a malfunctioning fuel pump, an air intake leak, and an engine that misfired. Due to these problems, many owners experienced diminished performance and decreased fuel efficiency.

What are the best Toyota Prius years to buy?

Regardless of those bad model years, the Prius remains one of the first hybrid vehicles that innovated the field and is to this day one of the most reliable hybrid models. If you can get your hands on one of the better models, you should enjoy outstanding fuel economy, a lengthy battery life cycle, and dependability for many years. Although many year models won’t, many will reliably meet these standards.

So, are you wondering which are the best Toyota Prius years to buy? The best Toyota Prius years are 2000, 2003, and 2021 Prius, but here’s a full list of positively-rated years:

• 2000 Toyota Prius
• 2003 Toyota Prius
• 2013 Toyota Prius
• 2014 Toyota Prius
• 2018 Toyota Prius
• 2019 Toyota Prius
• 2020 Toyota Prius
• 2021 Toyota Prius

To make sure you understand why these are the best-rated years, we’ll lay down all the details we’ve found through our sources below for the best years.

2000 Toyota Prius

The 2000 Toyota Prius model is one of the best-rated hybrid vehicles ever made with an excellent reliability score that earned it an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5. It only had a few reported issues including some problems with the headlights that seem to be regular for this model.

Other than that, everything seems pretty straight with the 2000 Prius, which is why we can recommend this one.

2003 Toyota Prius

With just around 120 complaints, the 2003 Toyota Prius earned the sympathies of many drivers, and it also received pretty decent ratings. Considering the 4.9 out of 5 rating on Edmunds and just some minor issues related to the brakes and electrical system.

2013 Toyota Prius

The 2013 model received a bit more criticism with over 360 complaints, which is still pretty decent for a model that sold over 5 million units. However, this generation model had a few more reported issues including interior accessory issues, headlight problems, and A/C unit not working properly.

Along with those, there were some reported issues concerning the hybrid powertrain fault, but luckily these were solved through recalls.

2021 Toyota Prius

For the fourth-gen Prius, the 2021 model turned out to be the best-rated one with only 6 complaints we realize that it may largely be due to the model only being released for a few years, but it’s also a result of Toyota’s good work with recalls of the previous models that had a worse rating.

Out of the common issues for this generation, the 2021 model didn’t have many problems with headlights, steering system, and electric window settings.

Is Toyota Prius worth buying?

Toyota Prius is a parallel hybrid vehicle that offers an environmentally friendly option when selecting a car. Hybrids like the Prius also save money at the gas pump. Unlike some other types of hybrids, Toyota designed the Prius with the gasoline engine and electric motor separate from one another. Because the Toyota Prius can detect how much power you require, it can seamlessly switch between both modes.

The Toyota Prius model is well-built to meet all of your driving requirements. However, it would help if you inquired about the Prius years to avoid in order to get the most bang for your buck. We have, however, extensively discussed the Prius years to avoid so that you can make an informed decision.

Considering the eco-friendly alternative? Our articles like Nissan Leaf years to avoid highlight the best and worst years for each, simplifying your search for the perfect green ride.