Used Toyota Prius Plug-in 2017-present reliability review

What should I look for in a used Toyota Prius?

The Prius Plug-in is quite a large car and its rear visibility isn’t the strongest, so check the extremities for any scuffs and dents. Check the paperwork carefully to make sure that your Prius hasn’t been used as a minicab, in which case its mileage is likely to be huge. The cars can wear large mileages well, but there are also plenty of low-mileage examples to choose from, and these might make a better used purchase. Servicing should have been carried out every year or 10,000 miles.

The batteries are also proving to be extremely durable, easily lasting 10 years or more and going for 200,000 miles. It’s still worth looking out for telltale signs of a weak battery, though; these include the petrol engine running constantly or a car that struggles to get above 40mpg on the instant fuel economy readout.

This generation of Prius Plug-in didn’t feature in our most recent reliability survey, but the previous model was a strong performer, scoring a rating of 92% and with very few reported issues. This latest car has built up a reputation as a useful minicab and there are plenty of high-mileage examples that seem to testify to the Prius’s dependability.

Toyota as a brand finished in an excellent third place in the latest reliability survey, with an impressive overall score of 97%. Toyota provides a five-year, 100,000-mile warranty from new.