Exact Answer: 6 Years To 10 Years
Many factors determine the life expectancy of Prius batteries, that is how long Prius batteries last in electric cars. Some of the major factors that determine the time are the temperature of the car, distance driven by the car, quality of the Prius battery, and other such factors.
How Long Do Prius Batteries Last?
| Type of electric car in which Prius battery is installed | Time |
| Hybrid electric car | 6 years to 10 years |
| Plug-in hybrid electric car | 10 years to 15 years |
Among all these factors, there is one major factor that must be kept under consideration while calculating the time for how long the Prius batteries will last when installed in an electric car. That major determining factor is the type of electric car in which the Prius battery is installed.
Electric cars are categorized into two different categories, that are, hybrid electric vehicles or hybrid electric cars, and the other type is a plug-in hybrid vehicle or a plug-in hybrid car. Depending upon this, the life expectancy of the Prius battery varies.
In most general, if a Prius battery is installed in a hybrid electric car then it might have a shorter life expectancy as compared to the Prius battery that is installed in a plug-in hybrid car.
On average, a Prius battery lasts for about a minimum of 6 years to a maximum of 10 years when it is installed in a hybrid electric vehicle, or specifically a hybrid electric car.
While on the other hand, a Prius battery lasts for about a minimum of 10 years to a maximum of 15 years on average when it is installed in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or specifically a plug-in hybrid electric car.
Why Do Prius Batteries Last That Long?
A hybrid electric vehicle or specifically, the hybrid electric car is an electric car that primarily does not contain major electric components in its functioning, such as regenerative braking function. Instead, a hybrid electric car relies primarily on gas and secondarily on electricity.
As a result, hybrid electric cars do not have to rely on getting charged from electric sources, as their primary source of functioning is gas, and the secondary source is electricity. Consequently, a hybrid electric car relies on gas refilling to function.
While on the other hand, a plug-in electric vehicle, or specifically a plug-in electric car is the type of electric car which has a split engine and uses both, gas and electricity for its functioning.
Apart from that, the car is charged using an electric car charger and a plug-in electric car also has a function of regenerative brakes. As a result, the other source of charging the car is also through regenerative braking.
The lifespan of Prius batteries when it is installed in a plug-in electric car is long. That is to say, Prius batteries last longer in a plug-in electric car as compared to the time for how long Prius batteries last in a hybrid electric car.
The major reason behind that is the amount of heat produced. In simple words, it can be said that the amount of heat produced in a hybrid electric car is higher than compared of a plug-in hybrid electric car.
It is so because a hybrid electric car primarily uses gas for its functioning, that means, when the car is being driven, the gas is being used. As a result, a high amount of heat is produced while the car is on.
While on the other hand, a plug-in electric car uses both electricity and gas for its functioning. As a result, the amount of heat produced is not as high. Since the amount of heat produced is not high, the Prius batteries work seamlessly for a longer duration of time in plug-in hybrid cars.
Conclusion
In other words, it can also be stated that Prius batteries work efficiently for a car to run a distance of about a minimum of 80,000 miles to a maximum of 150,000 miles.
Once the Prius battery reaches the end of its life expectancy, it starts showing different signs, such as quick depletion in car battery, bad fuel economy given by the electric car, electrical fluctuations, and other such signs.
