Toyota Prius (2016-2022) review - Reliability and safety

The hybrid powertrain sounds complicated to the uninitiated, but the Prius has been around since 1997 and similar hybrid systems have been used in a raft of other Toyota and Lexus models for many years, so it's been developed and improved upon with every new model it's been used in.

In that time the technology has proven itself to be incredibly reliable and any worries about the batteries will be put at ease by the fact that some of the very first Prius models are still going strong. As they’re commonly used as taxis, some Priuses have racked up hundreds of thousands of miles. 

Toyota has always had a strong reputation for reliability, with the brand coming sixth overall in our Driver Power 2020 satisfaction survey. Its dealer network recorded a good result, too, with owners rating highly the level of service they received.

The Toyota’s list of safety kit is extensive. All Prius models come with seven airbags and Toyota’s comprehensive Safety Sense system, which is comprised of radar-governed adaptive cruise control (which maintains a safe distance to the car in front and can even bring the Prius to a halt if necessary), pre-collision brake assist, lane departure warning, automatic high beam, road sign and assist. ‘Business Edition’ models also get a blind spot monitor and rear cross traffic alert, while ‘Business Edition Plus’ and ‘Excel’ get park assist. All of this helped the Prius achieve an impressive five-star Euro NCAP safety rating in 2016.

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Warranty 

Like all Toyotas, the Prius now comes with a groundbreaking 10-year warranty/ 100,000-mile warranty (as of June 2021). As before, you’ll need to have your car serviced at a Toyota or Lexus main dealer, but each service adds an extra year to the warranty cover - until your car reaches the thresholds mentioned above. This even applies to second-hand cars, hydrogen, electric and hybrid models, and taxis, with a main dealer service resulting in a year’s warranty.

There's also a separate five-year warranty for the hybrid system; a 12-year anti-corrosion and perforation warranty and a three-year paintwork and surface rust warranty. 

For the Prius, you can also extend the five-year hybrid warranty by an extra year or 10,000 miles (whichever comes first) and this can be renewed up to the 10th anniversary of the car’s registration with no limit on total mileage. 

Servicing 

Toyota offers a range of service packs for its models, as well as fixed-price servicing which really helps those on a tight budget. The Prius also gets a free hybrid system check with every service. 

Toyota’s dealers also finished third in our 2020 Driver Power survey with the brand getting an 89.7 per cent rating, so you’re in safe hands.