After saving money on gas, Toyota Prius driver needed a new battery and what he was quoted gave him a shock

  • A hybrid driver revealed his higher-than-expected battery quote
  • A new battery for his Toyota Prius was set to cost $6,800
  • Are hybrid cars more expensive to maintain than ICE cars?

Published on Mar 24, 2025 at 8:43 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

Last updated on Mar 24, 2025 at 10:04 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

A TikToker and hybrid driver has revealed the higher-than-expected battery quote he received for his new Toyota Prius.

He needed to replace the battery on his hybrid vehicle.

However, the $6,800 quote he received took him by surprise, as did the online response.

Are hybrid cars really more expensive to maintain than their ICE counterparts?

DISCOVER OUR SUPERCAR AUCTION SITE – View live auctions on SBX Cars

Battery quote for the Toyota Prius

Charlie Peterson, aka thatmakessensetome, shared his $6,800 quote for a Toyota Prius hybrid battery replacement and asked for advice on alternatives.

Hybrid car batteries, like the Prius, can be expensive to replace, ranging from $2,000 to $8,000, depending on the make and model.

“That’s all the gas money you saved,” one commenter said.

“Now you know why they call it ‘green’ energy,” joked a second.

How to keep costs down

Some owners turn to refurbished or used hybrid batteries, which are significantly cheaper than new ones from the dealership.

A refurbished battery replacement might cost between $2,000 and $3,000 and can take under two hours if you can DIY it.

Salvage yards or third-party sellers can specialize in used hybrid batteries with additional cost-saving options.

Toyota offers a hybrid battery warranty for up to 150,000 miles or 10 years, which might cover the cost of replacement.

@thatmakessensetome Toyota Prius #hybridbattery #toyota ♬ original sound – Charlie Peterson 🤷🏻‍♂️

What’s more, not all hybrid battery issues require full replacement – sometimes a bad cell needs fixing, which can limit the cost to around $300.

While hybrids may have higher maintenance costs due to the specialized hybrid system and battery – this may be offset over time by being cheaper to fuel as well as improved fuel economy.

What’s more, they have a potentially longer lifespan for the engine to offset these costs. 

Plus, government incentives and tax breaks for EVa and hybrid vehicles can make more sense financially.

The cost of reducing the carbon footprint of your car? Priceless.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

user

All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”