Toyota Prius - Is the original eco warrior still any good? | ReDriven used car review

Long before Tesla and other full-EV cars became the go-to cars to show you cared for the environment, the hybrid Toyota Prius was about as big a statement you make on the issue.

But now that some are many years old and have
thousands of kilometres on the clock, are they still the best choice if you want an eco-friendly car?
Check out our full review over on YouTube now!

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below and don't forget to hit subscribe to stay up to date with all our latest content.

00:00​​​​​​​ - Intro
01:26 - What is it?
03:05 - How's the exterior?
05:31 - How's the interior?
08:13 - How's the tech?
09:37 - Is it practical?
10:45 - What goes wrong?
13:58 - Is it safe?
14:42 - What's it like to drive?
16:38 - How much is it?
17:44​​​​​​ - Fuel use, warranty & servicing
18:15 - Should you buy it?

#toyota
#prius
#hybrid

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At ReDriven, we’ll be taking you through the pros and cons of a huge range of used cars to see how well they’re going now that they’re a few years old, have thousands of kilometres on the clock, and are coming toward the end of their warranty, or maybe don’t have one at all.

Plus, thanks to our resident mechanic, Jim, you’ll find out what commonly goes wrong with them and what might need to be fixed.

Most importantly, we want to make ReDriven a voice for the most in-the-know used car experts there are...you guys.. See, you’re the ones that actually buy, live with, love and sometimes unfortunately hate the cars we’ll be reviewing.

So we want to hear your thoughts. Hit us up in the comments, or on Instagram and Facebook.

We’d love nothing more than for you to give us as much feedback as possible, so we can make this channel the best it can be.

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[richardjohnson]

I worked in a car repair and service shop for five years. During that time I saw several Prius vehicles come in with 200, 000 to 300, 000 miles on them and they were in for just oil changes, etc ( normal maintenance services). I was impressed so I now drive a 2009 Prius with 140, 000 miles on it.

[joeshmoe]

I bought a 2015 prius in Jan of 2019 with 50 thousand miles. It now has 104 thousand and runs excellent, never once gave me any issues.

[EnriqueGomez-gpol]

I've just bought one with 260, 000 km and there's no plastic noise or whatsoever. The condition of the interior is amazing and everything works.

[Kiwi_Dave]

Had a 2017 since new, 68, 000 km avg is 4.3 Liters/100 km, 45% of driving is in EV mode and I don't drive this any different than any other car, never had anything go wrong, annual service costs $300, drives like new, interior has survived two kids, used for weekly school runs and city chores. Weekend car is a Porsche.

[zaamuro]

This is the best looking Prius generation.

[sydjaguar]

Easily the best Aussie car YouTube channel. Great quality and entertaining to watch.

[polyforged]

I would buy this car even only for how it looks especially inside. Love that retro sci-fi vibes, like a spaceship cockpit.

[jamesbrett]

I have a 2011 prius here in NZ and it's brilliant. I fully agree that they just make so much sense. Practical, efficient and reliable. Mine averages 4.3l per 100km in summer and about 4.8 in winter.
Good quality tyres do wonders for the ride quality and handling.
I have had mine 2 years and so far have only had to replace the thermostat and clean out the Egr passages in the intake manifold. Both relatively easy Diy fixes.
It has more than enough power for hills and overtaking, I even tow a small dinghy on a trailer with mine which it pulls easily.

[jamyshaw]

Love the way you guys index your videos. Really professional and allows us to get a wide variety of info quickly across multiple videos of yours. It’s the little things! :)

[kraminbris]

I have a 2009 (3rd Gen) Prius that I bought with 190, 000 km's on the clock, now has 230, 000. The fact that taxis get 500, 000++ Km's from them gave me confidence in buying one at 200, 000 km's. Normal consumption is 4.5l/100Km. Great car, no issues - love Toyota's. Every now and then I engage the PWR mode and the car feels like it's on steroids (relatively speaking of course).

[greghinerman]

got a 2009 a year ago... 450, 000 miles...
love that little car

[brianbridle]

2010 Gen 3. No failures and 65.4mpg on UK Major roads. Brillant car for todays expensive fuel.

[dominikwelzel]

2011 Toyota Prius Owner here. Battery needs changing every 250, 000km as per my Toyota dealer.
I had to change mine at 236, 000km a while ago. The dealer said that some taxi drivers in the area are swapping their batteries every few years, high hopes for a long life of the car.
Search online, some places offer single battery cell swaps for under $100 instead of a full replacement. Mostly in big cities only. Very reliable otherwise

[Pka]

I just bought a 2014 Prius today in 2023 it has 110k miles, only 1 owner. It’s so quiet and good on gas I hope I made a right descision!

[matyxcz]

Had a Prius g2 (2004). Bought it in 2018 with 320k km as "faulty" with allegedly broken ABS unit for 2250 USD, sold in 2021 with 400k km for 1700 USD. ABS pump wasn't faulty, it was a brake pad that got so thin that it felt out, the brake piston has rubbed against the disc to the extent that the brake fluid started leaking. Fixed with original parts for 180 USD. Batteries were exchanged for new (original Toyota) in 2014, so were generally new at that time. I had no issue during the 3 years and 80k km, the car had even original undercarriage, no rust, everything worked just well. My car mechanic couldn't believe it. Except for the brakes, the only 2 things I did on the car was timing chain exchange (later than recommended, just when the engine icon poped on the dash and read the error code) and the shock absorbers, as the original ones were getting too mushy. The car was doing an excellent job - on highway between 130 and 170kmh, average consumption was around 6.0 - 6.5 l, country roads around 5.5, completely jammed city crossing for work around 3.8 - 4.2 l. Why sold? Cause we needed a bigger family car, exchanged it for 2014 Mazda Wagon 6 2.5 Skyactive-G, which I'm absolutely happy with, but probably going to switch it back to Prius, but 3rd gen this time. Reason? My wife's small, unpractical Peugeot sedan 1.6 HDI diesel (301) is getting at it's lifespan edge and needs replacement for something more dependable. So we are considering a VW Golf Variant 7gen alltrack 2.0 tdi 184hp, and this would make need for Mazda obsolete, no need for 2 family vagons. So Golf would take the "family car" role, especially useful on longer trips, and I'd change the Mazda for Prius 3g to be used mainly for commuting to work etc.

So thanks a lot for this video review, hope the gen3 will prove similar realiability and durability as gen2 ;-)

[xwy]

Used to own a 2nd gen Prius for Uber eats. The car is fantastic, running like a dream. low on fuel cost, reliable and very quick driving around the city.

Unfortunately the seat is garbage, my butt and my lower back hurts after 2-3 hrs driving. I've tried many types of seat cushions and only the air cushion worked.

I'm 6'2 (190cm) and some tall guys from owners' group said they have no issue at all with the seat, but some people complains that even the 3rd gen seat is not confortable even a short around the town drive, while many others say the seats are perfectly fine.

So if you are looking for one, make sure you drive it for as long as you could and make sure the seat is comfortable, your butt will thank you.

[Nathan_Jay]

Went from a Town Car to a 2013 Prius Advanced, got it at the right time. Love it in its entirety.

[JohannesNielsen]

I am getting one to commute from Sydney to Bathurst and I will be doing longer drives to see my Sons and daughters.

Perfect for me and I appreciate the suggestion of after market mods.

[CaptZenPetabyte]

Its a damn shame Australia isnt going to get the AMAZING 2023 model, it is a BEAST!

[PieterBreda]

I had two and they were incredibly reliable and comfortable. Just forget any sporty handling. They are about economy and comfort. The dashboard is really cool at night.