Toyota Prius reliability by year
19 recalls and 11,720 owner complaints across 21 model years. Best year to buy: 2024. Year to avoid: 2010.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 9 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 21 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Prius aggregated across 21 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Toyota Prius?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2024 Toyota Prius scores 8.4/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2025 range. 21 complaints on file, 1 active recall. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Toyota Prius year should I avoid?
The 2010 Toyota Prius scores 5.8/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 2,819 owner complaints with NHTSA, 2 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2010 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Toyota Prius should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2010 (avoid — the brakes — 1 fatality report and 101 crash-related complaints on the brakes); 2009 (avoid — the brakes — 1 fatality report and 20 crash-related complaints on the brakes); 2008 (avoid — the cruise-control — 2 fatality reports and 1 fire-related complaint on the cruise-control); 2007 (avoid — the cruise-control — 1 fatality report and 26 crash-related complaints on the cruise-control); 2006 (avoid — the brakes — 1 fatality report and 1 fire-related complaint on the brakes); 2005 (avoid — the cruise-control — 1 fatality report and 1 fire-related complaint on the cruise-control). The cleaner years on the data are 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Toyota Prius are tracked?
21 model years (2005 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 19 recalls and 11,720 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Toyota Prius?
brakes is the most-reported category — 3,899 complaints across 15 model years. Average shop repair runs about $450.