How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Prius Battery?

Hopefully, everyone reading this knows there is more than one battery in a Toyota Prius. If you're wondering about the replacement cost of the nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery pack, we've got some bad news for you. That replacement will likely run you several thousand dollars. However, if you're wondering about the replacement cost involved in replacing the 12-volt lead-acid battery that powers the body & powertrain computers, window & door lock actuators, lights, security system, key fob sensors and a whole bunch of other stuff, we have some better news for you.

OPTIMA probably makes a direct-fit 12-volt replacement battery for your Toyota Prius, called the DS46B24R. We used to list the price here in this blog, but as prices change, it's tough for us to keep every blog updated with current pricing on every product we sell and people would complain that the price listed here wasn't current. Then we offered this link to show current pricing at the time someone reads the blog and people complained about that as well.

We know we won't make everyone happy, but for those who are overjoyed at the thought of spending time reading disclaimers, we can say that as of September 2022, the retail price on this battery before tax is $279.99. That price is subject to change at any moment, without any notice. If you live in the state of California, you will also be subject to $4 in additional fees, that are collected by the state of California.

Most folks can handle the replacement themselves. Even if you don't have any 10-mm sockets handy, many quality auto parts stores will offer free installation on that battery, if you buy it from them and you can find an authorized OPTIMA Battery Retailer near you here. Keep in mind, the Prius is a very popular car in some parts of the country, but not everywhere. As a result, some authorized OPTIMA retailers may not have a DS46B24R OPTIMA YELLOWTOP in stock, but most others can get it within a day or so.

However, if you need your car to get to work or school or somewhere else important, it can really be an inconvenience to wait a couple days for a battery to show up. We would recommend avoiding that delay by being pro-active in dealing with your 12-volt Toyota Prius battery. Those same authorized retailers who can sell you a direct-fit OPTIMA YELLOWTOP replacement battery can also perform a load test on your current battery and most will do it for free. Just make sure your current battery is charged to at least 12.6 volts before they perform the load test, just to make sure the results are accurate (deeply-discharged batteries sometimes don't pass load tests, when all they need is just a good charge).

If your Toyota Prius doesn't see regular use or you tend to take it on a bunch of trips that are relatively-short in duration, it would be a good idea to charge your 12-volt battery periodically (like once a month), just to make sure it is in tip-top shape. Keeping your 12-volt battery fully-charged whenever possible will help maximize both performance and lifespan of your battery. If you don't have a 12-volt battery charger, we sell those too and they're really easy to use. They'll tell you if they aren't hooked up correctly and our no-spark technology helps prevent arcing like you'd see with old-fashioned battery chargers. They do such a good job of keeping your battery topped off, if you buy an OPTIMA battery and the OPTIMA Digital 1200 charger directly from us, we'll extend your battery's free-replacement warranty by a full year.