Current price of Prius main battery

Here's a periodic update on the price of the main battery used in the Prius as sold in the UK (and, I suspect, as elsewhere), since this seems to agitate some people. Details supplied today by my local Toyota Centre (sales, service &c), Dingles of Norwich.

Last November, the price (w/o taxes and labour: ie, just battery) was GBP1321.35 (at $1.75/GBP --> $2312.36). It now (30mar2006) is GBP1530.42 ($2678.24).

This 15.8% increase is not surprising, considering how energy and materials prices have rocketed. It seems reasonable to hope that production runs and redesigns will reduce this, either by numbers falling or a static price while inflation boosts everything else. (And I have over seven years of warranty left, so whattheheck.)

BTW, prices locally vary, AIUI. (One local source, married to a Japanese, says their Japanese visitors sometimes buy car parts on visits to the UK, as prices in *.JP are so much higher.) So it's possible that in the US the $ price is higher (or lower). On top of that, unscrupulous liars could misrepresent the true price for private reasons, so be wary.

Whatever the case, those are the current UK numbers. HTH.

Reply to
Andrew Stephenson
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That amount of money will buy ALL of the gas for a conventionally powered car for a year of two. ;)

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

The Man From Dingles (Who Say How Much) reports further that they have been handling the Prius for years (the oldest on their books seemingly dating from 2000), that they may have sold as many as a hundred into East Anglia -- basically eastern England -- and have _never_ supplied a main battery, on any basis. For me, that puts it into perspective. The trick to maximising battery life is to maintain it correctly; and most of that is handled by the Prius' onboard autonomic systems, augmented by normal regular servicing.

Reply to
Andrew Stephenson

Hey, if you don't mind paying more than your fair share subsidizing terrorists...

Reply to
mark_digital

Duh. I have news for you, hybrids burn gasoline LOL

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

I don't usually see Mike's posts, as he's in my killfile (and not about to leave it, if that lamebrain effort is typical of current output) but his observation is marginally less asinine than usual and can easily be put into perspective.

Of late, when I go to fill up I am paying approx 85.9 pence/litre (and could easily pay up to 89.9 at other local filling stations) for basic unleaded. The tank takes some 45 litres and I seem to be getting around 56mpgUK (now that the weather is warming) with a fill-up once a month. Other data: 1 gallonUK = approx 4.54605 litres; and 1 galUS = approx 0.8 galUK.

Okay, not a lot of mileage: about (45/4.54605) * 56 = 554/month.

BTW, I am presenting all these figures so readers can compare my sitaution with theirs, as matching like with like otherwise is a bit difficult.

What would be a reasonable "conventional" car's mpgUK? Shall we say 35? Do the summs differently, if you prefer.

On my present rate of consumption (assuming I don't begin driving longer distances regularly), I am saving

((554/35) * 4.54605 - 45) * 0.859 GBP/month = 26.96 GBP/month

Hence, to save the cost of a new main battery at (pre-labour and pre-tax) price of GBP1530.42, I'd have to run my Prius for

1530.42 / 26.96 = 56.8 months, or about 4 years 9 months,

which means that, by the time my warranty runs out after 8 years, I'll be able to afford to buy almost TWO new main batteries.

Yay!

Hey: and I could increase my saving (using the logic of household goods sellers) by driving more than the modest amount I do now.

(Hmm, Mike doesn't happen to sell washing machines, does he?)

-- Andrew Stephenson

Reply to
Andrew Stephenson

Considering that, out of several hundred Prius' sold (see Stephenson's own reply to the original post) without a single replacement (ditto for the local Toyota dealer), we're looking at a part that can be expected to last

200K or more miles. That's about $.01/ mile, maybe less if the price drops (likely) or the battery life turns out to be longer.

Considering my last Ford was burning through transmissions at the rate of about $.20/mile, the Prius battery doesn't look like a bad deal.

Come to think of it, I was spending $.01/mile in defroster blower motor repairs on that Ford. And nearly $.03/mile on oil leak repairs.

Yeah, I think I'd be willing to take my chances with that Prius battery.

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Reply to
DH

Reply to
Mike Hunter

When one calculates the cost per mile you must add in the extra $6,000 it cost to buy it over a Corolla At some point one will need to replace the battery pack and at the point the question will be do I spend that much money on a ten year old car of little value, or do I junk it? ;)

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Have you calculated in the premium you paid to buy a Pruis over a Corolla. That premium alone will buy all of the gas for a Corolla for three of four years. ;)

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Low reading comprehension can be cured. Re-read the part where he says you're in his killfile and figure out for yourself whether or not there's any point to replying.

Oh, and a Prius is NOT a hybrid Corolla. It's a nicer car. Part of the "premium" for the Prius is for the hybrid drivetrain and part is for a nicer vehicle with more interior room. Go check the features list and size specs at some authoritative source.

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Reply to
DH

or twenty

I see the problem. You're used to driving Fords and, you're right, a ten year-old Ford doess have little value(*).

Welcome to dot-TOYOTA! Ten-year-old Toyotas still have value and are still worth driving. As CR pointed out recently, an eight-year-old Toyota will have the same level of problems as a three-year-old domestic.

And a Prius is not the same as a Corolla. It has more interior room and more features.

Oh, and have you ever known someone to put a transmission in a ten-year-old car? Same decision. And it happens.

It's a penny a mile - maybe less. Get over it.

(*) of course, we can point to numerous examples of much newer Fords that have little value, if that would make you happier. My father-in-law's Escort, branded with a bulls-eye on the hood from the engine fire, just oustide the warranty. Or his LTD, broken rear axle at 60K miles.

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Reply to
DH

So does my 20 year old Suzuki GS850, which I may add gets OVER 45mpg!! AND, no annoying warning lights to keep me going back to the dealer!!!

Reply to
qslim

According to CR a hybrid that needs a battery pack will have no value no matter whose name is on the hood. LOL

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

The Camry is even bigger and nicer and it cost less than a Pruis as well

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Well, if I see a used Prius in your price range I'll let you know. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! mark_

Reply to
mark_digital

He truly is a strange bird, this Mike Hunt. And possibly I'm in his killfile too. Very recently I explained at some length why the Prius was, for me, a really good deal overall, despite what one must pay for them in the UK (around GBP18K for the T4, last summer -- dunno about now). Or maybe he has a memory+IQ deficit disorder. Moreover, I wasn't interested in buying the Corolla (though no doubt they have many virtues in the right hands), so price comparisons and imagined premiums, one vs the other, are of no consequence to me. *sigh*

Reply to
Andrew Stephenson

I'm wondering why you have such a tremendous hatred towards batteries. Maybe it's because your girlfriend uses the same "D" size found in the Prius? hehehehe mark_

Reply to
mark_digital

We see you have run of ways to support you argument if you need to resort to personal attacks and vulgarities.

Buyers of hybrids are being conned, period. I am simply pointing out what several published articles have said. If your goal is to help save the environment buy a hybrid. If you think you will save money, even with gas at $5 a gallon in the US, you will not. It will cost a hybrid owner thousands more over five years to own a hybrid than if he purchases the conventionally powered twin. (I E Escape, Highlander, Civic, Accord etc) In the case of the Highlander it amounts to $7,000 more, according to CR. In ten years when the resale value is marginal and the battery pack needs to be replaced it will cost even more money

Here is what CR says about hybrids, in part;

  1. Expect a Higher Price Tag The hybrid cars currently on the market cost from 00 to 00 more per car, even with tax rebates, than comparable vehicles with conventional gas engines. Conventional twins are offered by Ford, Honda , Toyota and others. This means that the amount of money you save, or don't save, by buying a hybrid is very much dependent on gasoline prices. If gas is priced at .80 per gallon (we wish), it could take the average driver (15,000 miles per year) between 10 and 15 years to amortize even the lowest 00 increase in the initial price.

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

If I have done enough research to know enough not to buy one new, why in the world you think I would buy one somebody else no longer wanted? ;)

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

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