Toyota Prius Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2010, 2012, and 2016 At least twice the 43.5 complaints of a typical Prius year. Most described: brake failure (2010 and 2012), a cracked windshield (2016).
Best years: Not picked A typical Prius year since 2016 drew under 25 complaints, too few to tell the better years apart.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 11, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 57 mpg combined, arrived in 2023 and has held since. Includes the plug-in hybrid, sold as the Prius Plug-in Hybrid from 2012 to 2015 and as the Prius Prime from 2017 to 2024. Excludes the smaller Prius c and the Prius v wagon.

Prius problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Prius year drew 43.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of all its ranked years, higher than the median of its years since 2016 (21). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are not picked: a typical year since 2016 drew under 25. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2010 Prius Avoid Most described: brake failure or a soft or hard pedal	1,682	2,829	10
2012 Prius Avoid Most described: brake failure or a soft or hard pedal	104	450	7
2016 Prius Avoid Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	93	156	5
2017 Prius Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	82	133	3
2013 Prius Most described: brake failure or a soft or hard pedal	68	426	4
2011 Prius Most described: brake failure or a soft or hard pedal	67	523	6
2014 Prius Most described: brake failure or a soft or hard pedal	52	224	4
2015 Prius Most described: brake failure or a soft or hard pedal	35	172	2
2018 Prius Most described: stalling or shutting off and a cracked or shattered windshield	24	53	1
2022 Prius Most reported: electrical system	22	32	1
2020 Prius Most described: unintended acceleration or surging	20	30	1
2019 Prius Most reported: brakes	16	39	3
2023 Prius Most reported: electrical system	15	28	4
2021 Prius Most reported: electrical system	8	16	0

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Prius for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	57 mpg Hybrid	1	10
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	57 mpg Hybrid	2	18
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	57 mpg Hybrid	4	43
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	57 mpg Hybrid	4	28
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	56 mpg Hybrid	1	32
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	56 mpg Hybrid	0	16
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	56 mpg Hybrid	1	30
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	56 mpg Hybrid	3	39
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	56 mpg Hybrid	1	53
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	56 mpg Hybrid	3	133
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	56 mpg Hybrid	5	156
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	48 mpg Hybrid	2	172
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	48 mpg Hybrid	4	224
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	48 mpg Hybrid	4	426	4 to 5 stars
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	48 mpg Hybrid	7	450	4 to 5 stars
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	48 mpg Hybrid	6	523
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	50 mpg Hybrid	10	2,829	Not rated

Best rating leaves out the plug-in hybrid, which EPA rates on gas and on electricity separately. MPG by year lists both ratings.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2010: 2,829 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Prius
Model year	Complaints
2010	2,829
2011	523
2012	450
2013	426
2014	224
2015	172
2016	156
2017	133
2018	53
2019	39
2020	30
2021	16
2022	32
2023	28
2024	43
2025	18
2026	10

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Hybrid: 48 to 57 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); 57 since 2023.

2026: hybrid 57 mpg

Show as a table

Toyota Prius best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best hybrid version
2010	50
2011	48
2012	48
2013	48
2014	48
2015	48
2016	56
2017	56
2018	56
2019	56
2020	56
2021	56
2022	56
2023	57
2024	57
2025	57
2026	57

Every Prius year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Toyota Prius years should you avoid?

The 2010, 2012, and 2016 Prius are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 43.5 owner complaints of a typical Prius year in its first three years. Owners of the 2010 most often describe brake failure. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Toyota Prius years?

No year is named: since 2016, a typical Prius year drew under 25 owner complaints in its first three years, too few to tell the better years apart. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Toyota Prius years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2010 (1,682) drew the most, then the 2012 (104). Owners of the 2010 most often describe brake failure or a soft or hard pedal.

Which Toyota Prius years have the most recalls?

The 2010 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (10), then the 2012 (7). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Toyota Prius problems?

In the 5,182 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe brake failure or a soft or hard pedal (653 complaints, most of them for the 2010); unintended acceleration or surging (359 complaints, most of them for the 2010); and jerking, lurching or harsh shifting (311 complaints, most of them for the 2010). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Toyota Prius year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 57 mpg combined, first reached by the 2023 hybrid version and matched by every year since. The plug-in hybrid, rated separately, gets up to 54 mpg on gas alone and 133 MPGe on electricity.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.