2010 Toyota Prius MPG and Fuel Cost

Every 2010 Toyota Prius is a hybrid, rated 50 mpg combined.

EPA fuel economy

2010 Toyota Prius · 1 EPA-tested version

EPA rating

50MPG combined

51 city 48 highway

$1,350 a year to fuel

1.8L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT

Best version saves $5,250 in fuel over 5 years vs the average new vehicle (EPA)

Fuel cost: 15,000 miles a year at EPA's $4.47 a gallon (regular gas).

Data: US EPA, fueleconomy.govUpdated Sep 30, 2026

At EPA's price assumptions, fuel costs about $1,350 a year.

One of the Prius years to avoid

The 2010 drew 1,682 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 44 for a typical Prius year: 38.6 times as many.

Years to avoid: 2010, 2012, and 2016. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.

Every Prius year ranked The 2010 Prius's recalls and problems

Every 2010 Prius version

EPA's ratings for each version it tested. Fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current prices.

Version	Combined	City / Hwy	Fuel / year
1.8L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT EPA listing: Prius	50 mpg	51 / 48	$1,350

Fuel cost at your prices

EPA's annual cost uses 15,000 miles a year, 55% city driving and its current prices: $4.47 a gallon for regular gas. Change the numbers to match your driving.

Version	Per year	Per month	5 years
1.8L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · CVT	$1,341	$112	$6,705

At the default settings the results match EPA's annual cost before EPA rounds it to the nearest $50.

How long does a hybrid take to pay for itself? See the payback for every model sold both ways.

Toyota Prius MPG by model year

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

2010: hybrid 50 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

How the 2010 Prius compares

2010 compact cars covered on this site, ranked by their best combined rating. Fuel cost is for each model's cheapest version to run, at EPA's prices.

2010 model	Best combined	Best gas	Fuel / year
Toyota Prius This page Best: hybrid	50 mpg	–	$1,350
Honda Civic Best: hybrid	42 mpg	29 mpg	$1,600
Volkswagen Jetta Best: diesel	32 mpg	27 mpg	$2,700
Toyota Corolla Best: gas	30 mpg	30 mpg	$2,250
Kia Forte Best: gas	30 mpg	30 mpg	$2,250
Hyundai Elantra Best: gas	29 mpg	29 mpg	$2,300
Nissan Sentra Best: gas	29 mpg	29 mpg	$2,300
Mazda3 Best: gas	28 mpg	28 mpg	$2,400

2010 Prius recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 10 safety recalls and 2,828 owner complaints for the 2010 Prius.

Owners most often describe brake failure (451 complaints, 16%), then unintended acceleration (293).

See the 2010 Prius recalls and problems

Questions

Does the 2010 Toyota Prius need premium gas?

No. EPA lists every 2010 Toyota Prius version on regular gasoline.

Sources and method

US EPA and Department of Energy fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 29, 2026.
EPA fuel price assumptions: regular $4.47, midgrade $5.07, premium $5.48, diesel $6.38 a gallon; electricity $0.15 per kWh.
Recall and complaint counts: NHTSA recall file dated Oct 2, 2026 and complaint file dated Oct 2, 2026.

Ratings are EPA estimates. Real-world mileage depends on how, where and in what weather you drive. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.