Where is the Prius battery located? (Answered)
It can be a little confusing for people to find the location of the traction and 12V batteries in a Toyota Prius. Open the hood of the Prius and look to the right-hand corner to find the 12V battery. The traction battery is underneath the trunk floor paneling.
Where is the Prius 12V and Hybrid battery located?
When you finally purchase a Prius after owning gasoline cars your entire life, there are a few things you need to relearn. You must learn the locations of your Prius’ batteries.
First, the Prius has 2 batteries, the 12V battery, and the traction battery.
The location of the 12V battery
For most Prius models, the 12V battery is located on the right-hand side. It will be next to or under the fuse box or near the headlight. You can find the 12V battery of a Prius by looking for a large red piece on top of a black box. The large red piece is one terminal and above the red terminal, you will see a small, round black terminal.
The location of the traction battery
You would expect the traction battery to be next to the engine. But the actual location of the traction battery, which is much larger than the 12V battery, is below the trunk. To access the traction battery, remove the trunk floor paneling. Then, using a drill, remove the metal floor panels that protect the traction battery. Remove the inside side panel and take off the back seat chairs. Remove the 12mm bolts under the backseat.
It is much harder to access the traction battery than a 12V battery. Do not remove all the paneling yourself, as you may lose a bolt or damage the battery. Allow a Prius-certified mechanic to take care of the battery.
Important information about the batteries of a Prius
Now that you know the locations of the 12V battery and the traction battery, there are some other things you should know about the batteries. Prius batteries differ slightly from regular batteries and their differences are important.
First, the traction battery of a Prius is usually under warranty for 10 years or 150,000 miles, but only if the Prius was purchased from a Toyota dealer. The warranty may be affected if a Toyota dealer resold the Prius, but it will most likely still be valid. The 12V battery is under warranty for 2 years.
We must replace our Prius’ traction battery around 8 to 10 years. Also, if your vehicle reaches over 100,000 miles, then replace the traction battery before it burns out.
You must replace your Prius’ 12V battery every 3 to 5 years. When the voltage of a 12 V battery stays at 12 volts or lower, it needs to be replaced.
How to care for the battery of a Prius
Caring for a Prius battery differs slightly from caring for a regular non-electric battery. Here are some tips to extend the life of the traction and 12V battery. As with any battery, make sure to not overpower the 12V battery when you jump-start it.
Take notice of the temperature of the traction battery. Do not let this battery get too hot or become too cold. Extreme weather on either end of the thermometer is likely to damage the battery.
Do not charge the battery to 100% power.
It may sound contradictory, but keeping the traction battery at full charge will cause the battery to drain faster. Prius battery manuals instruct the vehicle owner to keep the battery’s charge around 80%.
Since the Prius’ traction battery charges through harvesting kinetic energy, you will not need to charge the vehicle to 100%. In fact, charging the vehicle to 100% battery power will cause the vehicle to overcharge, as the vehicle harnesses the kinetic energy from the brakes.
How to jumpstart a dead Prius 12V Battery
So, you accidentally left the radio or the lights on all night and your Prius is dead. Don’t worry about it, we’ve all done it before. But if you’re used to jump-starting gas-guzzling cars, you may not know what to do to jump-start your Prius. Jump-starting the battery isn’t much different from any other car. Here’s what you need to do.
- First, make sure your Prius is off completely.
- Place the other vehicle close to your Prius and then turn it off completely. Neither the Prius nor the assisting vehicle should be on.
- Put on a pair of heavy gloves to protect your hands from cuts or small electric shocks.
- Open the hood of your Prius and locate the battery.
- Take the jumper cable in each of your hands and place the red jumper cable onto the positive terminal on the battery.
- Then attach the other side of the jumper cable to that vehicle’s positive terminal. Now do the same with the negative terminals on each vehicle.
- Turn on the engine of the assistant vehicle and allow it to run for 5 minutes.
- Check the dashboard of your Prius. The vehicle will know that you are using another vehicle to jumpstart the battery. When your vehicle’s battery is fully charged, the word Ready will appear on the dashboard. If you do not see the word, then do not remove the cables.
- If you see the word Ready on your dashboard, turn off the assistant vehicle and remove the negative cables first and then the positive cables.
Conclusion
A Prius 12V battery is located on the right-hand side of the engine, behind the right headlight. However, the traction battery is located underneath the carpet in the trunk. To access the traction battery, remove everything from the trunk area and use a drill to remove the flooring. It is important to take care of both the 12V battery and the traction battery. Do not expose the battery to high or low temperatures too often or for long periods of time. If you need to jumpstart your dead Prius 12V battery, you will find the jump-start terminals under the fuse box.
Be sure to place the vehicles close together and put the positive cable on the positive terminal and the negative cable on the negative terminal.
