2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) has 16 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 4 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Prius Prime (PHEV) years here — over the median of the other years, which is 2. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Electronic stability control (ESC).

2017 Toyota Prius Prime — Photo by Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz), resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (5 of 16), then Electrical system (3) and Powertrain (3). Those filings include 5 that report a crash.

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 Prius Prime (PHEV) has 8 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2021 has 10 complaints, 1 per year. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV). How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (1)

Recall Electronic stability control (ESC) 2019-07-24 · NHTSA campaign 19V544000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, 2019-2020 Toyota Prius Prime, and 2020 Corolla HV vehicles. The brake booster pump may fail causing a deactivation of the Vehicle Stability Control system and a loss of braking assist. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake booster pump, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2019. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 and Lexus owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are K1L/K0L. Lexus' numbers for this recall are K2F/KLF.

Complaints by component (16 total)

Visibility and wipers

Electrical system

Powertrain

Speed control

Tires

Air bags

Back-over prevention

Exterior lighting

Hydraulic brakes

Service brakes

Structure

Visibility

Show 4 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking lot, traveling down the aisle, and driving around the end cap to the second aisle, pulling into the parking spot at 5 MPH,…"
Speed control · filed 2025-09-29
"The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Prius Prime. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed while making a left turn onto another road, but the vehicle failed to slow down. The…"
Hydraulic brakes · filed 2025-02-28
"I purchased Goodyear Assurance MaxLife 195/65 R 15 from Sam's Club in Kingston on August 2023. On [XXX] my tire blew out on the inner sidewall of my tire. When I spoke with an employee from the automotive department in…"
Tires · filed 2024-03-27
"The car had about 8000 miles on it. It was parked in Garage the night before. In the morning the outside temperature was 39F. During my 30 minutes driving, the front defrost was turned on. Afterwards it was parked on…"
Visibility and wipers · filed 2024-01-10
"The right side outside mirror glass detached and fell off while driving down the road. There was no noticeable defect on the vehicle prior to this and no known reason for this to happen. The vehicle was operating…"
Visibility and wipers, Visibility · filed 2023-08-12

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2020 Toyota Prius Prime 5 HB FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Prius Prime	1.8L, 4-cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Front-wheel drive	55	53	54 MPG / 640 mi range	$1200

Specs and fitment

First generation plug-in (XW50), 2017–2022

Body styles Liftback

Oil SAE 0W-16 (SAE 0W-20 may be used temporarily if 0W-16 is unavailable; replace with 0W-16 at the next oil change) , 4.4 qt capacity

Tire size 195/65R15, 215/45R17 (trim-dependent; aligns with Prius liftback fitments) front / 195/65R15, 215/45R17 (trim-dependent) rear

Compare

Previous year 2019 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) Next year 2021 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) See every Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) reliable?

What are common problems with a 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV)?

The complaints owners file most often name Visibility and wipers (5 of 16), then Electrical system (3) and Powertrain (3). Those filings include 5 that report a crash.

Is the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) been recalled?

The 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) has 1 recall on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV)?

Owners have filed 16 complaints about the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Toyota Prius Prime (PHEV) is 54 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Toyota Prius Prime take?

SAE 0W-16 on XW50 (2017-2022) and XW60 (2023-on); SAE 0W-20 may be used temporarily if 0W-16 is unavailable, then replace with 0W-16 at the next oil change.

What does recall 26V-049 cover on Prius Prime?

Certain 2023-2026 Prius Prime and Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles (with other Prius variants): water may enter the rear door switch and cause a short circuit, allowing an unlocked rear door to open unexpectedly.

When did the XW60 Prius Prime start?

Model year 2023 on this site.