Toyota Prius (1997 - 2002) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Car gets a consistent 50+mpg even after 20+years. Toyota legendary reliability, as mechanically nothing has yet needed replacement other than front end struts, which are basically shocks. Roughly 150,000 miles from new. There is really no car to compare the Gen 1 Prius to, as Toyota built the perfect car for our world then. And it still is today. The only car that might challenge it will likely be a hydrogen drive built by Toyota.Jun 22, 2022

This has been a great car for me. Great mileage and low maintenance. costs. Tires are the key to great mileage. Buy a higher load rated tire and overinflate them to notch up the mpg's. In 9 years of ownership I have replaced 1 computer and 1 radiator. Update 6/15/2013 - I had my hybrid battery pack replaced using a rebuilt one from ReInVolt. Mileage has surged upwards consistantly getting 45 MPG or better. Still love my now geriatric car!Apr 03, 2011

The car is purpose-built in regards to every effort to attain high mpg. It must be driven with that in mind. Overall the Prius is very comfortable to drive. Low-rolling resistant tires have higher noise levels than most cars. My used Prius has every option available that year and after a year and a half of ownership, it has lived up to my expectations. Attractive? No moreso or less than cars in its segment. I do get friendly ribbing from my coworkers, but none of them average over 48 mpg like I do. Jan 28, 2011

This car is rock solid, cheap transportation. So ends the pros. Finances are priority over fun-to-drive at this point in my life, and that is why I bought this car. With over 160k miles on it, I get 39-47 MPG with it depending on driving conditions, and after 3000 miles, not only is the oil still full, but its clean as well! I've had this car 2.5 months so far and its had no repairs and given no indication it will need them soon. The car is extremely quiet even at interstate speeds, with summer tires on, all you hear is some very faint wind noise, engine noise only becomes audible when laboring up hills. The bad news is this car is NOT built to be fun to drive - it has poor steering response, leans heavily in curves, and the hybrid powerplant is barely adequate for reaching cruising speeds by the end of the interstate on-ramp, and that's with a very heavy right foot. Styling is better than second and third-generation Priuses, but still not what I consider attractive.May 03, 2010

Instant torque so it's always fun to smoke people at green light, and of course get passed. I bought the car at 27,000 miles for $7000. Seats are comfy, and it's handling is pretty good. I can manage to make my tank of gas last for two weeks, except in cold weather, when it's expandable bladder technology in it's gas tank makes it shrink and holds only 7-8, and not 10 like normal. When it switches over to electric, it sounds dead silent and will freak any new prius owner or new passenger out, thinking that it shut off. Mar 09, 2010

This is a car for people who just want to get from place to place, with no excitement or drama. Or for people who think Hypermiling is the key to life. Performance? it could put you to sleep. Handling? it reminds me of a limp piece of rope. Cost of ownership? Can't be beat. (old review) New factor: Cost of repairs. I just spent $3000 getting the fuel pump, fuel injectors and water pump replaced when they failed/leaked. That, in and of itself doesn't bother me -- 135,000 miles warrants some big money. Two weeks later, the car goes back to the dealership for a power steering issue. Estimate? $4000. That's right $4K. Why? Because the entire steering system has to be replaced, not just whatever part actually failed (imagine having a failed power steering pump, but having to replace the entire system, pump, hoses, rack & pinion, control arms, etc... A little internet research shows that this PS failure is a very common item on 2001-2003 prii - so used parts not recommended by anyone. Just for reference, BTW replacing the 12 volt accessory battery (Not the Hybrid battery) is $350. The Hybrid battery would set you back $2500 or so, and the other hybrid parts add another several grand. So repair costs for any given mechanical system tend to exceed the value of the car as a used car. Appearance? If you like looking at bugs, I guess it is okay. fun factor? Only for fans of pretty display graphics. Jun 27, 2009

The original model Prius was a huge gamble for Toyota that paid off big. It was such an innovative car for the time, and looked pretty cool then (now it' just kind of ho-hum). In only owned it for a year, so I can't speak much to reliability, but the gas mileage was great! I loved getting all the data from the in-dash screen. I loved the battery-only mode which let you creep up on people and surprise them. :) I once got from Kent to Seattle using no gas at all! It is a super fun car to drive, though performance-wise it's not much of a "car" as a "transportation device." May 31, 2009

When the city car I normally drive was in the shop, I borrowed Code Enforcement's Prius. I liked the digital speedometer, it gave me a much better idea of how fast I was going. Buick Regals had them up to 1992, and I don't know why they quit making them that way. But there's not enough middle ground between taking my foot of the gas and pressing on the brake. The brake slows down way too fast, I'm lucky I didn't get rear-ended. Worst of all, the doors lock by themselves and when I tried to unlock the door to get out and check something, the horn went off for no reason! I hope the Prius has been improved.Nov 16, 2008

I am the second owner of a 2002 prius -- the first owners were my in-laws who owned it from new, so I've been associated with the car from day one. They replaced it with the newer Prius, so clearly they loved it. This car gets fabulous mileage, and has been incredibly reliable. However, there is no joy in driving the car. It handles tolerably, but almost any small car built today will handle better, accelerate better, and return more driving pleasure. The main problem, I think, is the weight. Having complained, however, I will mention that the car is extremely nimble in parking lots and tight situations. It has one of the tightest turning circles I'm aware of. In warm weather, I get between 47 and 52 MPG, depending on my driving conditions. In winter months, that drops off to 40-43. One thing to note -- the battery condition, including the 12v accessory battery, will impact the mileage, to some degree. Driving the Prius is an adventure when new, because the first time the engine stops when you pull up to a stoplight is very disconcerting. Also, the acceleration suffers from a standing start, until the gas motor kicks in. However, on the highway, acceleration is reasonably brisk. On the highway, the car drones because of the CVT -- the revs don't really change as the car accelerates. Also, the brakes are grabby, but once you get used to them, smooth stops are possible. I drove a 2007 Mazda3 as a rental car, and I have to say I preferred it as a drivers car over my Prius, but I will admit the fuel economy wasn't even close. The car is reasonably spacious for a small car. The trunk holds a fair amount, but you'll never confuse it with a mid size car or a good hatchback. However, I don't know whether the hatchback model (the newer Prius) is really much better, as the cooling stacks for the battery may intrude into the space. One thing which would help would be rear seats that fold down allowing a "Trunk-through". Last criticism: I recently had to replace the 12v accessory battery because it had reached its expected life, and was not holding a charge in cold weather (note -- this battery does NOT start the car, but is necessary for starting, because it powers the electronics). The dealer cost to replace the battery was a whopping $325 including labor. Why? because Toyota saw fit to redesign the part, so a retrofit kit is necessary, and not included. I have found no place that carries a direct replacement battery. The best I've found is an internet site which offers a $25 kit to replace the battery with a Miata battery (which has been the same since 1990!) Considering that a battery is usually a $50-100 part, and zero labor cost (at most auto parts stores), the situation is absurd. Toyota was NOT looking out for the customer when they did this. I bought the internet kit, and will buy a replacement battery when I get the chance (I've been working with stand-alone jump start device which costs less than $50 at walmart or the like -- in the end, I will have spent about $150 between the kit, the battery and the jump start device, and I'll have a jump start device and a larger capacity battery to show for it.)Jan 23, 2008