In-depth reviews

Toyota Prius (2016-2021) reliability & safety rating

The Toyota Prius packs plenty of standard safety technology, which means it’ll be safe, dependable and secure family transport

Overall rating

4.5 out of 5

Reliability & safety rating rating

4.0 out of 5

Euro NCAPAdult protectionChild protectionSafety assist
5 stars (2016)92%82%85%

Given this is the fourth-generation Prius, the Japanese manufacturer has extensive experience when it comes to the electrified element of the engine technology. That means over more than 20 years of development, the car and its electronics have been ultra-reliable, as you’d expect from a Toyota.

Toyota Prius reliability & problems

Our sister title Auto Express ranked the Prius as the 16th best car to own in its 2020 Driver Power owner survey, which is the last time the Prius appeared in the results. In the most recent survey, the brand overall ranked fifth on the list of best manufacturers for 2021. Those are very strong results indeed and should give buyers confidence with this facelifted model. A reasonable 15% of Toyota owners reported a fault within the first year, which is slightly less than the 21% of Hyundai customers.

Safety

The Prius' standard safety kit and clever platform mean it’ll help prevent a collision, but if the worst should happen it’ll be safe in a crash, too. All cars get seven airbags, collision warning with pedestrian detection and autonomous braking, lane-departure alert, adaptive cruise control and a reversing camera fitted as standard, which helped the Prius achieve a full five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. If you go for a Business Edition model, you also get blind-spot monitoring, while Business Edition+ adds front and rear parking sensors.

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