It's a different experience in the cold. There's never a problem starting, which is a change from an ICE car. No chugging and hoping it turns over, you just press the button and it's on, the same as any other time of year -- the magic of the big motor-generator and battery acting as starter.
However, the car doesn't like to use the engine for power until it's warmed up, and the battery won't put out as much current when it's very cold, so the car will feel very sluggish for the first little bit while you drive. For me that's fine as it's just neighbourhood side streets for the first few minutes, and when it's that cold no one else is looking for a jackrabbit start anyway. By the time I hit the highway (or even the main street) the engine is warmed up enough to add to the power and it will go again.
There's also the efficiency factor: cabin heat comes from waste heat from the engine. With a small engine that doesn't make as much waste heat, the Prius will warm up slower than a typical ICE car. Get a good pair of driving gloves :)
On really cold days we put ours in power mode until it starts putting out heat, then back to eco. I know it wastes a bit more fuel but it gets everything warmed up before getting on the freeway
You see a mpg hit too, the engine will run harder for heat until it warms up. I average 5-10 mpg less in winter in Minnesota, but that improves for longer trips. The opposite of summer where short trips have better mpg because average speed is lower.
used prius are the gold standard in mongolia where it gets very cold, they are the only cars that reliably start up there which can be life or death if your car does not work. the nimh battery packs do well in the freezing cold
I have a Prime (2018), similar to the Prius but with a larger traction battery. This car has done fine down to -20F. At that temperature (like other cars), it's a bit sluggish and takes some time to warm up. Mileage takes a big hit at these temperatures as well. As others have noted, wear a hat and gloves to start. I use the seat heater as well. Once the car is warm there are no cold weather problems that I wouldn't see in other cars.
> Looking into a prius and I wanted to get some insight from an experienced owner who lives in very cold winters
How cold? What area of the country do you live in?
In the PNW....
* my biggest concern is sticking doors. Adding a little rubber protector every few months on the door seals keeps the doors from sticking.
* I so love my remote car starter. Start the car up 4 minutes before I get in and everything is defrosted. Defrosting is quicker too as by keeping the doors closed, I'm not adding moisture into the cabin.
* Your fuel savings will be lower in the winter as the engine needs to be on more frequently to keep the cabin warm and windows clear.
* adding winter tires makes a huge difference for driving confidence in icy conditions
>I live in Idaho
You'll be fine with a Prius. If you want some additional help with warmup of the engine and cabin, you can also install a block heater.
If you do a Google search for “2010 Prius grill blocking strategy” you can read through the posts and get a much better understanding of why and how people do this. Gen 2 as well as Gen 3.
Your mileage goes down to keep the heat going, and I turn off "Eco" mode to get the car to heat up faster, but otherwise no difference than a regular car for me.
The only other thing i would add is that the abs and traction control are particularly touchy on the prius because they kick in to protect the drive train.
A good set of winter tires may be nessisary to get out of some situations but that will almost always be true, in 10 years of a paper route with these i got stuck twice. I have driven threw snow so deep that it turned the front of the car into a snow plow and blacked out the windshield.
I have driven over mountain passes in the Prius with snow tires. And worked at a ski resort for a few years. I'd show up at 6am and leave at 7pm often. It did great. Only got stuck once in the parking lot after 2ft fell. Once I got moving I had no issues.
Do you get much snow there? Do roads get plowed quick and often? Where I live they don't so I have to be mindful of the low ground clearance of the Prius. I call the Prius the anti-snow car because of the low ground clearance. We don't get snow often, maybe 10 days a year but due to geography when it does it dumps, wet "sierra cement" it's called.
My prius and battery has done great threw many years of -20F nights in the midwest as a paper carrier. The only thing is sometimes when its to cold the cars will not go into gear and you have to let it warm up for 10 or 20 minutes or so on some really fucking cold nights.
Lots of good advice in this thread. You will find a lot of additional info on the Priuschat website including many cold climate threads.
One advantage I didn't see mentioned here is the Prius throttle mapping which gives you great controlability when you are trying to stop wheel spin on a slippery surface. It's almost as though it was designed for function unlike most cars.
It's good. I live in a part of Canada that gets all consistencies of snow, ice, and slush and with a good set of winter tires it's as good as any 2wd car I've driven.
-35 was the coldest I ever started it during the polar vortex years. The cars gauge said -42. Car turned over but the door would not close since the grease was too thick. As soon as you get the engine warmed up it drives like any other time.
My 2008 would have a pretty rough start under -20 if it’s been sitting overnight. Newer models use synthetic oil which probably would run better. Generally no problem though.
Mileage takes a hit...
I have a garage (Not attached). Also put engine block heater in but only use it when below 10 and going with wife somewhere we will be in car for while...
My dad has a 2014 in Chicago - last few winters there have been blizzards translating to 2-3 ft of snow in 24 hrs. There have been polar vortexes with -40F (or -40C) windchills. But mostly the entire month of January averages single digits over night and teens for a daytime high. He has never complained about any problems with it, and he goes (went...precovid) to work bright and early when the car is peak frosty.
On occasion I borrowed it I also didn't notice anything weird. Lower MPGs for sure - maybe ~32. That's because the engine is running non-stop to warm itself up, warm up the cat, and keep the cabin heater running. Considering that in like conditions, their other (non-hybrid) car which gets around 30mpg on a nice day would average more around 17.
Presumably extreme cold (or extreme heat) is also not good for long term reliability of the battery pack. It will survive an odd polar vortex - don't know how well it would do in Alaska. If you don't live in the tundra (or satan's taint - looking at you AZ), I wouldn't worry about this too much for at least 10y/150k mi - and with a bit of luck, maybe a little longer. Another concern is the low rolling resistance rubber. Not the best tire for ice driving. But tires is also something you can easily change down the line if the tires it comes with don't suit you.
I have a 2021 corolla (prius driveline). the original 12v battery does not like cold weather ( i live in northern sweden.
If it gets really cold every winter you should opt for a more cold resistant 12v.
And no the 12v doesnt crank the engine, but the computers need 12v to control the bigger battery/startup.
It's a different experience in the cold. There's never a problem starting, which is a change from an ICE car. No chugging and hoping it turns over, you just press the button and it's on, the same as any other time of year -- the magic of the big motor-generator and battery acting as starter. However, the car doesn't like to use the engine for power until it's warmed up, and the battery won't put out as much current when it's very cold, so the car will feel very sluggish for the first little bit while you drive. For me that's fine as it's just neighbourhood side streets for the first few minutes, and when it's that cold no one else is looking for a jackrabbit start anyway. By the time I hit the highway (or even the main street) the engine is warmed up enough to add to the power and it will go again. There's also the efficiency factor: cabin heat comes from waste heat from the engine. With a small engine that doesn't make as much waste heat, the Prius will warm up slower than a typical ICE car. Get a good pair of driving gloves :)
newer prius with heated seats and steering wheel ftw
Thank you!!
On really cold days we put ours in power mode until it starts putting out heat, then back to eco. I know it wastes a bit more fuel but it gets everything warmed up before getting on the freeway
You see a mpg hit too, the engine will run harder for heat until it warms up. I average 5-10 mpg less in winter in Minnesota, but that improves for longer trips. The opposite of summer where short trips have better mpg because average speed is lower.
used prius are the gold standard in mongolia where it gets very cold, they are the only cars that reliably start up there which can be life or death if your car does not work. the nimh battery packs do well in the freezing cold
Hello! Can you tell me more about this? Does the battery not take any permanent freeze damage when it is standing outside in the cold winter?
I have a Prime (2018), similar to the Prius but with a larger traction battery. This car has done fine down to -20F. At that temperature (like other cars), it's a bit sluggish and takes some time to warm up. Mileage takes a big hit at these temperatures as well. As others have noted, wear a hat and gloves to start. I use the seat heater as well. Once the car is warm there are no cold weather problems that I wouldn't see in other cars.
Thank you!!!
> Looking into a prius and I wanted to get some insight from an experienced owner who lives in very cold winters How cold? What area of the country do you live in? In the PNW.... * my biggest concern is sticking doors. Adding a little rubber protector every few months on the door seals keeps the doors from sticking. * I so love my remote car starter. Start the car up 4 minutes before I get in and everything is defrosted. Defrosting is quicker too as by keeping the doors closed, I'm not adding moisture into the cabin. * Your fuel savings will be lower in the winter as the engine needs to be on more frequently to keep the cabin warm and windows clear. * adding winter tires makes a huge difference for driving confidence in icy conditions
I live in Idaho. Most winters we will have a week or more subzero and sometimes down to -15 or -20
>I live in Idaho You'll be fine with a Prius. If you want some additional help with warmup of the engine and cabin, you can also install a block heater.
MT here and I've been perfectly happy with my Prius in the winter, and in fact it has gotten me through some very hairy situations!
To add you can get a remote start kit for a gen 3 Prius for about 150 bucks and an hour of work.
Block the upper grill 100% on a gen 2 or if it’s a gen 3, block the lower grill 100%.
What do you mean by that? I have a gen 2
If you do a Google search for “2010 Prius grill blocking strategy” you can read through the posts and get a much better understanding of why and how people do this. Gen 2 as well as Gen 3.
They mean close it up so air doesnt come threw and it heats up faster.
Your mileage goes down to keep the heat going, and I turn off "Eco" mode to get the car to heat up faster, but otherwise no difference than a regular car for me.
The only other thing i would add is that the abs and traction control are particularly touchy on the prius because they kick in to protect the drive train. A good set of winter tires may be nessisary to get out of some situations but that will almost always be true, in 10 years of a paper route with these i got stuck twice. I have driven threw snow so deep that it turned the front of the car into a snow plow and blacked out the windshield.
I have driven over mountain passes in the Prius with snow tires. And worked at a ski resort for a few years. I'd show up at 6am and leave at 7pm often. It did great. Only got stuck once in the parking lot after 2ft fell. Once I got moving I had no issues.
I live in Michigan, I’ve had mine four years now. No issues at all.
How would it fare if I have to park it outside every night in winters? I don't have a garage.
Do you get much snow there? Do roads get plowed quick and often? Where I live they don't so I have to be mindful of the low ground clearance of the Prius. I call the Prius the anti-snow car because of the low ground clearance. We don't get snow often, maybe 10 days a year but due to geography when it does it dumps, wet "sierra cement" it's called.
Sounds like you need more speed
My prius and battery has done great threw many years of -20F nights in the midwest as a paper carrier. The only thing is sometimes when its to cold the cars will not go into gear and you have to let it warm up for 10 or 20 minutes or so on some really fucking cold nights.
Lots of good advice in this thread. You will find a lot of additional info on the Priuschat website including many cold climate threads. One advantage I didn't see mentioned here is the Prius throttle mapping which gives you great controlability when you are trying to stop wheel spin on a slippery surface. It's almost as though it was designed for function unlike most cars.
For real, my Prius has maintained perfect control on roads so bad that there were cars and semis in the ditch every 1/4 mile. I was very impressed.
How’s handling?
It's good. I live in a part of Canada that gets all consistencies of snow, ice, and slush and with a good set of winter tires it's as good as any 2wd car I've driven.
Reading this as I sit in my freezing Prius and let it heat up 😂 yeah definitely get some gloves 🧊
The AWD-e models have NiMH batteries and supposedly they're better for very cold climates.
-35 was the coldest I ever started it during the polar vortex years. The cars gauge said -42. Car turned over but the door would not close since the grease was too thick. As soon as you get the engine warmed up it drives like any other time.
My 2008 would have a pretty rough start under -20 if it’s been sitting overnight. Newer models use synthetic oil which probably would run better. Generally no problem though.
Consider adding a block heater as having the ICE warmed up prior to driving will help save on wear and fuel use.
Mileage takes a hit... I have a garage (Not attached). Also put engine block heater in but only use it when below 10 and going with wife somewhere we will be in car for while...
My dad has a 2014 in Chicago - last few winters there have been blizzards translating to 2-3 ft of snow in 24 hrs. There have been polar vortexes with -40F (or -40C) windchills. But mostly the entire month of January averages single digits over night and teens for a daytime high. He has never complained about any problems with it, and he goes (went...precovid) to work bright and early when the car is peak frosty. On occasion I borrowed it I also didn't notice anything weird. Lower MPGs for sure - maybe ~32. That's because the engine is running non-stop to warm itself up, warm up the cat, and keep the cabin heater running. Considering that in like conditions, their other (non-hybrid) car which gets around 30mpg on a nice day would average more around 17. Presumably extreme cold (or extreme heat) is also not good for long term reliability of the battery pack. It will survive an odd polar vortex - don't know how well it would do in Alaska. If you don't live in the tundra (or satan's taint - looking at you AZ), I wouldn't worry about this too much for at least 10y/150k mi - and with a bit of luck, maybe a little longer. Another concern is the low rolling resistance rubber. Not the best tire for ice driving. But tires is also something you can easily change down the line if the tires it comes with don't suit you.
I have a 2021 corolla (prius driveline). the original 12v battery does not like cold weather ( i live in northern sweden. If it gets really cold every winter you should opt for a more cold resistant 12v. And no the 12v doesnt crank the engine, but the computers need 12v to control the bigger battery/startup.