Updated 30 August 2026
DIY sodium, a mobile reman, or the dealer. Most panicked owners are looking at one of those — or at an $80 12-volt that is not a traction pack at all. This is a decision guide, not a shop and not a how-to for high-voltage work.
Usually cheap
A normal auxiliary battery under the hatch (Gen 2/3) or in the engine bay on some later cars. It boots the computers. If the dash is dark, the car is silent, or it acts like a regular dead car, start here.
Ballpark: often around $80, sometimes more for AGM. We do not have a sourced 2026 national average.
The expensive one
The orange-cabled hybrid battery that moves the car. Failure looks like a red triangle, “check hybrid system,” codes such as P0A80, or a car that still shows life but will not stay in Ready.
Public 2026 ranges: about $950 shipped recon up through $3,500–$5,000+ at a dealer. Diagnose before you buy.
Figures as of 30 August 2026. We did not test packs. Method: public list price, published warranty language, and whether someone comes to you, ships you a box, or sits at a dealer parts counter.
| Path | Typical $ range | Who it is for | Warranty shape | DIY vs mobile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis first | Dr. Prius (free + IAP tests) + Veepeak BLE ~$32; 12V often ~$80 | Anyone whose dash just lit up or whose car went silent | n/a — this is not a pack | You + Dr. Prius / Veepeak, or a shop scan |
| DIY sodium modules | $1,350–$1,890 parts (Salty / NexPower list) | Handy owners who accept HV risk and a shorter DIY warranty | NexPower since Mar 2023: 2 years unlimited miles with a certified installer, 1 year DIY, non-transferable | DIY (or NexPower-certified installer) |
| Shipped reman pack | ~$950 (Hybrid CPR) to ~$1,399 (Greentec reman) | Price-sensitive owners who will install locally or themselves | Greentec reman: 24 months. Hybrid CPR: see their pricing page. | Ship + DIY or local install |
| Mobile reman / sodium | $1,349–$1,949 installed (Green Bean 2026 blog) | Owners who want someone else under the hatch, in a market they cover | Green Bean from Nov 2025: recon 1 yr, sodium (NMS) 4 yr, other new-module lines 2–3 yr; unlimited miles, non-transferable, no refunds | Mobile (select markets) |
| Toyota dealer | $3,500–$5,000+ (Green Bean’s cited dealer range); RepairPal $4,501–$4,694 | Still in factory warranty, or you want OEM paper and will pay for it | Factory HV warranty if still covered; otherwise whatever the dealer writes on the invoice | Dealer |
Sources include Green Bean’s 2026 cost article, Greentec’s 2026 Prius buying guide, Hybrid CPR’s pricing page, Salty Hybrid’s Gen 2 listing, and RepairPal.
2004–2009
The generation most of the reman and sodium ecosystem is built around. Options are widest here.
2010–2015
Check the battery fan and filter before you shop a pack. ChrisFix already owns the DIY “how.”
2016 and newer
Still mostly a warranty problem. We will not invent urgency so you click an affiliate link.
Vendor blogs want you to buy their pack. PriusChat is invaluable and also a 40-page thread at 1 a.m. This guide is the middle: public numbers, warranty caveats, and a stop sign in front of high-voltage procedures.
Sodium and lithium conversions are not OEM. A third-party pack does not preserve Toyota’s remaining hybrid-battery warranty. Green Bean is the best-known mobile name and is not the hero here — see the honest comparison.
Paid links (Greentec Auto, The Hybrid Geek, Amazon for tools only) are labeled next to the recommendation, not buried in a footer. Affiliate disclosure.
No. A silent car and a dark dash is often the 12-volt auxiliary battery. The HV traction pack more often shows a red triangle, check-hybrid-system, or a code such as P0A80 while the car still has some life.
Read codes and module balance with Dr. Prius / Dr. Hybrid and a Veepeak OBDCheck BLE — the adapter Dr. Prius documents. Confirm whether the factory HV warranty still applies. Then pick a path.
No. Ranking here is public price, warranty text, and coverage model (DIY, mobile, dealer) — not a lab test and not a “best of 17.”