Toyota · Compact Hatchback

Toyota Prius c

Every model year 2016–2019: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

4 Model years 2016–2019

4 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

20 Complaints owner reports, all years

A Newest grade 2019 Safety Signal

2016 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2019 Prius c →Which years to avoid Compare it

Toyota Prius C — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Toyota Prius C · Photo: EurovisionNim · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Every Toyota Prius c model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2019	Hybrid	A	1	0	★★★★☆	46 mpg
2018	Hybrid	B	2	6	★★★★☆	46 mpg
2017	Hybrid	A	1	2	★★★★☆	46 mpg
2016	Hybrid	A	0	12	★★★★☆	50 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2016

On the filed record so far, the 2016 is the cleanest Prius c year we hold, and the 2018 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2016	A	0	1
2017	A	0.1	0
2019	A	0.1	0
2018	B	0.2	1

Also on file Beside the Toyota Prius c

Best year on file The 2016 Prius c Recalls Every Toyota recall on file Compare The 2019 Prius c against anything

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2017: best combined mpg 50 → 46

Compare

All Prius c head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2019 Prius c vs Nissan Rogue Sport · Compact Hatchback	Prius c +17.7
2019 Prius c vs Nissan Leaf · Compact Hatchback	Leaf +7.8
2019 Prius c vs Chevrolet Bolt EV · Compact Hatchback	Bolt EV +3.6
2019 Prius c vs Honda Fit · Compact Hatchback	Prius c +10.1
2019 Prius c vs Nissan Kicks · Compact Hatchback	Prius c +11
2018 Prius c vs Chevrolet Volt · Compact Hatchback	Prius c +7.6

Common questions about the Toyota Prius c

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Toyota Prius c year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2016 Prius c comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 12 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Toyota Prius c years should I avoid?

No Prius c model year carries a D or F Safety Signal or a standing advisory. The ranking page orders every year on recalls and complaints per year on the road, and says why.

How many recalls does the Toyota Prius c have?

Across model years 2016–2019, NHTSA has posted 4 recall campaigns for the Toyota Prius c. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.