2020 Toyota Prius
Hybrid Midsize car
The 2020 Toyota Prius is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid midsize car with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Prius Eco, is EPA-rated at 56 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 14 complaints, most often about unknown or other. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prius Eco | Hybrid | FWD | 1.8L 4-cyl + 207V Li-Ion | 58 | 53 | 56 | $1,100 |
| Prius | Hybrid | FWD | 1.8L 4-cyl + 207V Li-Ion | 54 | 50 | 52 | $1,200 |
| Prius AWD | Hybrid | Part-time 4WD | 1.8L 4-cyl + 202V Ni-MH | 52 | 48 | 50 | $1,250 |
| Prius c | Hybrid | FWD | 1.5L 4-cyl + 144V Ni-MH | 48 | 43 | 46 | $1,350 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
The 2020 Toyota Prius is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.
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Recalls (0)
No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2020 Toyota Prius. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.
NHTSA investigations
Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005
Owner complaints
14 complaints filed
6 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 6 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2020: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 2
Most-cited components
- Unknown Or Other — 5
- Service Brakes — 4
- Electrical System — 2
- Tires — 2
- Electronic Stability Control (Esc) — 1
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 HB AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 11% |
| 5 HB FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 11% |
| 5 HB FWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | 12% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.
Other Prius model years
2027 Prius
0 recalls · 0 complaints
A2026 Prius
1 recalls · 9 complaints
A2025 Prius
2 recalls · 18 complaints
B2024 Prius
4 recalls · 23 complaints
B2023 Prius
4 recalls · 19 complaints
A2022 Prius
1 recalls · 24 complaints
A2021 Prius
0 recalls · 6 complaints
B2019 Prius
3 recalls · 30 complaints
B2018 Prius
1 recalls · 37 complaints
D2017 Prius
3 recalls · 91 complaints
F2016 Prius
5 recalls · 154 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 41917, 41915, 41916, 41716). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.