Showing the 2015 Prius Plug-in Hybrid FWD: as EPA lists it. NHTSA's overall rating for that drive: 4 stars (FWD). Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year. Every version
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 18, 2026.
Fuel economy
50 mpgcombined; city 51, highway 49; the Plug-in Hybrid FWD; plug-in hybrid versions on gasoline, 95 MPGe on electricity
Five years of fuel
$6,750EPA's own estimate for plug-in hybrids: its national gasoline and electricity prices and the share of miles it expects on electricity; not priced for any state; the Plug-in Hybrid FWD; fuel only, 15,000 miles a year
NHTSA's VIN data lists no trims for the 2015 Prius, so these are the versions EPA tested, by its names. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 171 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Prius. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Service brakes
91
12
0
6
Electrical system
28
5
1
2
Unknown or other
15
2
0
0
Power train
13
4
0
3
Engine
8
3
0
1
Vehicle speed control
8
7
0
3
Exterior lighting
7
1
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
7
0
0
0
Structure
7
3
0
3
Air bags
6
6
0
4
Fuel/propulsion system
6
1
0
2
Service brakes, hydraulic
4
0
0
0
12 more parts
Visibility/wiper
4
0
0
0
Hybrid propulsion system
3
0
0
0
Seats
3
2
0
3
Steering
3
3
0
1
Suspension
3
3
0
1
Seat belts
2
2
0
2
Tires
2
0
0
0
Wheels
2
1
0
0
Back over prevention
1
1
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
1
0
0
0
Visibility
1
0
0
0
What the columns count
Complaints: complaints that name that part. One complaint can name several parts, so the rows overlap and don't add up to the total.
Crashes and Fires: complaints that report one. Two owners can file about the same event, and NHTSA doesn't link them, so these count reports, not events.
Injuries: the number of people the complaints say were injured.
None of these columns shows that a part caused a crash, fire or injury: they're what owners reported, unverified.
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2015 Prius over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Hybrid propulsion system: inverter
NHTSA campaign 20V369000 · reported Jun 24, 2020 · 266,638 vehicles potentially affected across the whole campaign
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will perform a software update for the hybrid system. If the vehicle has experienced an inverter failure with certain hybrid system faults related to this condition, the inverter assembly will be repaired or replaced, prior to software update. All repairs will be performed free of charge. This recall began July 24, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB10 / 20TA10.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Prius and 2014-2017 Prius V vehicles not included in recall 18V-684. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven.
Risk: An unexpected hybrid power system shut down may increase the risk of a crash.
NHTSA campaign 17V718000 · reported Nov 15, 2017 · 39,915 vehicles potentially affected across the whole campaign
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EV fuse, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 8, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0R.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. The hybrid battery contains an Electric Vehicle (EV) fuse that may fracture after repeated high-load driving conditions such as climbing long hills.
Risk: The failed fuse may cause the hybrid system to shut down resulting in the loss of power. Loss of power while driving at higher speeds can increase the risk of a crash.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 329 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2015 Prius, the latest on Feb 13, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (172), electrical system (111), structure (43), engine (19), equipment adaptive/mobility (15).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2015 Prius.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: midsize cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 10 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Prius Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
50 / 46 / 48
Prius Plug-in Hybrid Front-Wheel Drive
1.8 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline or Electricity 11 miles on electricity, 540 miles in all
51 / 49 / 50 on gasoline 95 MPGe on electricity
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data