Toyota Prius Plug-in vs Chevrolet Bolt EV: which is more reliable?
The Toyota Prius Plug-in is ahead of the Chevrolet Bolt EV on the federal record, 80/100 against 71/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Toyota Prius Plug-in
- 4 model years scored
- 661 owner complaints on record
- about 18 complaints per year on the road
- 5 recall campaigns, 1 safety-critical
- best year 2015 (91/100) · worst 2013 (64/100)
Chevrolet Bolt EV
- 5 model years scored
- 533 owner complaints on record
- about 20 complaints per year on the road
- 29 recall campaigns, 17 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (80/100) · worst 2020 (56/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Prius Plug-in against Bolt EV
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Toyota Prius Plug-in
- Service Brakes — 317 complaints
- Electrical System — 104 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 81 complaints
Chevrolet Bolt EV
- Electrical System — 257 complaints
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 107 complaints
- Steering — 93 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Prius Plug-in's complaints concentrate in Service Brakes, the Bolt EV's in Electrical System. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Toyota Prius Plug-in: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2014, 2015.
Chevrolet Bolt EV: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2021, 2022, 2023.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Toyota Prius Plug-in prices at about $9,900 and a Chevrolet Bolt EV at about $21,300 — the Toyota Prius Plug-in is roughly $11,400 less, and they return 50.0 against 120.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Toyota Prius Plug-in or the Chevrolet Bolt EV more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota Prius Plug-in scores 80/100 against the Chevrolet Bolt EV's 71/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Toyota Prius Plug-in and Chevrolet Bolt EV years should I avoid?
Toyota Prius Plug-in: no year scores below 45. Chevrolet Bolt EV: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Toyota Prius Plug-in and the Chevrolet Bolt EV?
The largest complaint group on the Toyota Prius Plug-in is Service Brakes (317 complaints); on the Chevrolet Bolt EV it is Electrical System (257).
Is the Toyota Prius Plug-in or the Chevrolet Bolt EV cheaper to own?
A recent used Toyota Prius Plug-in prices at about $9,900 and a Chevrolet Bolt EV at about $21,300, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.