Toyota Prius vs Dodge Dart: which is more reliable?
The Toyota Prius is ahead of the Dodge Dart on the federal record, 81/100 against 71/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Toyota Prius
- 13 model years scored
- 2,386 owner complaints on record
- about 13 complaints per year on the road
- 38 recall campaigns, 15 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (96/100) · worst 2012 (37/100)
Dodge Dart
- 4 model years scored
- 2,315 owner complaints on record
- about 48 complaints per year on the road
- 16 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (84/100) · worst 2013 (47/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Prius against Dart
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
- Service Brakes — 1,101 complaints
- Electrical System — 334 complaints
- Engine — 221 complaints
Dodge Dart
- Power Train — 907 complaints
- Engine — 483 complaints
- Service Brakes — 446 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Prius's complaints concentrate in Service Brakes, the Dart's in Power Train. 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 — avoid: 2011, 2012.
Dodge Dart — avoid: 2013.
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 prices at about $24,100 and a Dodge Dart at about $10,800 — the Dodge Dart is roughly $13,300 less, and they return 57.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Toyota Prius or the Dodge Dart more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota Prius scores 81/100 against the Dodge Dart'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 and Dodge Dart years should I avoid?
Toyota Prius: 2011, 2012. Dodge Dart: 2013. 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 and the Dodge Dart?
The largest complaint group on the Toyota Prius is Service Brakes (1,101 complaints); on the Dodge Dart it is Power Train (907).
Is the Toyota Prius or the Dodge Dart cheaper to own?
A recent used Toyota Prius prices at about $24,100 and a Dodge Dart at about $10,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.