What type of battery powers the 2023 Toyota Prius?

The 2023 Toyota Prius uses a lithium-ion battery for its hybrid traction battery.

This battery belongs to the fifth-generation Prius, known by Toyota’s XW60 chassis code and unveiled in November 2022. Toyota replaced the previous generation’s nickel-metal-hydride technology in the new Prius with a newly developed lithium-ion pack that is smaller and lighter while delivering higher output.

The battery stores energy recovered during regenerative braking and supplies electricity to the hybrid system’s motor. It works with a gasoline engine and Toyota’s electronically controlled continuously variable transmission rather than powering the car as a pure battery-electric vehicle.

Nickel-metal hydride is a common source of confusion because earlier Prius generations used it, and some Toyota hybrid variants have offered different battery configurations. The 2023 Prius Prime plug-in hybrid also uses lithium-ion technology, but its larger pack is designed to support substantially more electric-only driving than the regular Prius.