Consumer Reports: 200,000-mile Toyota Prius scores high

You may have wondered how well hybrids hold up for the long haul. It has been 10 years since the #1 seller, the Toyota Prius, hit the roads, and some are now pushing 200,000 miles. Consumer Reports testers put one such Prius through its paces, and the results are pretty impressive.

Consumer Reports did its standard fuel-economy tests and measured acceleration. The 200,000-mile Prius measured up surprisingly well. It got 40.4 miles per gallon. The Prius tested in 2000 got 40.6 mpg.

Acceleration was virtually the same, too. There was less than a half-second difference getting to 60 miles an hour.

When the Prius first came out, hybrid technology was brand-new and battery life was a concern. Toyota says the battery is designed to last the life of the car. And the cost of replacing the battery has come down several hundred dollars since the Prius first came out. But it still costs more than $2,000.

Toyota says 900,000 Prius cars have been sold in the U.S. so far, and at today's prices, even moderate drivers can save an average of $750 a year in gas.

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