Used car safety, rank #138 of 181
Toyota Prius Safety Rating (2017-20)
Real IIHS driver death rates for the 2017-20 Toyota Prius, a small car, compared with its class and with the current model.
IIHS 2023 edition Β· 2018β2021 crashes. Results apply only to the model years and drivetrain shown. This is the historical edition. See the July 2026 release for newer used cars.
The 2017-20 Toyota Prius has an IIHS driver death rate of 45 per million registered vehicle years against a small cars average of 60.5, which is 26% below the class average. That places it #138 of 181 used vehicles with a safety score of 29.6/100.
What the Toyota Prius death rate means
At 45 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, the Toyota Prius beats the small cars average of 60.5 by 26%. The 95% confidence interval is 23 to 67, so the upper end of the range overlaps the class average and the advantage is not certain.
The other-driver death rate of 51 measures the opposite risk: how many drivers of other vehicles died in crashes with a Toyota Prius. It is higher than the Toyota Prius's own driver death rate, the usual pattern for this class. Remember that death rates describe vehicles and their drivers together: IIHS adjusts for driver age and gender, but not for where or how carefully people drive. Our score weights this model's own rate at 70% and its class at 30%; see how we rank used cars.
Compared with similar used cars
The safest small cars in the IIHS study, by our score, with the Toyota Prius highlighted. It ranks 4 of the 9 shown; the class leader is the Chevrolet Bolt at a death rate of 8.
| Vehicle | Years | Death rate | Score | Reliability | Used price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Bolt | 2017-20 | 8 (0 to 19) | 65.3 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Prius Prime | 2017-20 | 23 (0 to 45) | 52.5 | n/a | n/a |
| Subaru WRX | 2017-20 | 38 (19 to 58) | 34.2 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Prius (this page) | 2017-20 | 45 (23 to 67) | 29.6 | n/a | n/a |
| Subaru Impreza sedan | 2017-20 | 46 (18 to 74) | 28.4 | n/a | n/a |
| Honda Civic | 2019-20 | 49 (29 to 69) | 26.5 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Corolla | 2020 | 58 (31 to 86) | 19.5 | n/a | n/a |
| Honda Civic hatchback | 2019-20 | 78 (26 to 130) | 13.6 | n/a | n/a |
| Hyundai Elantra | 2020 | 103 (48 to 157) | 10.1 | n/a | n/a |
Class average for small cars: 60.5 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
The new Toyota Prius
Death rates lag the market by several years. For the current Toyota Prius we score IIHS crash tests instead; here is how the latest model years rate on our new-car scale.
| Model year | Model | IIHS award | New-car score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Toyota Prius | TSP+ | 89.0 |
New-car scores use a different scale (crash tests, not death rates) and are not directly comparable with the 29.6 used-car score above.
Safety recalls for the Toyota Prius
We do not have a verified NHTSA recall lookup for this nameplate and model year. Check by VIN rather than treating that as a clean record.
Recall campaigns from the NHTSA recalls database, retrieved 2026-09-16. A campaign covers a range of build dates, not every car of the model year, and IIHS reports this nameplate across several years while these results are for one year. Confirm against the VIN. Recalls do not affect the death rate on this page.
Toyota Prius: Common Questions
Is the Toyota Prius a safe car?
Yes, by the measure that matters most. IIHS recorded a driver death rate of 45 per million registered vehicle years for the 2017-20 Toyota Prius, 26% below the class average (60.5 for small cars). That earns a used-car safety score of 29.6 out of 100 and rank #138 of 181 used vehicles.
What is the Toyota Prius driver death rate?
45 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, with a 95% confidence interval of 23 to 67. Drivers of other vehicles that collided with a Toyota Prius died at a rate of 51 per million. Source: IIHS driver death rates by make and model, covering 2017-20 models.
How does the Toyota Prius compare with other small cars?
The small cars class averages 60.5 driver deaths per million; the Toyota Prius sits at 45. Among the 9 small cars compared above it ranks 4 by safety score; the top of that group is the Chevrolet Bolt with a death rate of 8.