Is The Paid Dr. Prius App Worth It?

When it comes to a hybrid battery replacement, there are a ton of options. Worse yet, there are also a plethora of ways to repair it too. Combine this with trying to figure out if your hybrid battery is faulty, and you have a real mess on your hands.

Dr. Prius is an app that helps you try and navigate the terrain of hybrid battery health. It is also confusing to those who do not know how to read the data. There is a caveat to all of this, though, and that is the paid version of the app.

I want to cover what the paid version does and if I think it is worth having or not.

The Dr. Prius App For Toyota Prius
When you download the free version of Dr. Prius, you get to see all your battery PIDS (parameter IDs). Seeing all this data is pretty much gibberish to someone who does not understand what all the numbers and graphs mean.

While the app is good at giving a piece of technician information about the state of the battery, it is almost useless to most Prius drivers. The only way you can get the most out of the free version is to screenshot your results and send them to someone who knows how to read the data.

The paid version, however, is entirely different. It has features that allow anyone who can read to test their Prius battery and see how well it is working. The paid version unlocks Full Battery Testing and Life Expectancy Tests that both give the user accurate information about the health of the battery.

Is Dr. Prius Paid Worth It?
As someone who works on Prius a lot, the paid version with unlimited cars is worth my money. It is about $32 from the app store, and any Prius I get in, I can run the battery tests to show the consumer (or myself) how good or bad the battery is.

It may seem like a lot of money if you only have one Prius and do not work on them. It may be in your best interest to simply take it to a professional who you trust and have it tested also.

In my line of work, a $20 Carista OBD2 Bluetooth adapter or equivalent and the $32 for the app give me all the data I need to tell if a hybrid battery is faulty accurately.

The paid version also is a basic scan tool that tells you trouble codes that the car has as well. I think it is an excellent investment to have, and if you are planning on keeping your Prius, get this in your toolbox.

Thank you, everyone. That is all for today. I look forward to seeing you in the next story. These Tiny Threats Are Killing Your Toyota Prius Hybrid Battery.

Feel free to message me. I am more than willing to help. Be sure to check us out and join the movement on Facebook too at Green Car Movement for weekly giveaways and to help other people.

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Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter is also an Instructor of Automotive Technology at Columbia Basin College. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporters