Basically, never. In fact, no one knows the MTBF (mean time between failures) of the traction battery because there aren't enough Prius out there with 300,000 to 400,000 miles on them.
If you should ever have to replace it (and the warranty is 150,000 miles in CA emission states--100,000 miles elsewhere--it's not a pro-rated warranty either) the current cost for the 2008 Prius is $1,967.39 plus about $600 installation. However, this price has been going down every year. In addition there are companies that can refurbish the battery for an even lower price.
The Prius' battery just isn't something you need to worry about.
FWIW, my 2001 and 2004 both have the original batteries.
UPDATE:
For those who say the Prius is expensive to maintain. Well, they've obviously never owned one. Now I'm sure that out of the over one million Prius sold there will be a few that cost more than they should to repair. It's a car not a panacea. However, the vast majority of Prius owners, including me, just drive it and change the oil occasionally. Dealer service at Toyota is not particularly cheap but it's no more expensive for the Prius than it is for other Toyotas, and compared to the VW I had before the Prius it's about 1/3 the cost.How often do you have to change a hybrid battery on a 2008 Prius?
The Toyota reps in this section will tell you it almost never needs replacing but that is not true. You replace it when your gas mileage drops.
Now for the bad news. Everyone buys it thinking it is cheap to operate BUT it isn't even on the top 10 list of cars with lowest operating costs over 3 years. Proof here: http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_co
Sell it and buy something on the top ten list if savings is your goal.
Edit:
Toyota reps love to give me thumbs down and deny what I say but the proof is in the link, they hate truth and now you see they will deny truth to sell cars.
Do you want to buy a car from a company that will willingly deceive you ??
I have heard it is about 4-5 years depending on how you have used it and it is depending on the car 2500.00-4000.00 to replace them
curtdude
As a Toyota technician for two years at a very busy dealership in the northeast (adverse conditions for batteries), I've seen a total of two Prius batteries replaced, and both were due to damage from an accident. Even America's first gen Prius's batteries are that reliable, and they're only getting better. Basically, in 2018, you may have to ask this question again, but until then, don't worry.
my prius is six years old, and the main battery is guaranteed for eight years! I needed a new 12 volt battery about a year ago.
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