Aqua or Prius c: same car, different badge
The Aqua name was kept for Japan. Toyota sold the same car new here as the Prius c from April 2012, so every Aqua on New Zealand roads arrived second-hand from Japan, and the AA says most were built between 2012 and 2015.
The first generation (NHP10, from December 2011) uses the 1NZ-FXE petrol engine and a 144-volt nickel-metal hydride battery. The second generation (XP210, from July 2021) is a different car: a newer engine, a bipolar nickel-metal hydride battery on most grades, lithium-ion on the B grade, and an E-Four four-wheel-drive option. Tell the mechanic which one you've got.
What a proper Aqua battery check covers
- The hybrid fault codes, read with a scan tool that works with Japanese-market cars.
- The battery cooling intake filter and fan, cleaned or replaced if they're clogged.
- A load test on the 12-volt battery, which wakes the hybrid system up.
- How the pack behaves on a drive: Autotrader NZ says rapid charge and discharge on the display can mean it's deteriorating.
- The results in writing, so you can compare quotes.
If the pack does need replacing
There are three routes: a new genuine Toyota pack, a used pack, or a reconditioned one. Autotrader NZ's view is that most buyers find a second-hand pack sufficient and that reconditioning generally isn't worth it. Whichever way you go, ask how the replacement was tested and what warranty comes with it.
A genuine Toyota battery carries Toyota's defect warranty when it goes in at a Toyota store, or at a trade garage that buys its parts direct from a Toyota dealer. The fitting itself belongs with a mechanic trained on high-voltage systems, whichever pack you choose.
Other Toyota Aqua problems
Autotrader NZ's used review names a few. A high-pitched whine from the air conditioning compressor is normal, but grinding or no cold air isn't. Moisture inside the tail lights and faded paint are common on older cars.
There's no cambelt to think about, because the 1NZ engine runs a timing chain. The bigger unknown on any import is its past: Wikipedia's account of grey imports records wound-back odometers and cars damaged in Japan. A pre-purchase inspection before you buy is the way to find out.
What you can do between services
You can
- Drive it regularly: Toyota New Zealand says use keeps a hybrid battery charged.
- Photograph any hybrid warning before you switch off.
- Check the tyre pressures when the tyres are cold.
- Keep every service invoice, even the Japanese ones.
Leave to the mechanic
- Anything behind the orange high-voltage cables.
- Cleaning or replacing the battery cooling filter and fan.
- Reading the hybrid codes and testing the pack.
- Brake work, even though a hybrid's pads wear slowly.
Our take on an Aqua
We'd have the cooling filter cleaned and the 12-volt tested before anyone talks about the big battery, and ask for the hybrid readings on paper. If the pack truly has had it, get a used option and a genuine one quoted, then weigh them against what the car is worth. A local mechanic who specialises in your car.