Toyota Owner Discovers an Expiration Date on His Car
After three years of driving a particular Toyota, one vehicle owner started sharing his headaches firsthand. TikTok user Daniel, who posts under the handle @hydrogencarreviews, purchased a Gen 1 Toyota Mirai in 2021. Daniel explains in his videos that there are good reasons the Gen 1 Mirai, produced between 2015 and 2021, has such a cheap resale value today.
“Do not refuel after October 2032”
The Toyota Mirai isn’t an EV or hybrid. Rather, it’s a hydrogen-powered sedan. As such, key hydrogen equipment has a restricted shelf life. After a certain period of time, Toyota will not guarantee against leaks. Daniel’s Toyota Mirai “expires” after the fall of 2032.
Since most Mirai owners haven’t faced expiration yet, information about the method and cost of keeping their Mirai going safely after the date stamped inside the fuel door isn’t well established.
Toyota covers key fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) components for 8 years or 100,000 miles, so coverage ends well before the FCEV’s expiration date.
One Australian YouTuber explained that a friend needed a fuel cell repair on their hydrogen car. Based in Germany, the owner went to a Hyundai shop for a quote. Allegedly, his estimate exceeded $100,000 U.S. dollars. This is obviously unaffordable for the majority of drivers and would be a terrible investment for even well-off owners.
After free refueling ends, Gen 1 Mirari owners are mortified by high hydrogen costs and low range
For 2024, Toyota offers new Mirai buyers $15,000 or 6 years of complimentary refueling. While this seems generous, Toyota is well aware of the current hydrogen costs and the lack of hydrogen pumps across the country. These are huge blockers to adoption and the reason many used Gen 1 Mirais have lost much of their value.
Daniel explains in another TikTok that refueling his Mirai is extremely expensive, and the resulting range is just disappointing.
For instance, the Mirari holds about 5 kilograms of hydrogen. When filling the car up in March, Daniel’s Mirai takes about 3.7 kilograms. The total charge is $134.35, which is $36.00 per kilogram.
What’s more, the range displayed after the fill-up is only 205 miles. That’s more than 65 cents per mile.
The 2024 Toyota Mirai starts at $50,190. According to Toyota, the XLE trim has an EPA-estimated 402-mile range. Toyota also states that a variety of conditions factor into actual range, like the selected trim, your environment, refueling practices, and how you drive.
