A Toyota Prius catalytic converter is the highest-paying non-exotic unit in the US scrap market. In August 2026, published buyer quotes for a clean OEM 2004–2009 Gen 2 unit run from $242 to $1,200 depending on who is buying, with one part-number database showing a six-month high of $837 for the common GD3 code. Gen 3 units (2010–2015) are quoted anywhere from $116 to $700, and later cars pay less still.
| Grade / Item | Low | High | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 (2001-03) | $20 | $271 | USD/unit |
| Gen 2 (2004-09) NHW20 | $242 | $1,200 | USD/unit |
| Gen 3 (2010-15) | $116 | $700 | USD/unit |
| Gen 4 (2016-22) | $40 | $452 | USD/unit |
| Aftermarket replacement | $5 | $50 | USD/unit |
| Country | Typical Range | Per Tonne | Cur. |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $50 – $450 /unit (typical OEM) | — | USD |
| Canada | C$65 – C$600 /unit | — | CAD |
| United Kingdom | £40 – £350 /unit | — | GBP |
| Germany / EU | €45 – €400 /unit | — | EUR |
| Australia | A$75 – A$650 /unit | — | AUD |
| India | ₹4,000 – ₹35,000 /unit | — | INR |
| UAE / Dubai | 180 – 1,600 AED /unit | — | AED |
Those spreads are real. Part-number databases and full-service recyclers price the same unit differently, and the sources below disagree by a factor of three on some generations.
Prius scrap value by generation, August 2026
| Generation | Model years | Engine | Reported 2026 range | What anchors each end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | 2001–2003 | 1.5L | $20–$271 (graded, not model-specific) | No source quotes Gen 1 by model. Grades as foreign pre-cat or small foreign on the RRCats board. |
| Gen 2 | 2004–2009 | 1.5L (NHW20) | $242–$1,200 | Low: ScrapMetalBuyers part-number listing. High: Cash Auto Salvage. AutoCatalystMarket six-month peak on code GD3 was $837. |
| Gen 3 | 2010–2015 | 1.8L | $116–$700 | Low: AutoCatalystMarket 1.8h listing. High: JunkyardInventory, which lumps 2004–2015 at $300–$700. |
| Gen 4 | 2016–2022 | 1.8L | $40–$452 (graded foreign medium) | RRCats grade board. European listings for this era run far lower — ignore them for US selling. |
| Gen 5 | 2023–2026 | 2.0L | Photo quote only | No public price. Recyclers want images and the stamped code. |
Two things stand out. The Gen 2 is the outlier; everything else is ordinary. And value falls every generation. A PriusChat thread from July 2024 put it plainly: Toyota cut the metal loading each generation, and while that never shows in the price of a new OEM part, it shows immediately in the recycling market.
Why the Prius converter pays more than almost anything else
The engine runs cooler and less often
A converter degrades through thermal ageing. Heat sinters the washcoat, metal crystallites grow, active surface area drops. A Prius engine shuts off at idle, at low speed and under regenerative braking, so the converter spends far less time at peak exhaust temperature than the same unit on a conventional car. The metal loaded at the factory is still largely there and still recoverable at 200,000 miles.
The original loading was higher to start with
Cold starts are the hard part of hybrid emissions control. An engine that keeps stopping keeps having to light off again, so Toyota compensated with denser loading. Assay lab Ledoux and Company, in a page published 21 April 2026 and modified 25 June 2026, states that hybrid and plug-in hybrid loadings run 5 to 15 percent higher than comparable gasoline vehicles. Higher starting loading plus less thermal damage is the whole story.
The car is easy to get under
This drives the theft numbers rather than the price. A Prius is light, so it goes up on a jack fast, and the converter sits in an accessible run of pipe. Police departments quoted by LiveNOW from FOX on 11 May 2026 put a cut at one to three minutes. MillerCat, on 8 June 2026, put it at roughly 45 seconds.
Identifying the unit: Toyota and Denso numbers
Toyota and Denso use a part number of five digits, a hyphen, then five alphanumeric characters. ScrapMonster documented the format in its identification guide dated 25 January 2026, with examples such as 17140-31150 and 25051-31120. The five-digit prefix tells you what the assembly is, not which car it came off:
- 17410 — front exhaust pipe assembly with converter. The most common Prius number.
- 17141 — exhaust manifold with integrated converter.
- 25051 — converter sub-assembly on its own.
| Model years | Engine | Assembly | Toyota part numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–2003 | 1.5L | Front pipe with converter | 17410-21260, 17410-21261 |
| 2001–2009 | 1.5L | Manifold with converter | 17141-21120 |
| 2004–2009 | 1.5L | Front pipe with converter | 17410-21500 |
| 2010–2015 | 1.8L | Front pipe with converter | 17410-37160, 17410-37300, 17410-37330 |
| 2010–2015 | 1.8L | Manifold with converter | 17141-37150 |
| 2016–2022 | 1.8L | Front pipe with converter | 17410-37A00, 17410-37B50, 17410-37B52, 17410-37B70, 17410-37B72, 17410-37C60 |
| 2016–2022 | 1.8L | Manifold with converter | 17141-37200, 17141-37210, 17141-37211 |
| 2023–2024 | 2.0L | Exhaust pipe with converter | 17410-24440 |
Buyers rarely price off that long number. They price off the short code stamped on the shell, usually two or three characters. Ecotrade lists these Prius codes: GD3, EA5, EA6, FA5, GA1, GA5, GC7, GG1, GP2, TB2, TD6, TL3 and TN4, plus numeric stamps 21090, 33731 and 37180. GD3 is the one to look for — AutoCatalystMarket ties it to the 1.5L Gen 2, chassis NHW20, model years 2003–2009. Wire-brush the shell before photographing. The stamp sits near a weld seam or on the end flange and is usually unreadable under rust.
The metal prices behind the number
| Metal | Spot, 20 Aug 2026 (Trading Economics) | Recycler board, 21 Aug 2026 (RRCats) | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum | $1,816.20/oz | $1,706/oz | +35.4% |
| Palladium | $1,338.50/oz | $1,280/oz | +22.1% |
| Rhodium | $8,800/oz | $8,499/oz | +17.7% |
Rhodium is the swing factor. MoneyGeek, on 27 February 2026, reported it moving from $4,600 an ounce in 2024 to $10,400 by February 2026, a 126 percent jump. MillerCat cited above $12,000 in early 2026. By late August the Trading Economics quote had settled at $8,800. Treat any single rhodium number as a snapshot with a short shelf life.
One warning. Several scrap sites still show platinum near $1,050, palladium near $1,020 and rhodium near $4,800 in their spot boxes, including RecycleFind in August 2026 and JunkyardInventory in May 2026. Those are stale by roughly half on rhodium. A board showing rhodium under $5,000 today is either not maintained or not honest.
Theft, paperwork and why a loose Prius cat gets you questioned
The numbers
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety published the definitive study on 18 November 2021. Theft claim frequency on 2004–2009 Prius models hit 58.1 claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years in 2020, against 1.4 in 2016 — more than 40 times higher. Claim frequency for all other 2004–2009 vehicles barely moved. IIHS valued the Gen 2 converter at $1,022 in scrap at the time, against $143 to $548 for comparable units from other makes. The 2010–2015 Prius showed 1.3 claims per 1,000 in 2020, essentially flat. Thieves know the generations apart.
| Year | State Farm converter theft claims | State Farm payouts |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2,500 | $4.7 million |
| 2020 | 10,000 | $20.9 million |
| 2021 | 32,000 | $73.7 million |
| 2022 | 45,000 | $115.4 million |
| 2023 | 21,200 | $62.5 million |
| 2024 (Jan–Jun) | 3,800+ | $11.2 million |
That table is one insurer only, published 10 September 2024. Do not compare it to nationwide counts. Carfax, published 10 June 2026 and updated 14 July 2026, reported more than 137,000 converters stolen nationwide in 2025, and noted the Prius is absent from the national top ten, which pickups and SUVs dominate, even as police keep singling it out. GetSafeAndSound put the Prius fourth nationally and first in western states. St. Paul, Minnesota went from 172 thefts in 2024 to 504 in 2025.
What you need to sell one
A loose Prius converter is the single most scrutinised item on a scrap counter. Expect to produce all of the following, and expect a legitimate buyer to refuse you without them:
- Government photo ID, copied and logged.
- The donor VIN and proof of ownership: title, registration or a signed bill of sale.
- A written statement of origin, plus photos of the converter still installed.
- Patience for a hold. Minnesota, Illinois, Oregon and Washington impose one to three day holds before resale, under laws passed 2023–2025.
California AB 1740 requires seller ID, VIN and origin documentation and treats unmarked converters as presumed stolen. New York S4154 (2024) mandates VIN engraving and two-year dealer records. Texas SB 224 (2023) makes possession of a stolen converter a state-jail felony. Federally, the PART Act (S.2238, 119th Congress) would require VIN stamping on new vehicles with penalties up to five years; Autoblog reported on 19 February 2026 that it advanced to the House Energy and Commerce Committee on 10 February. It is not law yet.
Getting the top of the range
- Sell the Gen 2 by code, never by grade. A GD3 dropped in a generic foreign medium bin costs you hundreds.
- Do not cut the shell open. De-canned units are graded down or refused.
- Get three quotes. The published spread on one Gen 2 unit runs $242 to $1,200. That spread is the whole game.
- Confirm on the day. Rhodium moved from roughly $10,400 to $8,800 inside six months of 2026.