Buyer Research

2020 Toyota Mirai — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $6,000–$13,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 7 Toyota Mirai years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

One complaint. That is the entire public record for the 2020 Mirai, and it is a record of how few were sold in California and Hawaii, not a statement about the car. We have nothing to reassure you with and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What we can tell you is what this year is: the last of the first-generation Mirai, sharing its fuel cell, its dealer-only service model and its fuelling problem with the 2017 and 2019 cars on our other pages, and about to be replaced by a much better-driving second generation. Everything that matters about owning one is external — where you can fill it, which dealer can service it, and how much of the original fuel credit is left. Settle those three things before you talk price, because they decide whether this is a cheap luxury saloon or an ornament.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 1 owner complaint for the 2020 Toyota Mirai, and no recall campaigns.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under throttle and cruise control (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2020 Toyota Mirai

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Hydrogen supply decides whether this car works at allMedium

We are labelling this from general market knowledge, not the complaint file — there is effectively no complaint file for this year. Retail hydrogen in California has contracted since these were sold, Shell closed its light-duty stations in 2024, and remaining sites go offline for days at a time. A Mirai cannot be charged at home or topped up from a can, so a closed station is a tow. Map your two nearest stations, check them live on the day you go to view, and ask the seller for the date of the last successful fill.

Repair cost (estimate): $100–$250 per fill at recent California hydrogen prices

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Fuel-cell coverage is running out and no independent shop can helpMedium

Also unsourced, and stated plainly as our reading rather than a finding. Toyota's fuel-cell component coverage runs eight years or 100,000 miles, which puts a 2020 in its final stretch; once it lapses, work on the stack, the hydrogen tanks and their valves is dealer-only and only at dealers certified for it. Ask Toyota with the VIN exactly when coverage ends, and find your nearest certified dealer before you buy — if that is a two-hour drive, every future fault becomes a two-hour drive.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$1,500 for routine cooling and sensor work; stack and tank work is dealer-only and can reach five figures

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Sitting unfuelled kills the ordinary 12-volt batteryMedium

A hydrogen car still needs a conventional 12-volt battery to wake up and start its fuel cell, and these cars sit — on dealer lots, in driveways, waiting for a station to reopen. A flat 12-volt on a Mirai means a car that will not even power up its screens, and it is the most common reason one of these looks dead when it is not. If the car has been parked for months, assume the battery is tired, and use that in the negotiation rather than finding out on a cold morning.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$400

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Nearest hydrogen station showing offline or permanently closed
✗No record of a successful fill in the last few months
✗Fuel-cell warranty already expired with no certified dealer nearby
✗Screens that will not power up, a sign the 12-volt has been flat for a while

Good Signs

✓A working hydrogen station within your normal driving, checked on the day
✓Toyota confirming the remaining fuel-cell coverage against the VIN
✓A certified fuel-cell Toyota dealer close enough to be convenient
✓Recent fuelling receipts showing the car is in regular use
✓Toyota service history with dated fuel-cell system inspections