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Toyota Mirai: Fueling Fears Over Hydrogen Cars
18 Jan
Summary
- Toyota Mirai sales dropped 57% in 2025 due to refueling issues.
- Drivers allege misrepresentation and file a class action lawsuit.
- Hydrogen fuel price nearly tripled, impacting ownership costs.
Sales of Toyota's hydrogen-powered Mirai have drastically declined over the past two years, with a 57% drop observed in 2025 compared to 2024. This downturn is primarily attributed to significant challenges drivers face in refueling the vehicles. Despite being marketed as a convenient alternative to battery EVs, customers report a severe lack of hydrogen fueling infrastructure, rendering the cars impractical for daily use.
A class-action lawsuit, filed by over 140 plaintiffs in the US District Court in California, alleges that Toyota misrepresented key aspects of the Mirai, including its range, refueling time, and the ease of transitioning from gasoline. The lawsuit, which Toyota has sought multiple extensions to respond to, highlights frequent multi-week outages and fuel unavailability at the limited number of California hydrogen stations.
Furthermore, owners claim they were advised to withhold payments amid legal proceedings, only for Toyota to subsequently report them to debt collectors, negatively impacting their credit scores. The escalating cost of hydrogen fuel, nearly tripling in four years to around $32 per kilogram by 2024, and issues with fuel pumps freezing, add to the growing dissatisfaction with the Toyota Mirai.
