No. I’m not saying CHANGE your oil. Do that every 5K miles when the maint reqd light comes on. I’m saying CHECK your oil, and I’m saying CHECK IT A LOT (mostly).

The vast majority of Prii on the road burn oil. The start-stop nature of their engines means lots of thermal cycling with oil heating and cooling far more than a conventional gas car.

This contributes to the tendency of the Prius to burn oil, and the car won’t let you know you’re low until you’re DANGEROUSLY low - like 2.5 qt low. It lets you know by signalling the master warning light with a tone, AND if you notice it, the low oil light:

It most often occurs when the vehicle is experiencing forces that cause the oil to slosh with braking to be the most likely along with acceleration, hill climbing, and traversing highway curves where you may experience a side load. The oil has sloshed to the point the pump sucks air and can’t circulate the oil.

This is the #1 killer of the Prius. PLEASE check your oil at least once a month until you can establish your burn rate and can change the check frequency. It is VERY common for high mileage Prii to need 2-3 quarts between oil changes at 5,000 mils. Add enough 0W-20 or 5W-20 oil (brand doesn’t matter! ANY oil is better than no oil!) to keep it between the dipstick marks - preferably near the upper mark, AND do not overfill!

Lastly, if you’re using synthetic, and you’re following Toyota’s recommendations to only change every 10,000 miles, DON’T!!! Change at 5K intervals.