Toyota Mirai Hydrogen Car Depreciation: 65% Value Loss in a Year
Hacker News
February 21, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Toyota’s Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle has faced a dramatic decline in value, losing up to 65% of its worth within a year on the used market. This sharp depreciation highlights the challenges hydrogen-powered cars face in an automotive landscape dominated by battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and infrastructure limitations. Despite Toyota's continued production since 2014, the Mirai’s value has plummeted due to limited adoption and competition from more mainstream technologies like BEVs.
The Mirai, first introduced in 2015, was a pioneering model for hydrogen fuel cell technology. Its second generation, released in 2021, featured improvements such as increased range and updated safety features, yet it still struggled to gain traction. New models started at around $49,500, but even recent used examples can now be found for less than $18,000—a staggering drop that reflects the broader difficulties hydrogen vehicles face in gaining market acceptance.
The steep depreciation underscores the uphill battle hydrogen fuel cells are facing compared to BEVs, which have seen widespread adoption due to their lower cost and more robust charging infrastructure. While Toyota remains committed to the Mirai, the car’s diminishing value signals a larger issue for the hydrogen automotive sector—its inability to compete with faster-growing alternative energy technologies.
For tech enthusiasts and industry watchers, this situation highlights the nuanced challenges of alternative fuel adoption. Hydrogen fuel cells were once seen as a promising solution, but their high costs, limited refueling networks, and slower uptake compared to BEVs have made them less viable in the current market. The Mirai’s depreciation serves as a cautionary tale about innovation in the automotive industry, where consumer preference and infrastructure play critical roles in determining a technology's success.
In the broader context of the automotive industry’s shift toward sustainable energy, the decline of the Toyota Mirai offers insights into the complexities of alternative fuel adoption. While hydrogen technology may still have potential in specific applications or regions with better infrastructure support, its current struggles demonstrate that innovation alone isn’t enough to ensure a product’s success—market readiness and consumer demand are equally crucial factors.
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Originally published on Hacker News on 2/21/2026