My own 2004 CVT has 122,000 miles and drives/starts/runs just as new and have not noticed any changes what so ever. I have also used the battery as sparingly as reasonably possible over the life of the car.

Last I heard the replacement cost dropped to $2,400, which not only includes the battery pack but also it's associated controlling hardware.

My lead-acid battery under the hood died around 70,000 miles. $49.00 at my local auto store.

-Steve

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT