Toyota CVT Replacement in Berkeley – Art’s Auto

CVT replacement is a major investment. Often, by the time a CVT fails, the vehicle’s value may not justify the cost of replacement-so this isn’t a frequent repair. However, when it’s needed, Art’s Auto has the Toyota service information, Techstream scan tool, and ASE-certified technicians with years of experience to do the job right. So, if you’re in Berkeley or the surrounding area and have Toyota CVT questions, give us a call.

What is a CVT?

CVT stands for continuously variable transmission. To understand how it works, let’s first look at a conventional automatic transmission (AT). An AT typically has between 4 and 10 “speeds,” or gears. Each gear has a fixed ratio that determines how many times the engine turns for each rotation of the drive wheels. The vehicle’s computer shifts between these gears to balance power and fuel efficiency.

A CVT, on the other hand, doesn’t have fixed gear ratios. Instead, it can seamlessly adjust to any ratio within its range. This is beneficial because every engine has an optimal “sweet spot” for efficiency and a different sweet spot for maximum power. With only a few fixed gears, a traditional transmission can’t always keep the engine exactly where it’s most efficient or most powerful-especially during acceleration. A CVT allows the engine to stay closer to the ideal range for either efficiency or power, depending on what’s needed at the moment. This improves both performance and fuel economy compared to conventional automatics.

Which Toyota Models Have a CVT?

• Toyota Corolla
• Toyota Corolla Cross
• Toyota C-HR
• Toyota Yaris (up to 2020)

What’s the Difference Between a CVT and eCVT?

Toyota’s eCVT only works with the Toyota hybrid system because it relies on two powerful electric motors for its operation. A standard CVT uses a metal drive belt between two hydraulically actuated variable size pulleys.

Toyota’s CVT Reliablity

Toyota’s first belt type CVT appeared in the 2014 Toyota Corolla. The had an eCVT in their hybrids since 2001, but they stuck with mutli-gear automatic transmission up until 2014. Their first attempt was actually pretty solid, unlike Honda, Subaru, and Nissan, all had some pretty major issues with their CVTs, Toyota’s first attempt held up pretty well. The first failure we saw was in 2025 on a 10-year-old 2015 Toyota Corolla with 180,000 miles. Not too shabby, especially when you consider Honda and Nissan CVTs were failing with less that 60,000 miles.

What Can You Do to Prevent CVT Failure?

If you have with a CVT, Toyota says you never need to service the transmission. This just isn’t true. Every automotive fluid needs to be serviced periodically. On this particular 2015 Toyota Corolla CVT, we found the fluid was black a week before the CVT failure. If the fluid had been well maintained, who knows, maybe it would have lasted until 300K.

We recommend servicing your Toyota CVT fluid at least every 60,000 miles. If you’d like to be extra conservative, every 30,000 miles.

How Much Does A Replacement CVT Cost?

It’s going to vary depending on the car, whether a remanufactured unit is available (they typically aren’t when cars are very new), and when you read this (because prices just keep going up), but for this car it was a bit under $9000. I know CVT service is a lot more expensive that standard AT service, but it pays to change that CVT fluid regularly. $350 seems like a lot for a fluid, but its only every 60K and will probably save you a lot in the long run.