Alternator OEM Toyota or Denso
I have a 2005 XLS and upgraded to the 130a one, no issues at all. I bought a Denso (oem) one on rockauto for $170, sent my old one and got $40 back. The Toyota one (also denso) was like $450. The 130a was actually cheaper than the 100a too. Did it myself in about 3 hours
I just had to replace original alternator in my 213k mile 2017.
I’ve used denso remans and not had issues
Please please please, get a remanned or new Denso. Do not buy anything else. You WILL regret it.
Unless you love electrical quirks and replacing alternators, get a Denso.
I ordered a new (reman) denso alternator from RockAuto and also got a replacement alternator belt too. I\u2019m almost done with the job (took out the old alternator, mounted the new one) and it\u2019s been surprisingly easy, just a matter loosening 3-5 bolts and fiddling with a belt.
For the alternator I would only go with a reman denso personally
My last OEM Toyota alternator made it to 250K miles. My future non-Toyota ones failed because they were cheap remanufactured ones and later I found a failing harmonic balancer that was putting extra pressure on bearings of the alternator
I replace just as many aftermarket alternators that are 'new', as I do 10+ year old OEM. Aftermarket alternators, unless denso's, fail often.
Horrible mistake with the aftermarket alternator. You likely will need to redo the job really soon.
As someone pointed out, don't expect the 150 dollar alternator to last that long. I threw on my 4runner a few months back because that's all that was in stock locally and I'm gonna have to replace it again, it's already whining. I'd definitely spend $350 or whatever it is on a denso unit
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Which alternator to choose — OEM Toyota or Denso?
If choosing alternator across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare alternator across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which alternator are better — Denso or OEM Toyota?
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator Denso were overall better than OEM Toyota.
- OEM Toyota received a PR Score of 73 out of 100, and Denso scored 81 point.
- OEM Toyota ranked 3 in the overall ranking, and Denso ranked 1.
- The average rating is higher for Denso (4) than for OEM Toyota (3.7).
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Alternator Denso have better feature ratings than OEM Toyota:
- Lights - owners believe, that this property for Denso is better than OEM Toyota.
- Noise - drivers claim, that this property for Denso is outperforms OEM Toyota.
- Warning light - reviews suggest, that this property for Denso is preferred to OEM Toyota.
Which alternator are more popular — OEM Toyota or Denso?
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator Denso were overall more popular than OEM Toyota.
By vote balance, alternator Denso surpassed OEM Toyota:
- For OEM Toyota, the ratio of positive (94) to negative (34) votes is 60 votes.
- For Denso, the ratio of positive (548) to negative (125) votes is 423 votes.
By number of reviews, alternator Denso surpassed OEM Toyota:
- For alternator OEM Toyota there are 40 reviews: 26 positive, 8 neutral, 6 negative.
- For alternator Denso there are 218 reviews: 170 positive, 19 neutral, 29 negative.
Which alternator do car owners prefer — OEM Toyota or Denso?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, alternator Denso led more car-specific ratings than OEM Toyota:
Denso are chosen by owners of cars such as: Honda Civic, Honda Element, Honda Odyssey, Toyota 4runner, and others.
OEM Toyota are chosen by owners of cars such as: Toyota Avalon, and others.
Other comparisons of alternator
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of alternator OEM Toyota with: Bosch, Duralast, VALEO, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan, Motorcraft.
Also available: comparisons of alternator Denso with: Bosch, Duralast, VALEO, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan, Motorcraft.
You can also see who is better among other alternator manufacturers: Bosch or Denso, Denso or Duralast, Bosch or Duralast, Denso or VALEO, OEM Honda or Denso.