Don’t be hesitant about hybrid car reliability

The manufacturers need to build up confidence by offering “lease “options on the battery pack so the buyer doesnt bear the risk of an early failure.
I agree with rich835 that they appear more suited to city or urban use especially as a 2nd car.
The benefits in cities is as much about local pollution as saving fuel.

I agree with previous comments that the benefits in cities is as much about local pollution as saving fuel. Thank you very much for this lovely piece of information. I have learned a lot just by reading this article. Very much informative.
Regards

Had a 2010 Auris for 3 weeks. Low mileage, 44,000, best I could afford, (don’t like loans) Very happy with all aspects of the car, but one – the MPG. The computer shows “excellent” for my very careful driving – I used to get 55mpg from my 16 year old Rover 75 TD. So when I did my regular 160 mile M1 trip to my sister. I looked forward to some impressive figures: fill to fill after zeroing the “trip” odometer. Hence, felt a bit disappointed with 53mpg – twice. Does this line up with other users experience? Otherwise, the car is lovely!

Much of my driving is around town and I do very few long trips. With an annual mileage of 3000 miles I actually do an average of 8 miles a day! I currently drive a Prius but am thinking about getting an electric car or plug in hybrid as most of my driving could be covered by an electric battery, even a plug in.

One of the issues with batteries is that the range is related to cost. You only have to look as Tesla S to see this, although the 3 will make a 200 mile + car available at an “affordable price”.

Like many people I have “range anxiety” for those longer trips in a purely electric car but the option of a plug in is something worth considering. My current Prius hybrid is actually pretty economical, even though it has 17 inch wheels, and a plug in would involve a significant capital outlay which I would not recoup in reduced running costs. If my current car were falling apart a “new” car would be justified, but it isn’t.

Looking at the market the two cars that catch my eye are the last generation Prius plug in which has 15 mile electric range and the new Hyundai Hybrid which has 39 miles. A 20016 model of the former comes in at around £20,000 and the latter at about £25,000 as far as I can tell from the dealers (the website does not tell you accurately). The 15 mile range is enough for me but hardly stunning and I am buying “old” technology. The 39 mile range is pretty good and would certainly cover needs on days I went further afield.

So will I change my car? Well probably not. Why? Well technology is advancing quickly. When I bought my Prius it was the only game in town. Now there is a greater range and the promise of more to come in the near future. My current plan is to buy a lottery ticket and cross my fingers. Then I can have a petrol and electric car!

I have a Toyota Yaris Hybrid. November 2014. I have done a lot of mileage, 144,000 miles, so the warranty has expired. A couple of weeks ago, I had a service done. They checked the hybrid system, and it passed. 4 days later, warning lights came on. Took it to my dealer, they said it needs a new hybrid battery, cost, £1,800. I was told they never went wrong, but that’s rubbish. The dealer contacted Toyota HQ to see if they could do something to assist, seeing as it’s only 3 years old. But they never bothered to reply. Personally, I would never buy from them again. I was informed by someone who works for them, that the 3rd generation of batteries have a self destruct built in. This is because the previous generation batteries were so reliable, they weren’t selling spares, so this forces people to spend huge amounts in order to keep it going. Would I buy another one, never again would I buy a Toyota, it seems once they have your money, they are not interested.

Andy. I presume the Toyota 5 year warranty “your Toyota Hybrid battery is also covered by the same 5-year or 100,000-mile warranty as the rest of the car. was the problem as you had exceeded to mileage? Elsewhere it is said “A Toyota spokesman tells us: “Hybrid components rarely need replacing under the warranty, and we’ve always said they’re designed to last the life of the car. We know the tech is reliable and it works. We still have Mk1 Priuses on the road, so battery durability isn’t an issue; you only need to look at the number of Priuses being used by the private hire sector.” (http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/electric-cars/94872/buying-a-used-hybrid-car-the-complete-guide)

I’d approach the dealer under the Consumer Rights Act and claim under “durability” on the basis the battery should have lasted longer than 3 years. Worth looking at what other Yaris’s have achieved (secondhand sales and mileages for example) to bolster your case.

Have you looked at rebalancing the battery – replacing poor cells for example?

From a pragmatic point of view, if you get nowhere, your battery has only cost you 1.25p a mile.