According to recent reports, the Toyota Prius is currently the best-selling car in California, with nearly 2 million sold nationwide since the vehicle launched in 1999. That’s no small feat for any automaker, but for a hybrid model, it’s borderline miraculous. The American auto market is still heavily reliant on traditional gas-powered cars, making any progress the Prius (and other hybrids) makes a thing of wonder.
But when you look at the numbers, it really shouldn’t be.
Hybrid vehicles tend to have higher fuel economy ratings than typical cars, especially the Prius, which gets around 51 MPG, and the Ford Fusion and Honda Accord Hybrid, which each gets around 48 or 49. Those miles add up, making hybrid vehicles on the whole around 30-45% more fuel-efficient than traditional gas-powered cars. That’s why drivers have wised up to these hybrids’ charms.
Of course, not everything about them can be so perfect. And if you follow the latest numbers from Consumer Reports, it’s clear that hybrid car batteries aren’t always everything they’re purported to be.
Hybrid car battery replacement problems can strike any make, model and year hybrid vehicle, though the most popular cases tend to be those regarding Honda’s Civic, Accord and Insight hybrids. Though plenty of hybrid — if not all of them — will today come with a hybrid battery warranty to boot, the warranty will only cover the cost up to a certain time frame or specific mileage mark. And once the driver hits it, there’s really nothing that can be done.
This doesn’t mean that the car itself has died, just the battery. But taking the vehicle back to the dealership to shop for a battery can end up costing between $3,000 and $4,000, which can be quite the prohibitive cost. Luckily, an entire industry of third-party battery providers has sprung up in an effort to beat back these costs, though it’s all quite dependent on the type of vehicle you need a battery for. With these companies, getting a hybrid battery warranty is much easier (and often more reliable, too).
But what makes these hybrid batteries so hard to depend on? Blame their lithium-ion makeup, which age just like the other parts of the car aging right along with them. The difference is while not driving a car in the winter to prevent its frame from rusting out or deteriorating due to salt, the battery is going to age regardless of whether it’s used or not. A hybrid sitting inside a garage doesn’t have a longer lifespan than one out on the road.
The solution? Drive your car. Take road trips. Enjoy the view. And when you start facing your first set of problems not covered by your hybrid battery warranty, shop around for the best deal on a replacement. After all, hybrids are the autos of the future. Just ask hundreds of thousands of drivers in California. Read more here: bumblebeebatteries.com
