As the UK government has instructed the nation to stay at home and only venture out for specific, essential reasons in light of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) situation, many of us are being encouraged to park our cars if we can. Some owners of Toyota hybrids might be wondering what will happen to their car during long periods without use, particularly when it comes to the level of charge in the batteries.
The reassuring news is that no difficult car maintenance is necessary. However, there are some tips that, if followed, can help ensure your Toyota remains in tip-top condition during an extended layoff.
To recap, Toyota hybrids generally contain two batteries: a 12-volt battery (which powers systems such as the headlamps and audio) and a high-voltage hybrid system battery (which supplies the power to start the combustion engine and drive the electric motors).
The simplest way to maintain charge in both of these batteries is to simply go through the normal start procedure: press the ‘Start’ button with your foot on the brake and ensure the ‘Ready’ light is illuminated on the dashboard (you don’t have to keep your foot on the brake thereafter, but ensure your vehicle’s transmission is in ‘Park’ and the parking brake is engaged).
We recommend you put the car in ‘Ready’ mode for about 60 minutes before switching it off again and repeat the process at least once a week, providing you can carry out this procedure while adhering to the government’s advice regarding social distancing and Coronavirus (Covid-19). Please do not leave your car unattended when it is in ‘Ready’ mode.
During the time that that car is in ‘Ready’ mode, you may hear and feel the internal combustion engine kick in; this is a normal part of the self-charging process. You might be tempted to switch on the radio to pass the time, or turn on other systems, but bear in mind these will consume small amounts of electrical power so it is preferable to leave them off.
Ensure the handbrake is on; there’s no need to go for a drive, although we must stress that this procedure should take place in a well-ventilated area – something to consider if you park your vehicle in a garage.
What if my Toyota isn’t a hybrid?
Our petrol and diesel cars only have a 12-volt battery, which provides the power to start the engine in addition to the other systems mentioned above. Regular start-up of the vehicle on conventional petrol and diesel engines needs approximately 20 minutes of running to put back into the battery what you remove on start up, so to maintain this battery we would suggest 60 minutes of running at least once a week.
Is there anything else I need to do?
Whether you own a hybrid or a Toyota equipped solely with an internal combustion engine, there are a few other easy car maintenance points that can ensure your Toyota hybrid remains healthy and happy during an enforced hibernation. Again, please adhere to the latest government advice regarding social distancing.
- Check the tyre pressures are fully inflated to the recommended level and top-up if necessary. It can be a good idea to repeat this process when you first drive your car after a long period of inactivity.
- Clean the car thoroughly inside and out. If you are storing your car in a garage, make sure the vehicle is completely dry before you put it away.
- If you do plan to store your car in a garage, ensure the chosen storage area offers plenty of ventilation. If the space is secure, you could consider opening one of the car’s windows a small way to ventilate the interior. If you do this, you might have to change your car alarm’s setting to prevent it setting off the intrusion sensor – please consult your car’s manual for more information.
- It can be beneficial to leave the vehicle with the parking brake disengaged to prevent the brakes from binding, but only do this if you are certain the car is on level terrain and isn’t going to move. Ensure the transmission is set to ‘P’ for park and place wedges or chocks, if you have them, under the wheels.
- If you have a 12V battery trickle charger, or a solar panel charger, and are confident using them, then these are a good option to keep the battery fully charged while the vehicle is stationary for a period of time.
- If your vehicle is equipped with smart entry and start but the system isn’t operated for a long time, a battery-saving function will automatically be activated to prevent the electronic key battery and the 12-volt battery from being discharged. Battery depletion in the key is minimised by stopping the electronic key from receiving radio waves. On many models equipped with this system, it is possible to manually put the key into battery-saving mode, so please consult your car’s handbook for more information. If you aren’t planning to drive your car for a long time, consider putting the smart key in a safe place and not carrying it around with you in your pocket. This will prevent the car from ‘waking up’ unnecessarily should you happen to walk near it in your garage or driveway.
- If the vehicle will be kept on private property (such as inside a garage) for the duration of its storage, you could consider applying for a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). This informs the DVLA that the car is off the road and you will receive a refund of any remaining full months of tax. However, you won’t be able to drive your car legally until you tax it again, so it is only advisable if you are positive you won’t use your car for a long time. You can read more information about how to SORN your car here.
Read more Toyota GB’s latest statement on the Coronavirus (Covid-19) situation
I have the new rav4. I understand everything that toyota say about the 12v battery, but I think its not fit for purpose, as a normal 12v car battery can sit for months and start up first time, as mine keeps going flat if the car is sitting for more than a week. My last car would sit for up to six weeks, and start first time. As I am away for up to three weeks at a time, and come home only to call out the breakdown service every time I would say this car/battery is not fit for purpose. As when you purchase the car the dealer does not explain this to you or I would never purchased the rav4 hybrid. I feel that I have just wasted £38,000. What is the point of trying to be environmentally friendly, when as you say that I have to run the petrol engine to charge the 12v battery with the car sitting on my driveway, this environmentally defeats the purpose of going hybrid.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for getting in touch with us. We’re really sorry to hear you aren’t happy with your RAV4. We will email you directly in order to gain additional details and put you in touch with our customer relations team, as they are best placed to help you further.
Thanks.
Hi Brian,
Unfortunately, the email we sent to the address associated with your account has failed to send. In this case, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team directly on 0344 701 6202 or via email here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/email-us
We apologies for any inconvenience.
Thanks.
What are Toyota doing about the problems with 12volt batteries on CHR hybrid models. I have endless problems. Had my car 2 1/2 years nothing but 12volt battery problems. All I read about Is these problems with Auris models dating back to 2012 models what and where are Toyota going with this. I spent £30,000 to inherit all these problems and still can’t get any suitable advice about what to do in lockdown regarding keeping the 12v battery charged. The 60 minute ready switched on advice is total hog wash and doesn’t work. I WILL NOT BUY THE PRODUCT AGAIN!!!!!!!!
Hi John,
Thanks for getting in touch with us. We’re really sorry to hear about the issues you’ve been experiencing with your C-HR. We will email you directly in order to gain additional details and put you in touch with our customer relations team. They are best placed to help you further with this.
Thanks.
Myself and family have owned 10 Toyota Hybrids since 2005. Not one has given us any problems with the 12 volt batteries or any other problems. I cannot understand what you are doing to have the problems you have encountered.
All being well, our future cars will be Toyota Hybrids.
My Auris Hybrid has been unused for the last 5 weeks; I have just been to it to check it and all is fine.
I now have the advice from Toyota Customer Services to follow during the forthcoming weeks on ‘lock down’ ; Thank you Toyota
I have a Toyota Auris hybrid. 15 plate. My 12V battery went flat after 3 weeks without using the car. Roadside assistance were brilliant, coming quickly and getting the car to start. His advice to keep the battery charged is slightly different from your 60 mins a week in Ready mode. He advised I sit in the car every two days, with my foot on the accelerator, to avoid the engine cut out. To do this for 30 mins. Can you please comment on this?
I have a further question. Would it be a help to disconnect the 12 V battery, to save battery life?
Thanks
Lol Harris
Hi Lol Harris,
Thanks for getting in touch with us. Ultimately, it is your choice over what advice to follow. However, we would recommend following the steps and advice mentioned in the blog above. The recommendations in the post have come directly from our team who have many years of experience with our cars and the technology within them.
Thanks.
Great, thankyou: I also had to call the RAC yesterday when my Auris Hybrid 12 volt battery failed – having been dutifully rested since the covid lock-down. Now I’ve seen this (after a while of searching for advice, sadly), I’ll be following your advice. I think it would be helpful if this info (and possibly other info that I don’t know I need yet!) could be circulated to hybrid owners mostly resting their car during the current crisis. Very relieved to have your advice now tho’: thankyou
The picture showing a charger connected is not strictly adviseable. Positive clip to positive terminal but negative clip to part of the body that is earthed.
Unless the battery is not in the vehicle, of course. Connecting as shown could be hazardous!
Hi Peter,
Thanks for raising this with us. We have discussed it with our team and to avoid any potential confusion have now removed the image.
Thanks.
If I want to use a trickle charger – do I have to disconnect the battery or is it OK simply to connect the charger to the battery terminals?
I have a 2012 Prius and am a little confused regarding the advice about putting the car in ‘Ready’ mode for about 60 minutes. This may seem a stupid question but does the combustion engine have to run during that time or does the 12 volt battery receive a charge from the high voltage drive battery? When I put the car in ‘Ready’ mode the engine only runs for a short while then switches off.
Hi Brian,
Thanks for getting in touch. It’s not a stupid question at all, the 12 volt battery does get a charge from the high voltage battery. It also doesn’t matter if the engine kicks in sometimes or not as long as the READY light is on.
Thanks.
Hi
Our Auris hybrid was not driven for 2 to 3 weeks so went to give it a run. Unfortunately it’s so dead we can’t get in, even with the manual key. How can we open the bonnet to give the battery an external charge as we can’t pop the bonnet release?
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re sorry to hear about this. In this case we would recommend contacting your Roadside Assistance for further help. If you are covered by Toyota Roadside Assistance you can contact our team directly on 0800 246 824.
In addition, for future reference you will also be able to find tips on ‘steps to take in an emergency’ in your owner’s manual. You can find this here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/tme#/my-toyota/eManual
Thanks.
I am DESPERATE for some help. I have a 4 months old Yaris Hybrid, I have just had a bad experience. My car has had a few runs during the lock down, just to the local supermarket at the specified times. However yesterday just as I was leaving the car park the car came to a halt and the warning screen flashed this message: THE HYBRID SYSTEM IS UNAVAILABLE PLEASE CONTACT YOUR MAIN DEALER. I had to call out the TOYOTA breakdown. An AA man came, there was nothing he could do, he tried for ages. At first he thought it was a battery problem but found that was OK . He tried to contact TOYOTA UK somewhere but of course in the present Crises this is not available. So they called a recovery vehicle to bring me home. I rely on my car as I am partially disabled although only local.
I have contacted the garage I purchased the car from but no one is working at the moment. I am aware they just have cover for emergencies. Can anyone out there help me please. I feel sure this cannot be a MAJOR PROBLEM as it is virtually brand new with under 3000 miles on it. I have always had TOYOTA’S and trusted them implicitly, This recent purchase was my pride & joy. I thought it would be my last car too as they have always lasted so long.
IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO CAN HELP ME PLEASE. I would be so grateful.
Hi Jean,
Thanks for getting in touch and we are sorry for our late reply. We would like to help you further with this and will email you directly in order to gain additional details.
Thanks.
I am writing to express my sincere THANKS to Sam Shelbourne from Toyota First Line Customer Support who promptly responded to my blog about my Yaris Hybrid break down. Also to Mike Maidment who so very kindly called me to see if he could help further. It appeared all the indications pointed to a FLAT BATTERY as the problem. So, Mike offered to take a quick look on his way home to diagnose the fault on his computer. When he checked the car,
I was so shocked….. the Battery had started to charge itself. How amazing is that? He plugged it in to see if anything else showed up as a problem. Then took it for a test drive to check if it happened again. On his return all was just fine, Mike gave me advice about running the engine for 15 mins at least twice a week during the Lock Down or at a time of extended inactivity.
So, from what appeared to be a bit of a disaster to me, I have in fact learnt a valuable lesson. A HYBRID needs to be WOKEN UP!!! regularly, given a little attention and all will be just fine. I am so very grateful to Sam & Mike for their help and attention. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE AT IT’S BEST!!!
Hi Jean,
Thanks for getting back in touch and for sharing such positive feedback with us. We’re really pleased to hear this has all worked out!
Thanks.
Same here Jenny, I will think twice about buying a new Toyota again, if you are going to close your entire service you at least proactively communicate with your customer database to warn them. I’m working at home as are millions, some proactive advice would have helped us, now I have no car and no way of fixing for the the foreseeable!