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 echo the preceding comment. I was to drive my one year old Corolla Excel Hybrid for a dental emergency and when depressing the brake pedal and selecting “Power” all lights lit up the windscreen wipers operated – it was like Blackpool Night lights. Then the car electrics died. Toyota Assistance was excellent and jump started it, also checked the 12V auxilliary battery (1V and potential charge of only 4 amps) so I took it immediately to the dealer where the Auxilliary battery failed the test and was replaced. I also run the car infrequently just once a week ( 2,600 miles and 51.3 mpg average in 12 months). I have a Swedish CTEK MXS 5.0 battery charger which I religously used on my BMW 318 Touring most successfully. My salient point is that the issue of 12V battery discharge, short low mileage runs was not stressed when buying the car. For a top of the range Corolla I would expect Toyota to address such issues preferably in a “Welcome to Hybrid Car Management” video instead of a poor and sometimes ambiguous hard copy paper manual. Familiarisation of new technology needs visual physical examples NOT written words. I have seen on line that to trickle charge the 12V battery using external charger one needs to have the car in “READY” Is this right? Also is my ENTEK charger safe to use on the 12V auxilliary battery as it states Suitable for all Lead Acid Batteries? my Corolla Excel is also always garaged.
Hi Terry,
Thanks for your comment.
We are very sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with your Corolla’s auxiliary battery and we understand your concerns regarding the 12V battery maintenance, especially given the lower frequency of use.
Please note that all modern cars will have some degree of a discharge. If the car is not used very much then the battery will discharge over time but also when it is driven if it is not driven for long enough, it cannot recover the battery back to the maximum capacity.
In fact, short journeys can be worse as the electrical power consumed to actually start the car may not be replenished if the engine does not run for long enough so the battery’s capacity will drop slightly. If this is repeated over a number of days the battery will eventually discharge.
It does state in your Owner’s Manual how the Hybrid system must be activated (READY MODE) to charge the 12-volt battery. Ready mode is an expression of activating the hybrid system.
It is the same as starting a conventional vehicle engine, however the only way you can tell it is activated is that “Ready” is displayed on the combination meter.
For the use of an external battery charger, if the battery states suitable for lead acid batteries, then this will be fine to use on your Corolla.
We hope this helps.
Thank you.
It is disappointing that Toyota has not bothered to respond to my original query. Like a lot of disappointed punters above I join the club!
Its strange that Toyota still haven’t addressed this well known auxillary battery failure issue after 20 years of producing hybrids! The mountain of 12v batteries that have been destroyed due to poor engineering practice must be huge. Where’s the continuous improvement? Other companies detect the low voltage and employ the HV battery to supplement the auxillary battery before it dies – why can’t Toyota?