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
Hi Jay
Could you please let me know the type/make/model of the trickle charger you have? I have the same issue as yours and I need to take my CHR to the nearest Toyota dealer.
I need to charge my battery so that I can take it to the Toyota dealer.
I am having an issue restarting my Toyota auris hybrid. I use my car every 2-3 days but unable to start battery as it was low. Had to jumpstart battery again and it was fine for an hour when driving around. Didn’t start a car properly after this all of sudden. Any advice from you would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Ariff,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re sorry to hear you’re having issues with your Auris battery. Your nearest Toyota centre is best placed to help you with this. We will email you in order to gain additional details and put them in touch with you directly.
Thanks.
Hi
I’ve got a Toyota Prius 2008 and since the lock down, it was not driven often. We ended up with a flat battery after one week only of not driving. While the government guidance is to stay home, I have to drive the car daily now, to keep the battery charged. I do about 7 miles per day, despite this, the battery does not hold charge. If I don’t drive it daily, will end up again with a flat battery, it has happened another 2 times since the first episode. It has happened as well when we used a pump to blow up a kids inflatable pool. So 4 times in total in a month. Is this normal? What kind of car is this to drive it daily to keep the battery charged?
I see here lots of similar stories, really Toyota, you over engineer things and never came with a solution to keep the battery charged? I’m even afraid to leave the car for a week at the airport when we go abroad. Is there any other solutions to keep the battery charged, apart from drive it daily? We’re busy people, working and with small kids, I really cant drive the car daily.
We contacted Toyota, we were told will charge £90 for diagnosis and £125 for battery if will be needed. They looked at the car and suggested the battery needs charging not replacing. Next day they contacted us to tell the battery lost its charge. We are waiting for a battery now, as believe it or not, Toyota dealer does not have these in stock. So, until next week, daily drives. What kind of car is this? And what kind of diagnosis? Charging £90 to check the voltage on it after we driven it to the dealer? Off course will show 12 volts after a drive. 2 minutes job and £90? Really?
The car is old and will need a new one soon, but will Toyota come with a solution to keep the battery charged when the car is not driven daily? And is there any solution I don’t need to drive it daily to keep it charged? At least until next week when supposedly our battery will come. Thanks!
Hi Eugene,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re sorry to hear about the issues you’ve been experiencing. There is no need to drive the car daily to keep the 12 volt battery maintained. The above blog post details our recommendation during this time, which is to put the car in ‘Ready’ mode for about 60 minutes roughly once a week. When the car is in ‘Ready’ mode the high voltage hybrid battery will be charging the smaller 12 volt battery.
In some cases, infrequent usage and short journeys can mean that the 12 volt doesn’t fully charge, which seems to be the case in your current situation.
With the airport example, the long drive there combined with regular maintenance by following your service schedule should mean your car will be okay to leave for a few weeks at a time. However, if you are concerned about leaving it unattended for a longer period of time you could consider using a solar powered intelligent charger.
Finally, if you are unhappy with your experience with your centre, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team who are best placed to discuss this further with you, here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/email-us
Thanks.
I have a 2016 Auris Hybrid. As is the case for many others, it hasn;t been used for some time during lockdown. I tried to start it today and after a few clicks from what sounded like the starter motor pre-engage it seemed that the battery gave up. Looking at the handbook, it suggests using jump leads to connect to another vehicle to charge the battery.
Is it possible (and safe) to connect a trickle battery charger to the same points (red terminal in fuse box and an earth point on the engine) to get some energy into the 12v battery?
Hi Simon,
Thanks for getting in touch. The points under the bonnet are for the jump or boost start. To trickle charge the battery you would need to go direct to the battery and ensure the area is well ventilated. The instructions for (or the company that produces) the trickle charger will be able to give you more information from there.
Thanks.
Having stood for several months, it looks like the hybrid battery on my 2013 Yaris is flat as having recharged the 12V, nothing happen when the key is turned apart from the engine check light comes on. Is there anything I can do to get it going or is it a tow job?
Eric
Hi Eric,
Thanks for getting in touch. You nearest Toyota dealer is best placed to asses your car and provide any necessary recommendations in this situation. You can find your dealer’s contact information here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/forms/forms?tab=pane-dealer
You can also find information on steps to take in an emergency in your owner’s manual that you will be able to find here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/tme#/my-toyota/eManual
Thanks.
Lockdown has highlighted a flaw in the battery system in Toyota Hybrid. This car is so unreliable and needs to be started every day. What sort of car is that? Agree with the comments from Eugene and the similar problem encountered by other Toyota car owners. My car was MOT tested, had battery health checked after a 6-hour wait at the Toyota dealer on the eve of Lockdown. Now I need to jump-start regularly. Otherwise, the car is as dead as a dodo. Unreliable and not fit for purpose. Have just been to start the car this morning and it was no surprise that it did not start. My guess is that because of the rain last night, the car got a bit wet.
Hi Manogaran,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re really sorry to hear about your experience. Your car shouldn’t need to be started everyday, we recommend putting the car in ‘Ready’ mode for about 60 minutes at least once a week as the best way to maintain the 12 volt battery at this time when journeys are limited. In some cases, by switching the car on for only short amounts of time may mean that the 12 volt battery hasn’t had enough time to fully charge.
In your current situation, we would recommend contacting your nearest Toyota dealer for further help. They are best equipped to assess the car and make any necessary recommendations. You can find your nearest dealer here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/forms/forms?tab=pane-dealer
Just to provide you with some additional information for the future, if you are concerned about your battery, you could consider investigating a trickle charger. You can also find information on steps to take in an emergency in your owner’s manual: https://www.toyota.co.uk/tme#/my-toyota/eManual
Once again, we’re sorry you are unhappy with your car. If you would like to discuss your situation further with our customer relations team, you can do so here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/email-us
Thanks.
I totally agree with person above – I feel we were sold the car (this year) under false pretences. We weren’t asked how often we use the car – we do have low mileage and are retired. We also have medical issues and need a reliable transport. We have had to call AA out twice in a few weeks. and they thought it could be a faulty battery & look at warranty. We have been regularly starting up the car and using it occasionally during lockdown. As suggested went to our dealer who said it was no good just turning the vehicle on – need to actually drive it about 10 miles! Why?. Also said that if we leave car at airport ( we holiday a few times a year & use local airport car park) it would probably be flat when we return – Great if it is 2 am on a January morning!. They also said no point replacing the battery as a new one would be just the same if we didn’t use the vehicle enough – so it’s our fault???. Please don’t reel out the same response – we have been to dealer I seriously think potential customers should be made aware of issues if they are low mileage &/or need to leave unused occasionally – in which case these vehicles are not for them. Await your reply
Hi Reduan,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re sorry to hear you’re unhappy with your car.
The 12 volt battery in our hybrids are smaller than most as they are only needed to run small systems in the car. One of these systems, is turning on the relays/switches that allow the hybrid system to turn on. Once the hybrid system is on (as indicated by the READY light), the 12 volt battery will be charged by the high voltage hybrid battery, which in turn is powered by the engine.
In some cases, infrequent usage and short journeys can mean that the 12 volt battery doesn’t fully charge – which could be the case in your current situation. If you were to make more frequent, longer journeys this shouldn’t be an issue. Alternatively, following the above advice would help too.
Regarding airports, on your drive to the airport the READY light will have been on and carrying out the necessary charging process on the way, this combined with regular maintenance by following your service schedule should mean your car will be okay to leave for a few weeks at a time. However, if you are concerned about leaving it unattended for a longer period of time you could consider using a solar powered intelligent charger.
If you would like any more specific advice regarding your vehicle we would recommend re-contacting your nearest dealer.
Once again, we’re sorry you’re unhappy about this and if you would like to discuss your situation further, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/email-us
We hope this helps.
Thanks.
We’ve driven to the airport several times in the last few years, left the car at the airport after an hour drive to get there and we come back a week later and the battery is dead. we’ve had to take out a second breakdown cover as our first one had been out for the same fault 5 times in a year. There is obviously a problem with something draining the system
Hi Fiona,
Thanks for getting in touch.
We’re really sorry to hear about this.
You have mentioned your car is currently with a garage – if this is not a Toyota centre, we would recommend contacting your nearest dealer as they are most experienced with our cars and are best equipped to assess your car and make any necessary recommendations. You can find your nearest centre here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/email-us
In the meantime, if you are concerned about leaving your car unattended for a longer period of time, you could consider investigating a solar powered intelligent charger.
Once again, we’re sorry to hear about this and that you seem unhappy with your car. If you would like to raise this further, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/email-us
Thanks.
We feel the same, our car is driven daily, but not always for long journeys but the dealer is telling us we need to drive it for at least an hour once a week. If the hybrids aren’t capable of this we should be told before we buy, they are not fit for purpose otherwise. We have another hybrid but it doesn’t have this problem even though it does similar journeys. Its really frustrating and we won’t be buying another one if its not resolved
Hi i have a toyota yaris 2010 semi auto and when i have driven the car for a bit and i turn it off it wont turn back on. What i mean by this is it wont crank up then if i wait about 15 minutes it will crank again. But this only happens sometimes, could you please help me
Hi Atif,
Thanks for getting in touch. Without being able to see your car ourselves it is difficult for us to fully understand the situation. In this case we would recommend contacting your nearest Toyota dealer as they are best equipped to help you further. You can find their contact details here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/forms/forms?tab=pane-dealer
Thanks.
Hi – I have your hybrid and like others – we left it for a week – it did not start and I boosted the battery with a trickle charger – we have driven on short journeys and then again not used – today the battery is dead! I have attached the trickle charger and the car HORN is sounding every minute.
this car is a dreadful design – what are you going to do?
Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re really sorry to hear about the issues you’re experiencing with your car. In some cases, infrequent use combined with short journeys may not give the 12 volt battery enough time to fully charge, which could be what has happened in your situation.
As we can’t assess your car ourselves, we would recommend contacting your nearest Toyota centre directly as they are best equipped to look over the car in person and make any necessary recommendations. You can find your nearest dealer’s contact details here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/forms-v2/forms?tab=pane-dealer
Once again, we are sorry to hear you’re unhappy with your car. If you would like to make a formal complaint or discuss your situation further, you can contact our customer relations team here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/email-us
Thanks.
Hello Toyota
Just reading the comments here. I had the same problem with my Toyota Auris 1.8 hybrid.
I took it to the dealer today and it’s still there. They not looked into my non start after my concern when its parked up every 2 days. Its non start. I have to start it every day in lockdown for good hour in ready mode. But still after 2 days the car didn’t start. Could you please inbox me.
Hi Nadeem,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re sorry to hear about the issues you’re experiencing with your Auris. As your car is currently with the dealer, we would recommend raising your concerns with them when you go to pick up the car. If your dealer has found any issues with the car they are best equipped to make any necessary recommendations and help you further.
If you are unhappy with your experience with your dealer, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team to discuss this further. You can contact our team here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/
Thanks.
I’m having problems with my 1.8 hybrid too, currently with the garage, but this has been happening for about 18 months. The battery has been replaced under warranty about 6 months ago but its just started draining again, so back in the garage for a few weeks to see if they can find whats draining it.