Want to get the very best out of your ground-breaking Toyota hybrid? We’ve gathered a number of hybrid driving hints and tips that will help you to get the best from the system, improving fuel consumption and getting you further for less.
Whichever Toyota hybrid you’ve set your heart on, the following tips and pointers should maximise the range and fuel economy of your Toyota.
The basics
It’s not just hybrids that benefit from the first seven tips – these will help to improve any car’s fuel efficiency:
- Clear out the boot! Keeping the boot free of unnecessary weight will give your car and immediate boost in performance and economy.
- Check your tyre pressures – dig out your owner’s manual, and do a weekly check to ensure that your tyres are correctly inflated in line with Toyota’s recommendation. Or read our handy tyre pressures article here.
- Think ahead – by planning your journeys, you can avoid traffic jams and minimise the likelihood of getting lost.
- Shut up! Closing the windows and sun roof at speeds above 45mph will reduce drag, reducing fuel consumption.
- Remove unused roof racks, boxes and bike racks – they’re a real drag too!
- Steady as she goes – maintain a steady speed and don’t go over the speed limit.
- Smoothly does it! Try to avoid sudden braking or acceleration.
Hybrid driving: hybrid-specific tips
Sorry everyone else, but these tips are for hybrids only:
- Become familiar with the hybrid information display so you can know how much energy is being used.
- EV does it! Keep the car in EV mode as much as possible by using the accelerator gently, pressing it lightly but consistently.
- Improve efficiency with ECO mode, which reduces aggressive throttle response.
- Harvest time – braking gently and early helps the regenerative braking harvest more energy, which means EV mode can operate for longer periods.
- Keep an eye on the dials and gauges to fully understand the hybrid system and manage the charge levels in the hybrid’s high-voltage battery.
- If you’re in stop-start traffic, don’t put the car in neutral (‘N’) when stationary, as electricity will not be generated and the hybrid battery will discharge.
- Consider using cruise control (where fitted) to maintain steady speeds.
- When using climate control, Re-circulate mode reduces energy usage.
- Think about the environment! Constant or heavy use of systems like air-con, lights and wipers will increase energy consumption.
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Hybrid driving: drive modes
Toyota hybrids have four drive modes: Normal, EV, Eco and Power. When you first start your hybrid, the car defaults to the ‘Normal’ drive mode, which automatically manages the most efficient use of both the engine and the battery.
Drivers can also select one of the car’s on-demand drive modes to achieve better fuel consumption in certain settings.
These drive modes are: EV Mode where the car is powered by the battery only during city driving, running near-silent and with no tailpipe emissions; Eco Mode that reduces A/C output and lessens throttle response to limit harsh acceleration; and Power Mode which boosts acceleration by using the hybrid battery to assist the petrol engine.
The shift lever offers four positions: R (Reverse), N (neutral), B (engine braking) and D (drive). For normal driving, D (drive) is absolutely fine, but should you need it, position B has the effect of engine-braking handy when descending a steep hill, for example. It’s not recommended to leave the car in position B for normal driving, mainly because you’d end up using more fuel than necessary!
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Hybrid driving: read the road ahead
Another great hybrid driving tip is to use the car’s battery whenever possible.
Another great hybrid driving tip is to use the car’s battery whenever possible. You can do this in town and urban driving by accelerating to your required speed, easing off the accelerator and then gently easing the accelerator on again. By doing this, you can activate EV mode – indicated by the dashboard light – which means that the engine has switched off and you are using the electric battery.
Try to maintain a constant speed and, as always, it’s important to read the road ahead. By doing this, you can reduce the amount of unnecessary braking and accelerating, using less fuel. Braking slowly and gently also maximises the amount of energy recovered by the regenerative braking system on the car.
Other factors to consider
Bear in mind that there are many factors that can affect a car’s performance, hybrid included. On cold days, your car will use more fuel as it warms up, but once it’s reached its optimum temperature, the MPG figures will increase.
Also, during the winter, you’re more likely to be using the air-conditioning, lights and wipers, all of which will use some electrical power from the battery. If you regularly travel the same route, don’t be surprised if you get better MPG figures during the summer than in the winter!
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If you’d like more hybrid driving tips or want to discuss your driving technique with other hybrid owners, it’s worth visiting the Hypermiler website.
As a final note, please remember that these hybrid driving tips are published as general guidance on how to get the best fuel economy from your Toyota hybrid. Toyota encourages and supports safe driving at all times – please adhere to the rules of the road.
Read more: Toyota hybrid – how does it work?
Hi Alan
I have had my Auris Hybrid Touring Sports Excel for 15 months now and only managed to achieve an average of 48mpg in the summer months, back down to 40mpg now in the winter. What a con these hybrids are.
Like you, I was starting to think I should have bought a diesel, but after the latest scare concerning diesels and how they may be penalised in the future due to the pollution they emit, I am probably glad I didn’t.
Should have just stuck with a fuel efficient automatic, petrol car, would at least have had a smooth ride, something I don’t get with the terrible CVT transmission they stick on the Auris Hybrid. Very, very rough under even the slightest acceleration, up hills for example.
This information is good. Also all the points are very effective. Keep sharing such information.
Here’s a question, I have the new yaris hybrid. Love it by the way. Very efficient. But how can you lock the doors from inside. Can’t find a button for this at all?
Hello Gary
Thanks for your post.
Next time you are in the car go to where the electric window switches are located on the drivers door. Above this should be a button showing a padlock to lock/unlock while you are in the car.
Let us know how you get on.
My understanding is the Eco Drive is since last ignition on, average MPG is total isince you last reset, its useful to have both as its not everytime you drive it that you are focussed on beating your last score !
Hi Richard
Thanks for your post.
You are correct, Eco covers the last trip, the average calculates since the last resent and current is that exact moment. Hope this helps but let us know if you have any other questions.
Hello and thanks for the information you provided , my question is driving in EV mode the battery will recharge automatically? Because what I noticed is when am driving in EV mode the battery discharges quick.
thanks
Hi Marlon
Thanks for your post.
When you are driving in EV mode, the car is only being powered by the batteries so you will notice that the level will reduce at a quicker rate. The hybrid system is designed to maximise fuel efficiency at all times by using the power sources independently or combined depending on circumstances. The petrol engine is always monitoring the battery level so if it detects they are getting too low the engine seamlessly cuts in to maintain charge. Hope this helps clarify but let us know if you have any other questions.
Hi David, I am looking to buy a new RX450h having owned a petrol one previously. I hear of hybrid owners who have left their vehicle standing for long periods and the 12v battery discharging and leaving them stranded. Is it advisable to use a 12v trickle charger on the standard battery during long periods of non use or are there potential issues? I work from home and use several vehicles, so it is easy for me to carry out regular trickle charging especially during winter. I did this with my petrol vehicle and the original battery lasted 9 years.
One further question on the EV mode.
What happens if the car runs out of petrol. Will it be possible to continue driving a few miles on EV mode (at low speed) untill the battery is empty or will all systems in the car automatically be shut down?
Hopefully this never become relevant, but still interesting to know…
Hi Søren, our Hybrid Synergy Drive systems operate as a collaborative petrol/hybrid and one will not function without the other. Although you can extend your range considerably using EV mode, you must also have enough petrol in your tank because the EV mode is charged through normal driving using the petrol motor when braking. So, in short, the car will run out of charge if you don’t use it as a hybrid. Find out more here: po.st/K3yyFC
Hi Simon
Thank you for your reply.
I am fully aware of the basic principles behind the petrol/hybrid collaboration. My question was solely aimed on whether it would be possible to continue driving on the battery (until empty) if the car runs out of petrol. I anticipate your answer as a “yes” here?
By the way, we are very happy with the Auris Hybrid. Automatic transmission, low petrol expenses…actually pretty surprised on the consumption also being low when driving at a constant speed, i.e. no recharging during breaking.
One slight disadvantage, though, is the high cost of updating the GPS.
Hello Søren. Sorry that we didn’t quite answer your question. The answer is no, the Prius will not operate if it runs out of fuel. While the petrol engine and electric motor are designed to work independently of one another, the car does not run without these features combined. The EV mode is designed to be used as an extra feature for the driver when you want quiet and more environmentally-friendly driving – say in town.
With regards to your Auris Hybrid, it should be returning good economy figures based on constant speeds and gentle acceleration. It does charge when you brake gently – brake harshly and the car engages in a more urgent stop without recharging the batteries.
We hope this has answered your question?
Thanks David for the information , so how often can I drive in EV mode?
Hi Marlon
Thanks for your reply.
The car will basically tell you when it is ok to drive in EV mode and the battery level is the key indicator for this. You will hear a beep and see a message on the screen if the car is not ready to switch to EV but continuing driving should soon top up the level to enable this to take place. Hope this helps.
Hello David , to drive in EV mode do I have to press the EV Button before or after the car started?.And secondly to stop driving in EV mode I have to stop the car or can I press the EV mode button again?
Thanks a lot:)