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?
Hello. I use a 2014 Toyota Prius and the miles to finish keeps dropping on every fill up. From 447miles to empty to 392 now. The car has only done 38,000miles. Need some advise
Hi Hafiz,
Thanks for your comment.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a comprehensive diagnosis of this virtually.
However, you may be experiencing fewer miles to finish (your Fuel Economy) because it is the winter.
This is because on cold days, your car will use more fuel as it warms up and you’re also more likely to be using the air-conditioning, lights and wipers, all of which will use some electrical power from the battery.
If your miles to finish does not improve as the weather starts to warm up, we would suggest getting this looked at in-person by your nearest Toyota Centre.
Thanks.
Hello.
I’ve been thinking about hybrid Toyota to save on road tax but after reading some comments I have doubts about battery maintenance.
Mainly I would use it to drive for work on what men short distances 5-6iles and I’m doing 12 hr shifts and every other day. Would it be enough to keep battery charged?
Hi Dorota,
Thank you for your interest in Toyota – which models have you been looking at?
From the usage pattern you have described, this should be sufficient to keep the 12V battery charged.
However, if the vehicle is left unused for extended periods, this may affect the battery.
Please let us know if you have any further questions.
Thank you.
I have a Toyota. CHR self charging hybrid. I mainly do local driving and probably average about 3,500 miles per year. Just taken my car for it’s second service and they told me the battery wasn’t performing properly and because I have only done just over 7000 miles it’s not covered by warranty. (Evidently I am not doing enough miles to re-charge it properly). Not happy as I now have to pay for a new battery. They don’t tell you all this when you are looking at buying the car.
Hi Janette, thanks for getting in touch.
There is a risk to the 12V battery on any vehicle with infrequent use, it’s something the whole industry struggled with during COVID-19 restrictions. You may wish to look into a trickle charger which your local Toyota Centre can advise further on.
Thanks,
Toyota UK
Hello.
I’ve been thinking about hybrid Toyota to save on road tax but after reading some comments I have doubts about battery maintenance.
Mainly I would use it to drive for work on short distances 5-6m iles and I’m doing 12 hr shifts and every other day. Would it be enough to keep battery charged?
You won’t save any road tax with a hybrid. It’s still £180 a year!
Having said that – my Yaris returns around 70mpg in the summer – a bit less in the winter
I bought a 2022 Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid a month ago , and this week I had to call Rescue Recovery service because of low battery and the car would’nt start. Absolutely stressed because of this, and no I didn’t leave the stop start button on in error, when the car was stationary None of the Toyota dealers explained that a higher mileage works better on a hybrid model. I’ll keep the car for a year and then get rid. It’s a lovely to car to drive when it does move!
Hi Dympna,
We would suggest that you visit your local Toyota Centre for an inspection and advice on this.
However, please see these maintenance tips which should assist you:
Avoid frequent stop/starting of engine. The energy used from cranking an engine can take up to 30 mins of driving to be replenished back into battery.
Use a Solar charger or Battery Optimizer (charger) on vehicles which are subjected to be being parked for long periods of time.
Allow vehicle to get to temperature before using all accessories such as Heated rear screen, Heated seats, Lights etc to allow time for battery to have enough energy after cold start. Especially if vehicle is only driven on short journeys.
Have the battery tested periodically to check the health of the battery. Especially before cold winter periods.
Kind regards
Hi
Dear
Please Dear give me information about how to know about our Toyota Aqua 2012 car battery is good or how to know our battery health is good .
Thanks alot.
Hi there, thanks for your comment.
We can only comment on UK vehicles, please contact Toyota in your area directly.
Thanks,
Toyota UK
I considering buying a December 2020 Toyota CHR 1.8l hybrid. The car I’m looking at hasn’t been driven for a period of time so im naturally concerned that this may have impacted the hybrid battery pack. I’ve arranged for a comprehensive vehicle inspection, but how can I get the battery checked thoroughly?
Hey Ian,
Thanks for your comment.
Your nearest Toyota Centre would be best placed to check this over for you.
Please be assured our technicians at Toyota Centres are expertly trained to ensure your hybrid battery is functioning properly.
Thank you.
I am using Esquire 2015 MPV hybrid model. Recently when I am speeding my car on 60 above for 5 to 10 mins in free way though my hybrid battery charging is well and almost full but than when i slow down my speed to 10-20 my hybrid battery not actively supports and the auto EV light( shows on speed meter screen) is not turns on automatically. But when i park my car for 6 to 8 hours and start driving the Auto EV light turns on well and hybrid works also well till the above scenario repeats .
I have scanned but nothing wrong found.
Can you advise how would i get rid of it with your best solution .
Thanks
Hi there, thanks for getting in touch.
Your local Toyota Centre is best placed to look into this.
Thanks,
Toyota UK
What should be the position of the shift lever during traffic light stops exceeding 30 seconds?
Hi Deepak, thanks for your comment.
There is no right or wrong mode for this situation, but the Hybrid battery is not recharged whilst in Neutral mode. Most people opt to stick in Drive with the handbrake on so as not to disturb other drivers with the brake lights.
Thanks,