5 Important Toyota Hybrid Tips and Tricks

Last Updated on May 30, 2023 by Rose Morah

If you are moving from a conventional vehicle (internal combustion engine vehicle) to a Toyota hybrid, having some tips and tricks up your sleeve can help minimize your trips to the mechanic and make owning this type of car more exciting.

Hybrid vehicles are undoubtedly different from other conventional vehicles.

And for that reason, we have lined up several important tips and tricks to help you avoid common problems faced by most new hybrid owners.

Table Of Contents

Tips and Tricks for Toyota Hybrid owners

Tips and Tricks for Toyota Hybrid owners

1. Know where the battery of your Toyota hybrid is located

It is important to know where the battery is located to avoid damaging it. For example, some Toyota hybrid batteries are located just under the back seats. (Note: I am not referring to the 12-volt battery.)

This means that, if you pour a lot of water at the backseats, the water may end up settling underneath the battery and over time it may end up causing future damage to the battery.

What can you do if you accidentally spill large amounts of water under the backseat?

If the battery is located under the back seat and you realize that the water may have gone down under the seats, be sure to call a Toyota hybrid specialist.

They will have a look at it and help you dry the water from the battery.

How Long Does A Toyota Hybrid Battery Last? Here is Everything You Need To Know.

2. Don’t jumpstart an internal combustion engine(ICE) vehicle with your hybrid

Hybrid vehicles don’t have an alternator. They have a DC to DC converter. Additionally, the 12-volt battery on the hybrid is not rated to have a starter.

Therefore this means using it to jumpstart an ICE vehicle is going to cause a massive strain on the DC to DC converter.

You may hence end up damaging the hybrid inverter, which is a very expensive part of the vehicle.

NOTE:
You can only jumpstart your hybrid or another hybrid but not an ICE vehicle.

I recommend getting a handheld portable jumpstart kit. It is very convenient when you need to jumpstart your hybrid. You will also not need to wait for roadside assistance when you have the device.

Check its current price on Amazon.

3. Hybrids get serious problems with oil overfills

You’re probably aware of the fact that overfilling any vehicle’s engine with oil can lead to future problems, such as clogging.

The same goes for hybrid vehicles. It’s only that they tend to be heavily affected by oil overfill even if it’s by a slight overfill, especially the old models.

Most people are aware of this but they still end up overfilling the engine with oil unknowingly because:

They refill the oil when the engine is cold.
The cold oil.

Refiling the oil up to the required level (line) when the engine is cold will always end up being excess.

This is because when the engine heats up, it will in turn heat the cold oil. The oil will then expand and end up becoming excess.

The excess oil will then end up accumulating in the intake, leading to more future problems in the engine.

NOTE:

If you are filling oil when the engine is cold, don’t fill up to the required level. Check the level of oil to see if it has leveled up after driving for some minutes.

And another thing, it is better to underfill than to overfill your hybrid with oil.