Progress has crept up unnoticed: for seven years now, no one raises an eyebrow at the word “hybrid”, and on the Belarusian car market you can find more than a dozen models equipped with both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. On the one hand, the high complexity of the design, possible problems with batteries and dubious endurance are frightening. Nevertheless, cars with a hybrid installation are presented as less power-hungry compared to conventional cars and are no longer a novelty on our roads. Many of them were brought to us in 2011-2014 from Europe and the USA, and after traveling for several years, they sell them.
There are hybrid and other brands - the race for fuel economy is captivating more and more car enthusiasts. They say that the hybrid “Japanese” cars themselves are reliable if they are serviced correctly and in a timely manner. But purchasing used hybrid is still akin to playing the lottery. Today, using specific examples and together with experts from the car selection company Selectcar, we will check in what condition hybrids are sold and why.
Our selection includes models no older than 2008. It is considered the first production hybrid car. The model appeared on the Japanese market in 1997, and a few years later it began to be sold in the United States. The car is not cheap, but it has gained popularity among Belarusians. The owner approached the sale of this 2010 copy responsibly, and even made a video to confirm the ideal condition of the Hybrid Synergy Drive hybrid system and the battery in particular.
The car arrived at the end of December 2014 from Poland. The body has factory paintwork, only the bumpers and left fender were painted, the roof was covered in black film. The interior is in model eco-leather covers. They also give away two sets of wheels with almost new tires. The only caveat is a broken piece of the rear view mirror with inside. But recently the owner made spacers, causing the car to rise 2 cm in the front and 2.5 cm in the rear. "This is the best solution forPrius ZVW30without compromising controllability. At the same time, the bumper does not touch curbs,”— the seller says about the reverent attitude towards the car.
According to the man, her consumption is as follows: in winter, Prius consumes 5.3 liters of AI-95, and in summer it decreases by almost a liter. “For 40 rubles I fill up and drive 750-800 km around the city”, he gives a personal example. The car was serviced at its own service station. The battery is fine at 200 thousand km. “As far as I know, she is for the entire term, inPrius30 never had any problems with them. That’s why the car costs a lot of money, since the hybrid installation is reliable, there’s nothing to complain about, the problem used to be only with inverters, but it’s already been solved,”- adds the owner.
The specialist also has no complaints about the hybrid, so his comment is laconic and brief: “In terms of the body and technically, the car is really in good condition. Toyota hybrid systemRworks flawlessly. UnlikeCivicAndInsight, Prius is a full-fledged hybrid, capable of turning off the engine and driving entirely on electric power in modeEco. Plus, the Toyota system is considered reliable and provides economical consumption.”.
“Delighted with the car”, says the car owner, who has owned the hybrid for just over a year, in parting. The reason for the sale certainly does not lie in problems and malfunctions. Based on our inspection, the car is truly in excellent condition. Another thing is that not everyone is ready to pay $13,800 for a progressive hatchback, and the owner will not particularly bargain. On average, market prices for a Prius of a similar year range from $10,850 to 17,000.
The most affordable hybrid car in our review is the direct competitor of the Toyota Prius, but which appeared much later, the Hybrid. It has been produced since 2008, and its prices are much more attractive than those of its rival. See for yourself: they are asking $7.5 thousand for the 2010 Civic. The hybrid is presented as a well-groomed and neat car, from which specks of dust have literally been blown away. They write that they wash and vacuum the car almost twice a week, there is a whole range of “smells” in the cabin, but it didn’t seem as clean as they emphasized in the ad.
Some of the nuances include a broken fog lamp, a scratched front bumper, the rear bumper is also scuffed, fogging of the rear lights due to loss of sealing and moisture ingress. The expert checked the body with a thickness gauge and found a painted and putty front left fender, crooked gaps with the bumper, and the rear left door, roof and hood were also painted. According to the owner, the most problematic areas, including the hood, headlights, rear arches at the end of the rear fender near the door, under the door handles and on the sills, are covered with a protective film.
Honda is a problem-free car, but there are important point. The battery life is one hundred and fifty thousand, and this is quite small. This example's mileage has already crossed the 200 thousand km mark. You can, of course, extend the life of the battery by a year, but then it still needs to be replaced.
This copy has a very weak battery and the IMA error comes on. You can drive for a while. The owner has already equalized the voltage on the elements at a garage service center, paying 240 rubles. There the battery was completely discharged and then fully charged, this is called battery bleeding. True, depending on its novelty, such an operation should be performed once every six months or a year.
This only applies to Honda nickel-metal hydride batteries, while Toyota has no problems with the battery at all. Finding a used battery is problematic, and the cost of a new battery fluctuates around 2 thousand euros, which will significantly hit the budget of a car enthusiast who is not ready for such expenses. The owner himself does not make a problem out of this, claiming that it is possible to “pump” from time to time.
Despite the weak battery, he does not intend to bargain - from $7.5 thousand is a symbolic “hundred” of dollars. “Even if you replace the battery under warranty, it is not a fact that in a year the engine error will not come on again. At 160 thousand km I tried to write to Poland, but there was no answer. Initially it was sold for 8300 USD, so I already dropped it to the average market price,”- the seller who sells the hybrid opposes it, because outside the city the low ground clearance creates inconvenience.
The expert’s verdict is not so optimistic: “There are errors with the air conditioner, but the saddest thing is a serious decrease in battery capacity, as a result of which an error appears in the Honda systemIMA. The owner tried a budget option"pumping" the battery, but it is already very worn out and does not gain the required amount of charge. This is fraught with the fact that the essence of a hybrid, which is bought to save fuel, is gradually lost. Ideally, you need to replace the battery, but this is very expensive. In addition, when driving in the pits, the suspension at the back and front rattles - perhaps the shock absorbers need to be replaced. But as we see, there is no bargaining on the car at all.”.
The top three among hybrids is closed by , which appeared on the American market in 1999. Unlike the Prius, the Insight looked like a true hybrid and was designed to minimize fuel consumption and emissions. The 2009 copy we selected with a 1.3-liter gasoline unit and an IMA installation was imported from Germany, and is now being sold due to the desire to change to another car.
When the device shows the color of the front left fender, the owner of the car climbs into the trunk for a personal thickness gauge and is sincerely worried, being sure before our arrival that the body is “original”. Full anticorrosive treatment. The downside is a crack on the front bumper and a chip on the rear.
The car was serviced in a timely manner, now the mileage is 150 thousand km, and 20 thousand ago they did a major maintenance. Average consumption is 5.8 liters. Since Honda does not require investment, and in addition two sets of new tires and an original bike rack are offered, the discount on the car does not exceed 300 USD. from the stated $8600. “If there is no bicycle, then I will give in a little. Do you know how much a fuel filter costs here? 150 rubles! And in the summer I drove it almost to Sicily",” the man praises the Japanese hybrid.
The expert speaks positively about Insight: “ The body is “alive”, there are no complaints about the engine and variator. According to the results of computer diagnostics, there were minor errors inABSand a light sensor, since the owner installed an additional unit for running lights. ByIMAThere are no questions, which means the battery is in good condition.”
Another Honda represented by the model shown in 2010 at the Detroit Auto Show. There, a one and a half liter engine is paired with an electric unit built on the IMA principle, which produces 13 or 20 Horse power depending on the condition of the battery. The price tag for the 2010 coupe, which arrived from France 5 years ago, is set at 9,500 USD.
According to the owner, the average consumption in the city is 7.5 liters. “In this model, the hybrid installation is not for saving, but instead of a turbine: from the point of view of acceleration dynamics, the effect is more noticeable than saving liters,”- the man explains. People are interested in a manual CR-Z once a month, not more often.
After a test drive of the model, the auto picker shares his impressions: “Really an interesting and playful car. The front left fender, rear arch, entire front - hood and fenders - have been painted and puttied on the body. We can say that it was almost completely repainted. The salon needs dry cleaning. There are errors inABS, E.P.S, outside temperature sensor. There are no errors on the batteries. The exclusivity of the model is that it is a hybrid version with a manual transmission. For the price, the seller is willing to give up $500 and give the summer kit for casting.”.
Our review concludes with the rear-wheel drive 450h hybrid sedan. Business class, fuel consumption is about 12-13 liters, the car is very attractive. But GS have been produced since 2006, and at the moment the batteries of the cars from the first years of production have exhausted their service life. For this copy of 2008 they are asking $16,900 (bargaining - 200-400 USD).
Initially, it was brought from America, but they are selling it because the car has become unnecessary, with two children it is already a bit cramped.
“The car was painted, and very poorly. The right rear fender with transition to the pillar, driver's door, and hood were repainted. The varnish on the trunk lid is swollen with bubbles, the paint on the bumper is also bursting, and bugs have crawled along the edge of the hood. The entire body is scratched, and the external condition raises a reasonable question: what justifies the inflated price? Probably because it is a hybrid of the brandLexus. You can’t call it economical (under the hood there is a 3.5-liter engine), the help of the electric motor in this regard is not very significant,”- the specialist sums up, but the mentioned nuances do not bother the owner of the car; initially they wanted to get $18,700 for it. The condition of the ten-year-old hybrid sedan is not the best, but the price is quite steep.
To summarize today's review, we can say that hybrids are good technologies that help save fuel and reduce harmful emissions. So the purchase of such a model is completely justified - it’s worth the effort. Despite the fact that they have taken root in Belarus, “semi-electric trains” are not the most popular product in our market, nevertheless, the owners of the cars we examined were very reluctant to bargain.
“We were pleased with the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight with their “alive” and well-groomed condition, while future ownersCivicand the Lexus GS 450h is worth considering: the former has an expensive battery problem, and the latter is overpriced for a broken body. ConcerningHondaCR- Z, then this is such a city “lighter” with an interesting design, the only bad thing is that it was beaten well,”— our expert summarizes, noting that in practice the Civic Hybrid is in greatest demand, although in terms of the reliability of the hybrid system, the Toyota Prius is still the favorite.
the site expresses gratitude to the companySelectcar (assistance in selecting and purchasing a car) for assistance in preparing the material
Many owners of a hybrid Insight are interested in a completely logical question: how to extend the service life of the traction unit in a car? What can affect its accelerated failure?
How to extend the life of the IMA Honda Insight traction battery
Here are some tips that are relevant not only for, but also, in principle, for all hybrid cars.1. It is not recommended to leave the car idle for a long time, 3-4 weeks or more. If you need to leave for a long period of time, ask someone to periodically (once every 6-7 days is enough) start the car and charge the battery in this way. Otherwise, like any similar battery that is not recharged for a long time (in winter, at temperatures from minus 20 and below, even more so), the Insight battery will slowly begin to lose its properties, which as a result leads to additional headaches and significant financial expenses. .
2. If the high-voltage battery has already become very weak, you can try to “pump” it, but this is a difficult task, without certain skills, knowledge, experience and special equipment, it is better not to experiment on your own.
Do you still have questions about this topic? You can ask them at our forum! Or help others understand this and other issues that relate to hybrid Insight. :)
