AIBU to avoid a hybrid due to fire risk?

[carobsessedfortoday]

i need to buy a car. Want something a few years old and considering a Honda jazz coz reliability. My mechanic is a petroleum fan but hybrid obviously taking over fast. I've been warned about the fire risk of peteol hybrid cars. Is this valid or AIBU?

Mine were both Lexus and I’ve had not problems with either car mechanically either. Both were/are fabulous cars to drive.

As I’ve seen a petrol car explode at a junction I can confirm that any car can catch light, it’s incredibly rare though

The Honda hybrid battery life expectancy is between 6 to 10 years or up to 100,000 miles and you want to buy one that's a few years old? doesn't that mean you'll be looking at an expensive battery replacement.

The Honda Jazz hybrids are brilliant, I’m quite involved in the owners groups and forum for the last few years and not one has gone on fire.
I had a 11 hybrid, now a 21 hybrid, and a HRV hybrid.

I have a Kia petrol/hybrid. The fire risk is incredibly low. And the fuel economy is absolutely amazing. Really, really amazing.

I even had a chat with a Fire Service friend before I made the decision on the car - they said the risk is low.

And as others have said, it’s far more likely that an electrical short / whatever will cause a house fire than the car will spontaneously combust, especially given the temperatures we have in the UK.

Nonsense.

My Civic IMA is going to be 20 years old this year - and that doesnt need a battery replacement at all.

Your post makes me think that you dont know enough about cars or hybrid technology to make justifiable comments.

The difference between battery powered household tat and electric/hybrid vehicles is that the latter have sophisticated battery management systems designed to prevent fires.

That said, I am surprised that hybrids are more likely to catch fire than other vehicles. A quick Google suggests that it is true though.

I was quoting the Honda UK website.

It’s not helpful.. but one of these cars did catch fire in the middle of the night on my street and it was quite the fire. It was not a jazz I can’t recall the make. However no one or nothing else was harmed and I’m sure the insurance paid out as they have a new car now, so even though this can happen I would still probably risk it?

Yes I do like the Hondas especially. Hard to let go of that engine reliably

Crikey @Iamsoraven
thank goodness nobody hurt though

You'd be more likely to die in a car crash than a car combusting into flames. If you're not scared to get in a car and drive then it doesn't make any sense to be scared of a fire risk.

YABU to consider a Honda jazz . They're widely known to be old peoples cars and hogging the middle lane on a dual carriage way

I have had my Toyota Yaris self charging hybrid for 6 years and I love it. They are fantastically relaiable cars and really economical to run. As I live in London, it's 20mph speed limit everywhere and my car runs on electric on the flat at this speed (recharges going down hill, uses petrol uphill or accelerating). I think the insurance might be higher for hybrids, but I would like to think that I save elsewhere - less fuel, less road tax, less CPZ. Go for it.

Thanks
its not that they'll necessarily spontaneously combust. It's the risk of a petrol fire combined with the fact that lithium battery fires (as opposed to the regular 12 v car battery) just keep burning

I'm still undecided about replacing my crv with a hybrid but they look lovely inside (shallow) and seem to have good mpg ratings so leaning towards the hybrid Honda SUVs
i haven't looked at the smaller ones though.

Thats the warranty.

Nowhere on Honda's website does it say that you have to replace the HV/hybrid battery after the warranty on it expires.

BIG difference. If you're going to quote something, quote it properly.

The warranty on Toyotas (not sure if all models, we have corollas) is 10 years but a 15 year battery warranty. That may be dependent on having it serviced at their garages but we’ve always found they give excellent service (we had Toyotas before these hybrids).

I went from a 06 CRV to an 18 plate Mitsubishi Outlander.

I loved my CRV as it was totally reliable and never let me down, so I can understand your desire to stick with the brand. 👍

I’ve been very happy with the Mitsubishi so far and hope to keep it for a long time, like the CRV.

Nothing to do with the warranty, not sure where you got that from.

How long do hybrid batteries last?

Most hybrid manufacturers advise that the average battery life in hybrid cars is between 125,000 and 160,000 kilometres. With proper maintenance, it’s not uncommon for them to last even longer. For the average driver, a hybrid battery should last around 6 to 10 years.

https://www.honda.co.uk/cars/blog/article/hybrid/Guide-to-hybrid-batteries-and-charging.html

Feel free to apologise for being so rude btw @HelplessSoul , but my point is there seems to be a lot of peer pressure in the UK to buy electric or hybrid cars with a short shelf life, which doesn't seem to exist in other countries. If the OP buys her Honda ICE that's a few years old there's a good chance within a couple of years she'll need an expensive battery replacement. And whilst the OP IMHO has an odd thing about Japanese cars, a German petrol car will last 20 years plus without needing a battery replacement.

It's a lot of nonsense. I've been full electric for over 4 years and I'd never go back to petrol or diesel.

That said you gain little or nothing from a hybrid, most of the mileage is done on petrol anyway.

Rude?

Pointing out facts to you wasnt rude. Sorry that you dont like facts.

As said, I am running three Honda Hybrids - the oldest almost 20 years old and doesnt need a HV battery replacement.

So your argument about buying a car thats a few years old and needing that battery replaced is poppycock really.

As to the policy around coercing/forcing people to buy electric/hybrid cars - well, thats another topic for discussion and not for this thread 🤷‍♀️

I do have an odd thing about Japanese cars @ThatCalmFinch
Although I'd consider Korean too. They tend to have reliable engines and I can't shake that piece of information. I get a bit fixed on things and I don't enjoy choosing 😝

Would suggest you test drive a Jazz Hybrid.

I think you will be surprised at how good (and spacious) it is.

Similarly, if you need something bigger/budget allows, drive a HR-V Hybrid too.

So the OP should ignore the Honda website information and listen to some random person on the internet? Sounds about right.