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?

@HelplessSoulyes I probably need to test drive
maybe need new rather than used to get the benefit of the battery life

So show us where on that Honda link where it correlates to what @ThatCalmFinch stated:

" 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."

Looking at forums galore, none of that statement rings true with real world owners, myself included.

I'd be happy to see evidence of where owners are changing their HV battery "within a couple of years".

The only thing thats a bit off with Honda's current range is pricing.

Keen to know how you get on with your test drive 👍

Easily solved. Buy an electric car.

Hybrids are not especially environmentally friendly and have the worst of both worlds - inadequate battery AND engine

www.transportenvironment.org/articles/plug-in-hybrids-pollute-almost-as-much-as-petrol-cars-eu-data

Actually maybe that's the direction I need to move in @Summerhillsquare

Focus on getting a model that has good reviews for reliability.
For years the Ford ecoboost ICE was catching fire due to allegedly a wet belt issue.
There was also the Vauxhall Zafira’s which used to spontaneously combust.

The issue with the batteries in electric cars is you can’t put the fire out easily, and they risk reigniting even days later.

I’ve got a Jazz Cross-star Hybrid. My 3rd Jazz.
Had it 4 years not a single issue.
All my previous jazzes have got to 150k no problems.
Fabulous, spacious, reliable workhorse cars.
The Hybrid also gets 62mpg and has loads of safety features. No regrets here.

Don't seem to have any safety issues - in fact very good results:

Honda hybrids do not present any unusual hazards. The vehicles have performed well in standard crash tests, with no damage to high-voltage components in front, side, or rear impacts. Petrol-electric hybrids have the same potential fire and explosion hazards as conventional vehicles.

https://energysecurityagency.com
PDF
Honda Hybrid Emergency Guide - Energy Security Agency

The Crosstar is brilliant isn’t it!

Good heavens - Fords and Vauxhalls are dire.

No match for Honda reliability. They are beyond dogshit.

Had many care free miles in my Corsa.
My point was more that cars have had fire issues long before electric.

What is an example of a “junk Euro-hybrid”, as a matter of interest ?

There is no fire risk it’s PR by the oil lobby.

assume you are happy sitting on 10 gallons of highly flammable liquid but worried about a battery??

The issue (as previously mentioned ) is the combination of petrol and battery and the specific qualities of a fire in the hybrid batteries being resistant to extinguishing

No fire risk is bold statement.

“Last year the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency found that hybrid vehicles faced the highest fire risk, with 3,475 conflagrations per 100,000 vehicles.

This was compared with 1,530 fires per 100,000 for petrol or diesel cars and 25 per 100,000 for electric vehicles.”

Source: “Hybrid car death rates ‘three times higher than petrol” The Telegraph 28 Dec 2025

....and despite all this, according to the ACEA, hybrids are still buyers' first choice:

https://www.acea.auto/pc-registrations/new-car-registrations-1-4-in-november-2025-year-to-date-battery-electric-16-9-market-share/

It was interesting to see the by-law rules on a flat some of my kids have purchased. No electric or hybrid cars are allowed to be parked on-site. The parking is an underground basement style. There is a visitor parking area which doesn’t have restriction but supposedly that’s because it is open air and a good distance away from the building. No electric bikes/scooters etc allowed to be kept on site, including in flats or on balconies. If there is a fire caused by keeping a car on site or electric item with specified battery type in flat then the owners are legally liable for damages to the building and will be legally pursued vs insurance.

None of this worried my kids as we don’t have electric/hybrid vehicles or anything electric run by the type of battery that was specified in by-laws. I guess if they had this stuff or felt they may have wanted it in future, they would have just given the place a swerve. Makes it a hassle for people renting flats out though as they then have to specify/impose those conditions in a lease for tenants.

Before anyone jumps on me, I’m not saying this is either good or bad, just communicating what is in one specific scenario.

I’ve got a Honda HRV hybrid and love it. No problems at all in 4 years. Prior to that I had, over the years, 5 Honda Jazzes. Best cars I’ve ever had. Completely reliable.
Now the debate is whether to change to all electric or buy a CrossStar hybrid. We have solar panels at home so electric makes sense but after our somewhat difficult journey at Christmas with my husband’s electric car, I’m not sure what to do. The roads were busy, of course, and we had to queue at every charge stop. It added a couple of hours to our already long journey. I gazed longingly at the motorway service station petrol
pumps as we waited for our chance at the charge points.

Sounds like Hybrid is the way to go, especially if like me, you are happy with Honda's 👍

Smokers still smoke. It doesn’t mean there is no risk.

It’s all about the level of risk people are prepared to accept, or are aware of. The risk of any car catching fire is small. That said, the hybrid figures in that Swedish report surprised me.

Standard petrol-electric self-charging hybrids seem a bit pointless to me so I wouldn't bother, but not because of any perceived fire risk. I can see the use case for a plug-in hybrid - run as full electric for local trips and still have the option of internal combustion engine for long journeys - but it does have the disadvantage of much greater complexity. I'd only buy one with a well-established cast iron reputation for reliability.

Only point I made was that despite the (alleged) risks of hybrids, is that people are still buying them in droves vs EVs or diesels or plug in hybrids etc.

👍

They may not be aware of the apparent higher risk of fire.

I wasn’t until I read this thread and did some research.

Be that as it may, it doesnt change the fact that they're popular and being bought regardless.

I had hybrids for about 10 years, mainly Japanese imports and never had an issue with fire or breaking down. Dh has one for about 4 years no and no issue. My previous car was a Honda Fit, next level up from the jazz, and i loved it. I recently went petrol on a mitsubishi mirage cause my son liked it and we're sharing, worst thing I every did. I forgot how noisy petrol cars are compared to hybrid.

If the Torygraph told me the sun will rise tomorrow morning I wouldn’t believe them 🤡