What's the Average Life of a Hybrid Car's Battery? (2024)

UPDATE 8/8/24: We have revised the Battery Warranties section of this article to provide up-to-date information about federal warranties.

A hybrid car's high-voltage battery is one of its most expensive components. There's a range of prices, but expect to pay at least a couple thousand dollars for a replacement, not including labor. So if you have a hybrid, you want yours to last. But how much life can you expect out of a hybrid battery pack?

Before we get started, we should point something out. Hybrid vehicles have a 12-volt battery like any other car, but that's not the ones we're talking about. The high voltage battery is hidden from view. Usually, they're under the rear seat. Sometimes they extend under the rear parcel shelf. In any case, they're meant to last the life of the car. Unless, that is, you put a lot of miles on a car, or are buying a well used one.

The federal government requires minimum warranty coverage of eight years or 80,000 miles on plug-in-hybrid and EV batteries as part of the emission warranty (previously the emission performance warranty). For vehicles sold in any of the states that follow California Air Resources Board (CARB) rules, 10 years or 150,000 miles of coverage is required for the battery, be it in a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or battery-electric vehicle.
Outside of those requirements, the warranty an automaker offers can tell you something about how long the company expects the battery to last. Toyota goes further than required of its hybrids, with a 10-year/150,000-mile warranty; Hyundai covers hybrid components for the same 10-year/100,000-mile duration that applies to its nonhybrid powertrains. These warranties are generally transferable to subsequent owners as well, so you may still be covered if you buy used.

And if the battery does fail within that window, you have the peace of mind provided by the warranty. Getting it replaced may be an inconvenience, but as long as the battery dies of natural causes you shouldn't have to pay for a new one.

There are several ways a hybrid battery can degrade or die altogether, some of which you can influence and some you can't. Items that are out of your direct control include failed battery cells and other associated electronics.

Exposure to extreme temperatures, whether during operation or while stationary, can also take a toll on battery life. Keeping the vehicle out of the sun and in a temperate garage whenever possible can help the battery last longer. And while we try our best to avoid accidents, damage to a high-voltage battery from such an unplanned event can hamper it or put it out of service.

High-voltage batteries, like any battery, also degrade over time. Manufacturers try to extend battery life by using only a portion of the battery's capacity, preventing it from discharging too low or charging too high. After a certain point, too much degradation can make the battery as good as dead.

A warning light and the associated diagnostic code are a good tipoff of a battery issue, but you may be able to detect a failing battery before the car makes it official. Signs include reduced fuel economy, the hybrid system running less often, and the battery gauge no longer reaching full or reading correctly.

Because hybrids use their electric motors to start the gas engine and the motors get their juice from the high-voltage pack, the car not starting or even turning on is another potential sign of an HV-pack failure.

While there are no comprehensive studies looking at hybrid-battery longevity, most educated guesses land between 100,000 and 200,000 miles. The best advice for anyone considering the purchase of a high-mileage hybrid is to get a pre-purchase inspection that includes battery diagnostics. That way, if the car does need a new battery, you can factor that into the price and plan for a replacement.