Manufacturer life expectancy for batteries in hybrid vehicles comes with a lot of caveats. Much like how there are several tricks to extend or preserve battery longevity in modern electronics, there are ways for you to keep a hybrid’s battery going for longer. Conversely, certain actions can cause it to diminish sooner than expected. This variability is why companies usually provide a range rather than a specific number.
BMW states that its batteries should last between 10 and 20 years. Ford estimates battery life in miles rather than years, claiming between 100,000 to 200,000 miles (which is still approximately 10 to 20 years based on average driving). Honda batteries have a slightly shorter estimate, with an average life expectancy of around six to 10 years. Estimates from Hyundai, KIA, and Mazda are in the middle range, each claiming either 15 years or 150,000 miles. Toyota predicts between eight years (or 100,000 miles) and 10 years (or 150,000 miles), while Volvo predicts only four to six years of battery life.
Again, these expectations can change based on how you treat your hybrid. Essentially, anything that accelerates the inevitable degradation of the batteries in your smartphone can do the same to your vehicle’s power source. Therefore, try to avoid extreme temperatures (in either direction) when possible, don’t push the engine too hard for too long too often, and avoid charging the battery to full all the time if you can help it.
