Hybrids save you a lot of money on fuel, but what happens when they become obsolete?/Keenan Cohen
Since the first Toyota Prius landed here in 2005, the hybrid era has opened in Israel.
At first it was the property of the environmentally conscious and the technology enthusiasts and later with the introduction of this drive to the family models and with tax benefits and a discount on the value of use for compact car owners - the trickle became a tremendous tsunami that gradually spread to a multitude of categories.
From the Honda Jazz, to a crossover like the Kia Niro, a large family like the Hyundai Sonata, to the luxury realms of the Lexus RX.
Over time, even in the used market AmIsrael has warmly embraced the combination of Japanese and/or Korean cars with the image of reliability and on top of that excellent fuel consumption, which is more important than ever in the days when the price of gasoline and diesel is on the rise and the state is making streetcars more expensive by increasing the purchase tax imposed on them, and by imposing a new travel tax.
But besides these advantages, instead of a cloud of soot from the exhaust, another cloud was added to hover over the hybrid cars - that of the uncertainty regarding the state of the battery and the cost of replacing it if necessary.
Today, with a wide range of cars on the used market, it is not uncommon to find a 5, 10 or 15-year-old used hybrid looking for a new home, but the price of the battery is still an issue that worries potential customers.
We set out to check how much a battery for a hybrid car from the most common models in Israel costs and also check the possibility of refurbishing and repairing the batteries in cases where this is possible.
Small, sought after and very economical - Toyota Yaris/Nir Ben Tovim, Kenan Cohen
Will you steal a market from the price?
In the test, we circled the most popular models of hybrid cars sold in Israel in recent years.
We will devote another article to the plug-in cars, those that allow you to combine charging the batteries and cover a range of several tens of kilometers before switching to the hybrid drive and are equipped with larger (and more expensive) batteries. In addition to the cost of the battery, we have also brought the options offered by the importers to extend the warranty period for the battery The prices of the batteries are given as received from the importers.
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Toyota:
Yaris Hybrid 2012-2020 - NIS 12,348
Yaris Hybrid 2020-2023 - NIS 10,080
Auris Hybrid 2013-2018 - NIS 13,424
Corolla Hybrid 2019-2022 - NIS 12,882
Corolla Hybrid 2023-2024 - NIS 12,174
Prius 2009-2010 - NIS 13,424
Prius 2011-2015 - NIS 14,227
Prius 2016-2022 - NIS 12,882
CH-R from 2017-2023 - NIS 12,882
Rab4 2019-2023 - NIS 15,798
Prius Plus 2015-2021 - NIS 15,367
Toyota's warranty extension program begins at the end of the 5 years or 100,000 km that the manufacturer gives to a new hybrid. The warranty extension is for an additional year or 15,000 km, when the cost is NIS 470 for a vehicle up to 10 years old and NIS 700 for a vehicle from 10 to 12 years old .
The cost does not include the price of the battery test.
Honda Jazz, the hybrid generation combined the ingenious interior design with fuel economy, but the cost of the battery is significant/manufacturer website
Honda:
The cost of the battery for the Jazz hybrid sold here between 2011 and 2015 is NIS 12,856.
Honda has a warranty extension program for 4 and 5 years only for the engine and transmission, not for the battery.
In any case, not relevant to the model in question.
Kia:
Kia Niro 2016-2022 - NIS 16,380
The basic battery warranty is 5 years or 100,000 km and can be extended up to 10 years at a cost of NIS 250 per year or 15,000 km.
At Ionic, battery prices have changed over the years of marketing/Nir Ben Tovim, Keinan Cohen
Hyundai:
Ionic 2017 - NIS 17,925
Ionic 2018-2019 - NIS 18,921
Ionic - 2020-2022 - NIS 20,098
Hybrid buyer - NIS 19,740
Sonata Hybrid 2015-2019 - NIS 17,160
Sonata Hybrid 2020-2023 - NIS 22,130
At Hyundai, the cost of extending the warranty for one year or 15,000 km is NIS 400, and it is limited to two years. You can join it during the warranty period or after it, as long as the vehicle's age does not exceed 9 years and the mileage is less than 180,000 km, whichever comes first.
Joining is conditional on checking the integrity of the battery at an authorized center, as long as the vehicle is under warranty the test will be performed free of charge.
Lexus CT200h also the price of the luxury battery/Nir Ben Tovim
Lexus:
CT200h yearbooks 2011-2020 - NIS 15,475
IS200h yearbooks 2013-2020 - NIS 19,295
The Lexus extended warranty program includes an extension option for one year or 15,000 km up to a period of up to 10 years or 160,000 km.
The cost varies between the models and varies between NIS 990 and NIS 1,300 per year depending on the model.
Anti-aging for the battery
Replacing the battery with a new one at these full prices may in some cases reach considerable percentages of the price of the car to the point of doubting the viability of the replacement.
What's more, sometimes there is really no need to replace the battery in its entirety, since the battery is made up of a variable number of modules, which in turn contain a variable number of cells, and sometimes it is possible to be satisfied with refurbishing the faulty modules or cells and renewing them only in order to return the battery to normal condition.
"The first thing to do when approaching the purchase of a used hybrid is to check the condition of the battery," explains Doron Cohen, owner of a laboratory specializing in testing, refurbishing and replacing hybrid batteries, and a garage guide in the field.
The hybrid system can be renewed or look for a used battery that will save you a lot of money/manufacturer
Checking the battery is a routine operation that can be performed at any authorized importer garage of the brand in question, or at specialist garages that have the appropriate equipment.
At this stage there are three options according to Cohen, the first is when the battery condition is normal and there is no drop to a level of less than 70% of the battery capacity.
If it decreases from this level, the battery no longer meets the "standard" required to fulfill its function and needs to be treated.
The second possibility, if the battery is not working properly, is that a "balancing" of the cells is required, although this is usually the case when it is a one-off fault and cars up to 5 years old.
If the battery is not normal or has a quantity of damaged cells, the treatment will improve the function of the battery only in the short term.
The third option is a complete overhaul of the battery.
This is a relatively uncomplicated process, but one that requires the expertise, understanding and certification of the person handling the battery.
Not every garage can diagnose or treat you with the hybrid system/Nir Ben Tovim, Kenan Cohen
How much can you save?
Repair prices range from 4,000 to 5,000 shekels for a relatively small battery (most hybrid car batteries range from 1.5 to 2.3 kWh) and have a small amount of damaged cells and can reach up to 19,000 shekels in the case of a car with a relatively large battery such as a Toyota Camry.
Another option is to purchase a used and refurbished battery, the price of which may also be about half the price of a new battery, but this mainly depends on its availability.
In any case of handling vehicle batteries with a hybrid system, Cohen notes, it is important to make sure that the garage has the appropriate certification (called HV level 3) on In order to ensure that the care of the vehicle is done in a professional manner and does not expose the user to safety faults in the high voltage system in which the system operates.
According to him, he often encounters "yard workshops" that perform repair operations in an unprofessional manner that may lead not only to very expensive damage, but also to real risk. List of garages authorized for this, can be found in the index of the garage association at this link.
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