Hybrid car sales have been falling in the U.S. in recent years. But there are still plenty of people hitting the road in hybrid vehicles.
There are almost 400,000 hybrid cars, trucks, and SUVs in the country today. Those who drive them love how much money they save on gas, and they also enjoy doing their part to help the environment.
But the hybrid battery found in hybrid cars is one of the few complaints that hybrid owners have about their vehicles. Many hybrid cells die within 10 years and need to be either repaired or replaced.
This can force hybrid owners to make a very difficult decision. They’re not sure what they should do with their hybrid car once their battery conks out on them since it can be expensive to repair or replace it.
Here are the steps you should take once you realize your hybrid battery is dead.
See If Your Hybrid Battery Is Covered by a Warranty
When you first buy a hybrid vehicle, it’ll come with an extended warranty on it. Over the years, most auto manufacturers have offered customers warranties that last for between 8 and 10 years or 100,000 miles, depending on which comes first.
These days, some automakers are going above and beyond that to entice people to purchase hybrid vehicles. Toyota and Lexus are two of the car companies that now offer 10-year, 150,000-mile warranties on their hybrids.
With this in mind, the first thing you should do when your hybrid battery dies is check to see if it’s still covered under your warranty. You could very well have your battery replaced free of charge if you’re within your warranty window.
Find Out If Your Battery Can Be Repaired
If you take a look at your hybrid vehicle warranty and find that your car is no longer covered by it, the next order of business will be to see if your dead hybrid battery can be repaired.
Bring it to an auto repair shop that specializes in working on hybrid cars and ask them to test your battery out. They can tell you why it’s not holding a charge anymore and let you know if it can be repaired.
Many times, auto repair shops can put your battery through a conditioning process that brings it back to life. It’ll work just like it did when it was new when this process is finished playing out.
It’s worth noting that repairing your battery might only provide a temporary solution to your problem. It could very well die on you a second time in the not-too-distant future.
Repairing your battery can also void the warranty that you have on your car. It’s why you always need to check on your warranty status before repairing a hybrid vehicle.
But repairing the battery in a hybrid car is so much cheaper than replacing it altogether. It can’t hurt to see if repairing your battery is an option.
Learn How Much It’ll Cost to Replace Your Battery
Replacing the battery in a regular car doesn’t cost all that much money in the grand scheme of things. It costs somewhere between $50 and $200 in most cases.
But it’s a much different story when it comes to hybrid batteries. [sc_fs_faq sc_id=”fs_faq7h7wnwb02″ html=”true” headline=”h2″ img=”” question=”How much does a hybrid car battery cost?” img_alt=”” css_class=”” ]Believe it or not, you could pay anywhere from $3,000 up to $8,000 or more for a new hybrid battery.[/sc_fs_faq]
Many hybrid owners are shocked to discover this.
If you find that repairing your battery isn’t going to work, you should call around and get quotes for hybrid battery replacement from several different auto repair shops. It’ll give you some sense of what you’re going to have to pay if you decide to replace your battery.
You should also consider going with a used battery, if possible. Some of these batteries cost a fraction of what you would have to pay for a new battery.
Determine What Kind of Condition the Rest of Your Hybrid Car Is In
Are you seriously considering paying up to $8,000 for a new hybrid battery? Before you do, it’s a good idea to have the rest of your hybrid vehicle inspected to see what kind of shape it’s in.
If you’ve been driving your hybrid around for long enough for the battery in it to die, there’s a decent chance that other parts in it could be on their way out, too. It might not be long before you’re being asked to tackle other major car repairs.
If that’s the case, why bother spending a small fortune on a new battery for your hybrid? You’re going to end up pulling the plug on your car sometime soon anyway. It won’t be worth replacing the battery if you’re not going to make other significant repairs that need to be done.
Think About How Much Longer You Plan to Keep Your Hybrid Car
People are holding onto their cars for longer than they used to. A recent study revealed that the average car owner keeps their car for about 11.6 years.
Do you think that you’re going to keep your hybrid for anywhere close to that length of time? Or have you already been secretly car shopping in your head and counting down the number of days until you buy a new vehicle?
If your goal is to keep your hybrid car for the long run and get as much life out of it as you can, repairing or replacing the battery in it might make total sense. But if you’re envisioning yourself in a new car in the next year or two, you might be wasting money by paying for expensive hybrid battery repair or replacement.
Think about what you plan on doing when it comes to your car in the future. If you don’t see yourself owning your hybrid for much longer, a dead battery might give you all the incentive in the world to try and sell it.
Toss Around the Idea of Selling Your Hybrid Car
Have your heart set on buying a new car sometime soon? Spend some time thinking about what you’re going to do with your current car first.
Even if your hybrid car has a dead battery in it, you can still sell it and get good money for it when you take the right steps. You might be able to bring in enough money to put up a sizable down payment on a new car if you play your cards right.
But before you get too far ahead of yourself, consider if you’re committed to selling your car rather than fixing or replacing the battery in it. And make sure you’re in the right position to buy a new car once your current one sells.
Track Down the Right Buyer for Your Hybrid Car
We know what you’re probably thinking right now: “Who in their right mind would want to buy a car with a dead battery in it? Especially when it could cost thousands of dollars to repair or replace it!”
It’s a valid concern. But there are people out there who will buy your car from you.
You can start by trying to sell it through an online marketplace. There might be someone out there who is skilled enough to repair the battery in your car on their own and get your car back up and running again.
There also might be someone out there who is looking for a car just like yours to use for parts. They would be very interested in taking your car off your hands in a hurry.
But your best bet would be to find a company that specializes in buying cars that are in any condition. You can sell your car quickly to one of these companies and get a lot more money than you might expect out of the deal.
If you decide to go this route, fill out the form provided on the company’s website. You’ll be asked to provide specific information on your car, including things like the make and model of it and the year it was produced.
From there, you’ll receive an offer within just a few minutes in most cases. You can then decide whether or not you want to accept the offer for your hybrid vehicle and be done with it once and for all.
Don’t Let a Dead Hybrid Battery Bring You Down
A dead battery in any car can cause frustration. But hybrid car owners, in particular, get extra frustrated about dead batteries because they know all about the costs associated with repairing or replacing them.
If you prefer not to deal with the financial ramifications of having a dead hybrid battery, we would be happy to help you out. We will buy your hybrid vehicle from you, regardless of what kind of condition it’s in, and pay you top dollar for it.
Contact us today to get more information on how you can sell your old hybrid car if it has a dead battery in it.
