Vehicle batteries are just like the battery in your phone. Over time and use, they slowly degrade, some faster than others.
If you’re looking at either buying or selling your second hand hybrid car, you might want to get the battery a life expectancy health test before buying or selling to help know what you have on your hands.
How does a hybrid battery test work?
Here’s the jargon: The test itself conducts a measured, consistent amp draw on the battery while measuring how fast the charge is expelled. The faster the charge is expelled, the more tired the battery is. This test is then able to determine the life expectancy of the battery.
In short: we test how the battery performs during use in a controlled & measured environment, which gives us the ability to estimate what the remaining life may be on the battery.
What does a Hybrid Battery Test score ACTUALLY mean?
You will receive a score between 0% and 100%. A brand new hybrid vehicle should have a score close to 100%, then used vehicles will have a score easing downward.
| Score | Interpretation |
| 90% – 100% | This battery is nearly new. |
| 70% – 90% | This battery has good capacity remaining. |
| 50% – 70% | This battery will have fair performance. |
| 40% – 50% | This is a poor performing battery |
| Less than 40% | This battery should be replaced soon. |
Now it’s worth bearing some things in mind when you get your battery score:
It is estimated that the average hybrid battery with average use lasts approximately 10 years, or ~200,000kms. So if you are buying a 5 year old vehicle with 100,000kms on the odometer, a score above 50% is probably a good score.
Note: these scores are not a guarantee of future life. Each battery may differ in remaining life based on factors like use, temperature and charging frequency, among other factors. The score is an estimate at that point in time.
What are other signs the battery is dying?
- Depleting petrol economy. If you’re experiencing worse fuel economy than you expect, your battery may not be doing its job very well.
- Rapid battery drain. If your battery isn’t holding its charge and runs down very quickly, it could need changing.
- Battery not starting when it should. If the battery doesn’t kick in the way it used to, or continue to run on the petrol motor for long.
- Clunky driving performance. As the hybrid battery drives the wheels some of the time, a tired battery can affect the car’s performance. It could feel sluggish or like you’ve got a clunky gearbox.