Should you Buy a Toyota Hybrid or a Lexus Hybrid in 2022?

Hello and welcome to the Car Care Net channel. So should you buy a Toyota or a Lexus Hybrid? There is so many information out there, some of it is correct, most of it is actually not correct about hybrids. In today's video I want to set the record straight and share with you some information that you should consider before buying a Toyota or a Lexus Hybrid. Some people buy hybrids for the wrong reasons and then they are very disappointed. And some people shy away from hybrids because they got misinformation and now they didn't buy a hybrid even though if they got all the facts a hybrid would have been a perfect fit for their needs. The information in this video comes from my experience as a Toyota Master Diagnostic Technician for over a decade, I work on hybrids, I specialize in hybrids and my intent in this video is that you get all the facts from the real world so you can make an informed decision whether these cars are good for you or they're not really good for you. But before we get started, if you're new to the channel, welcome, consider subscribing to the channel, check out some of my other videos if you are already a subscriber, well thank you so much for watching another one of my videos and without further ado, let's get right into it. So are Toyota Hybrids and Lexus Hybrids as reliable as the non-hybrid gasoline only models? Well over the last 10 years, I've noticed a significant improvement in their reliability. See before the cars that are made in the last 10 years, before that period, occasionally you would see problems here and there and chronic ones but over the last 10 years, things have gotten a lot better on everything else in the car itself, mechanical speaking. Let's talk about the major point that shies people away from hybrids, expensive hybrid battery. Here's the god honest truth folks, before the last 10 years or the models made in the last 10 years, we used to see a lot of failures. We still do here and there but we don't see them as much in the dealership anymore. Models that are older than 10 years old, you used to see batteries weekly, one or two here and there, varies with miles, varies with use and conditions. But over the last 10 years, models that are 10 years old today and newer, things have dramatically dropped in the failure rates of batteries. That has to do with the batteries getting better, that has to do with people understanding hybrids better and operating them in better conditions. And the other thing is, the cooling. We're going to talk about that as well in a little bit. I want you to look at the hybrid battery in a different perspective. Look, they're going to fail one day, just like everything else in the cars. That's just how it is with cars. Cars are not meant to last forever. Eventually something's going to go. Same thing with the batteries. I cannot with good conscience or nobody should tell you, oh this battery will last exactly 15 years or 20 years. There has been examples that lasted that long but there has also been examples that failed after 3 years. You can never exactly tell because that depends on the operating conditions of that battery. However, I want you to look away from that and consider one thing. Hybrids do not have starters, they do not have alternators. Most models do not have a drive belt. And then, something with hybrids, because they have regenerative braking, that's when the hybrid system will slow down the car to recharge the batteries, the brakes last twice if not three times as much as a non-hybrid car. So if you really consider, hypothetically, that this battery is going to last 10-15 years, and you consider the maintenance, I mean a starter and alternator are wear items, brakes are maintenance, they're wear items, they're going to go at some point. If you consider the cost of all this maintenance that you actually do not have, or these components that are going to fail that you do not have in a hybrid, you're almost going to break even actually, unless you're doing this yourself, putting cheap old aftermarket parts. But if you're going to a mechanic, to a dealership, placing your starter, placing your alternator, replacing your brakes every time it needs them, every 30, 40, 50,000 miles, you're actually almost going to catch up with that price of the battery. So on that aspect, you're not really in a different realm. It's the same thing. The only difference is, on the alternator starter and brakes on the non-hybrid car, you're going to be making kind of like payments over time. The hybrid battery is going to be one lump sum. So if reliability and the hybrid battery is a factor that is making you decide not to buy a Toyota or Lexus hybrid, I encourage you to reconsider, because that is not actually a factor. What about maintenance costs for hybrids? Well, let's talk about that a little bit, because there's actually only two additional items of maintenance that you need to worry about with hybrids. The first one is, there is a device called an inverter with converter assembly. It's basically the brains of the operation of the hybrid system. This is what controls the charging, the driving. It directs the high voltage everywhere to make the hybrid system work. Well, all this operation that it has going on, it needs a cooling system. And that cooling system is a dedicated cooling system to the inverter with converter assembly. That coolant is actually the same type of coolant. It's super long life coolant or in the street is called pink coolant. It is the same type of coolant. And this is something that needs to be serviced at similar intervals as the engine coolant. Not something very expensive, not something that requires special tools and all this goodies. No, it's just simple maintenance. Actually, it is DIY. I do have a video that will help you if you're the kind that works on your own car. The other maintenance item, and this is something that I tried my best in this channel to bring awareness to, the hybrid fan filter. And this is where we talked about how do you prolong the life of your battery? The hybrid battery generates heat. That's just the way it is. When you charge a battery, it generates heat. These hybrid batteries, they have a fan. All hybrid batteries are air cooled and they actually reside in somewhere inside the cabin. Most of the newer models, they sit right underneath the back seat. With the exception is the Sienna behind me. It's underneath the front seat. So there is a fan that cools the battery. But if you have all kinds of debris, and typical debris is lint, dust, dog hair, anything of that nature, it could clog that fan. And now it no longer can cool the battery. And that's when the problems start with the battery. It overheats and that severely shortens its life. On newer models, 10 years and newer, Toyota found out about this. And now we have actual filters to protect this fan from getting clogged with debris. But this filter needs to be serviced. This is the number one cause for hybrid battery issues early. Please be aware of this maintenance. This is a lot more important than inverter maintenance, which is also important. But the hybrid fan filter is the most important. One note on that. Some dealerships will make it sound like this is a specialist job. You cannot touch it. You cannot look at it. You cannot even stare at it. That is not the case. Most of these filters in cars 10 years and newer are actually extremely simple to service. They're very inexpensive. If you even want to replace the filter, please do this yourself. Nobody will take care of your car like you do. Keep an eye on these filters. This is the one contribution you can do and the biggest impact that it has on the life of that expensive battery. So make sure you're aware of those hybrid fan filters. What about the gas smilers for hybrids? Are they really as good as they are advertised? Or are they just like other gasoline models where you look at the number, you like it, you buy it. There's nowhere near it. Well, here's the truth. And this is I'll give you two angles of this. This Camry is actually my personal car. This is a 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid XSE. I will give you my personal experience. And then I will also share with you the consensus among the Toyota and Lexus hybrid owner community. Hybrids regularly and actually quite easily will exceed those numbers that are advertised if you drive them in a manner which they are designed for. Which leads us to our next conversation. Here are some reasons that you should actually not buy a hybrid for. These are things that have to do with how you're going to use the car. The first thing is spirited driving or heavy-footed drivers in my language. Folks, if you are looking for a fast car that you want to just take off and zip away, these are not the cars for you. Because when you push hybrids to the limits, they actually become inefficient and they become kind of counterproductive. They actually suffer from severe gas mileage when you really push the envelope. You're flying at 95-100 miles an hour all day long or you're consistently just jabbing the throttle and that engine's revving up all day long. It becomes counterproductive. You buy this car for its gas mileage, for its efficiency. They are not fast cars and they were not designed to be. So if this is something that is higher in your list, forget about the hybrids. Move on to gasoline only. And then another thing that is extremely important. Are you driving this car every day or is this your daily driver? Because some folks will buy these cars. They have a summer home and a winter home. They'll buy this car and store it six months and then go drive it for six months. This is not the car for that. Any repeated storage of a month plus is not good for that hybrid battery. Remember, just like any battery, when you let it just sit and linger, that's not good for its life. So I see so many failures of batteries on stored hybrids. This is just the way it is. But I do want to clarify one thing. Don't mistaken repeated storage with low mileage driving. Because low mileage driving is still driving. Let's say you only put 3,000 miles a year. 2,000 miles a year. You repeatedly drive this car. Maybe not daily, but every week you're going to drive it once. A couple miles and that's it. You put very low miles on the car. That is not the same as storage. Storage is you park this car in your garage and see you in three months. And then after three months, park it again. See you in three months. If you're traveling frequently. If you have summer or winter home or whatever the case may be. Repeated continuous storage is what's not good for the hybrid battery. Not low mileage driving. I just wanted to clarify that. And the last reason you should not buy a hybrid for. And this is actually one of the biggest ones. Do you like how they behave? Hybrids have certain characteristics. Two of them that I hear my viewers continuously ask about. And how do they fix this problem? Which is actually a normal characteristic. Number one is the noises they make. There is a distinct noise that all hybrids make. Although on the Lexus side of things they might be more insulated. You don't hear as much. On the Toyota side it is very distinct. That whine noise when you come to a stop. That is actually the regenerative braking. That is a noise that hybrids made since day one. And they will continue to do so as long as they are in the same design. That is normal. If that noise bothers you. This is not the car for you. Plain and simple. Another thing is the engine on off. Folks, I cannot describe how much I dislike start-stop technology. It's just annoying in a gasoline car. It feels unnatural. You stop at a traffic light. The car shuts off. And then when you start it comes on. The whole car shakes. And it's just not unnatural for a normal non-hybrid gasoline car. But in hybrids, especially the fourth generation hybrid which started with the 2016 Prius. Things are very smooth. And that is a normal operating characteristic of hybrids. The engine will shut off. Come on. And that's just the cycle. If this bothers you. This is not the car for you. I have had so many viewers send me emails, write comments. How do I make my hybrid engine stop shutting on and off? You can't. It's not possible. It's not like auto start-stop. And one thing I will add. This is a side note. Many have asked, does this on and off on and off with hybrids affect the life of the engine? There has been no evidence of that. I have seen hybrids go five, six hundred thousand miles. And the engine is fine. So there has been no evidence that this on and off cycle affects the health or the longevity of the gasoline engine and hybrids. What about plug-in hybrids? You see the RAV4 Prime. You see the Prius Prime. And on the Lexus side, the NX450h Plus. What about those? Where do they fit in all this? Well, let me clarify one thing about them. They are basically a hybrid model with a much larger battery that you can plug in the wall and get a much longer EV range. An actual EV range. Not the very short EV range that hybrids do have, actually. On those, there are a few considerations. And this is the number one asked question from my viewers. You need to figure out where are you going to charge this car? Do you have a garage? Do you have a place where you are going to park this car overnight at your residence and charge it? Many of my viewers ask this specific question. I bought a RAV4 Prime. I don't have a place to charge it. I live in an apartment, wherever the case may be. Is it going to hurt the car if I don't charge it? It's not going to hurt the car, but it's going to hurt your wallet. Because at that point, you're not taking advantage of the extra cost. Actually, a monumental extra cost between regular hybrids and plug-in hybrids. So you need to consider, okay, I'm going to buy a plug-in hybrid. Can you charge it to kind of gain those benefits of a plug-in? That is very important. Because otherwise, save your money, buy a regular hybrid, and you will not tell the difference. There is absolutely no difference between a RAV4 Prime and a RAV4 hybrid in the car itself, other than the plug-in part. And the other thing about plug-in hybrids. If you want to utilize them to their full potential, your commute needs to be somewhere within the EV range. Or even at least half of it. Because if your commute is 100 miles, and you're only charging halfway, you're not really in the ideal situation here. Because you're lugging all this extra weight, and you're going to charge your car. Halfway, the engine will come on, and now you're back to hybrid. So majority of the time, you're going to actually be driving a hybrid. Why don't you just put this money in your pocket and just buy a hybrid? These are the considerations. Look at the EV range on plug-in hybrids. How long in electricity can I drive? And then, can I actually get that by charging it? Because if these don't apply to you, stick with a regular hybrid, save your money, and life is good. Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Why do you need to buy hybrids when we can just buy an electric car, and everything is A-OK? I don't have to deal with half the maintenance, and life is great. Well, hear me out on my opinion on EVs, because this might actually bring you a different perspective. And forgive my brash and direct approach to this. See, electric cars, the technology is there. Perhaps you can say the charging network is there. But the problem is, they still do not comprise a very large percentage of cars on the road. What's going to happen when everybody and anybody has their car plugged into the wall and charging, and we are in the middle of summer with the AC blaring at full blast? How is the electric grid going to hold up? See, the problem is, when we have problems with the cars or their infrastructure, the car manufacturers can do something. But now we are talking about a whole different entity, which is the electric companies. They simply cannot keep up if there is all of a sudden an increased demand like that. But I suppose that is not our problem at the moment. That is electric companies' problem. But I want you to take a step back and listen to this. People had problems with a few thousand dollars to replace a hybrid battery after 10-15 years. Before you go and write that big check for that Tesla that's built in the backyard shed, make sure you actually look at the price of these batteries. Yes, they have a long warranty, which is great. I really like that part. So people wouldn't hear this earlier. But before you buy that car and you plan to keep it long, make sure you see it and then find out how much a battery costs for one of these electric cars. Because if you think the battery for the hybrids was bad, that is not even on the same planet. You need to know your facts. And if that's a problem, here's a solution. If you still want the electric car, don't keep it past the warranty, because you do not want to find out what happens when that electric car battery dies. And by the way, this is general information for everybody. On hybrids, when the battery fails, dies, you need to replace it. The car still runs and drives. Horrible gas mileage, horrible power, all kinds of Christmas tree lights under the dash. But it will still start and drive. It will not just become a very expensive paperweight like electric cars. What about hybrids from other manufacturers? You know, many other manufacturers make hybrids and some of them are pretty good. But here's my take on that. If you want to drive the ultimate driving machine and the ultimate empty your bank account, you buy a BMW. If you want to buy the ultimate luxury car that also drills a hole in your bank account, you buy a Mercedes-Benz. If you want to buy a sensible, nice luxury car that makes common sense, that still runs after 15 years, you buy a Lexus. If you want to buy a hybrid, you buy a Toyota. Because they are the originals and they are the pioneers of this technology. Many others might be good and they're great, but you're not buying the best. You're not buying the original. You're buying the second hand. The imitators, the ones that laughed at Toyota when they came out with the hybrid technology, then all of a sudden, wait a second, this is mainstream. They're trying to catch up. So it's really a question of do you want to buy the original or do you want to buy the second, third, best? That's up to you. Folks, when it comes to hybrid technology, Toyota is king. Undisputed king till today and I don't see this changing at any time soon because their hybrid technology is not only very good, it's actually very, very reliable overall. And folks, Toyota hybrids and Lexus hybrids are great cars if you buy them for the right reasons and if they fit your lifestyle. If you've watched this video this long, I really appreciate that. First, second, watch more, learn more, read more articles, understand how these things work, understand what you are buying. The more you know, the better off you are when you go to a dealership before you buy the car and then find out all these things. And then all of a sudden, this car is not right. Now you're not happy. I wish everybody that buys a car is extremely happy with them the day they buy them and even more happy 15 years later. That is my true wish from the bottom of my heart. Folks, if you want to learn how hybrids work behind the scenes and everything else, I do have a full series explaining everything in very simple terms that anybody, you don't have to be a car guy or mechanic to understand, I will leave that link in the description of this video. I hope this video is helpful and informative. I hope you learned something new. If you like it, consider giving it a thumbs up. If you're not a subscriber, consider subscribing to the channel. Check out some of my other videos and until the next video, folks, may the Lord bless you and keep you and you have yourself a wonderful day.