Hybrid and Electric Car Care: How to Protect Your Mileage and Range in Every Season

Hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars are now a common sight on American roads.

They use less fuel than most gas-only cars, but they still respond to how you drive and care for them.

Some habits matter even more for these cars than for conventional ones.

Cold weather, air conditioning and hard braking all affect them in specific ways.

This guide gathers the official advice from FuelEconomy.gov.

That site is run by Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Know which kind of car you have

  • Hybrid: a gas engine and an electric motor work together. The battery charges while you drive, and you never plug it in.
  • Plug-in hybrid: a larger battery that you charge from an outlet. It can drive some distance on electricity before the gas engine takes over.
  • Electric vehicle: runs only on electricity from its battery, charged at home or at a charging station.

Most tips below apply to all three.

A few are marked for plug-in models only.

Start with the owner's manual

These vehicles vary a lot in design.

FuelEconomy.gov notes that they manage energy use in different ways.

A tip that helps one model may not apply to another.

The automaker knows how to operate and maintain your car for the best fuel economy, range and battery life.

So the owner's manual is the first place to look, especially for charging and battery advice.

Brake gently and let regeneration work

Hybrids and electric cars can recover energy when they slow down.

This is called regenerative braking.

The system takes energy from the car's forward motion and stores it as electricity.

Hard braking makes the car use its conventional friction brakes instead.

Those brakes do not recover any energy.

The fix is simple: look ahead and anticipate stops.

Ease off early and brake gently or moderately.

Smooth driving helps any car, but it pays off twice in a hybrid or electric car.

Use the economy mode

Many of these cars have an economy mode or a similar setting.

It is often turned on with a single button.

The mode may limit acceleration and other aspects of performance to save energy.

For daily commuting, that trade-off is usually easy to live with.

Keep the battery charged (plug-in models)

For a plug-in hybrid, a charged battery means more miles on electricity and fewer on gas.

That saves fuel and money.

For an electric car, a charged battery means more driving range.

Check your owner's manual for the best charging habits for your model.

On a long trip, plan your charging stops in advance.

The Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center has information on public charging stations.

Accessories cost more than you think

Heating, air conditioning and entertainment systems lower fuel economy in every car.

FuelEconomy.gov says the effect can be greater on hybrids and electric cars.

In an electric car, the heater draws from the same battery that moves the car.

One useful trick is to pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin while the car is still plugged in.

FuelEconomy.gov says this can extend the electric range of a plug-in hybrid or electric car.

Winter: expect a bigger drop

Cold weather hurts every car's efficiency, but hybrids and electric cars feel it more.

Here is what FuelEconomy.gov reports for cold conditions around 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Gas cars: city gas mileage is roughly 15% lower than at 77 degrees. It can drop as much as 24% on short trips of 3 to 4 miles.
  • Hybrids: fuel economy can drop about 30% to 34% under the same conditions.
  • Electric cars: efficiency can drop roughly 39% in mixed driving, and range can drop by 41%.

About two-thirds of the extra energy an electric car uses in the cold goes to heating the cabin.

Without the cabin heater, the loss is much smaller.

In that case, efficiency is about 8% lower and range about 12% lower at 20 degrees.

Cold also makes batteries perform worse.

That reduces how well regenerative braking works in hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars.

Winter habits that help

  • Park in a garage or another warmer place when you can.
  • Pre-heat the cabin while the car is still plugged in.
  • In a plug-in hybrid or electric car, use the seat warmers instead of the cabin heater when possible.
  • Combine short trips so the car runs cold less often.
  • Check tire pressure regularly, since it drops in cold weather.
  • Remove roof racks when you are not using them.

Summer: go easy on the air conditioning

Hot weather has its own trade-offs.

According to FuelEconomy.gov, air conditioning is the main reason fuel economy drops in the heat.

In very hot conditions, it can cut a conventional car's fuel economy by more than 25%, especially on short trips.

The effect on hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars can be even larger on a percentage basis.

Summer habits that help

  • Park in the shade or use a sunshade.
  • Open the windows briefly to let hot air out before turning on the air conditioning.
  • Pre-cool the cabin while the car is plugged in.
  • Choose a warmer temperature setting to use less battery power.
  • Roll the windows down at lower speeds and use the air conditioning at highway speeds.

The basics still matter

A hybrid or electric car still has tires, brakes and a maintenance schedule.

FuelEconomy.gov's advice on keeping your vehicle in shape applies here too.

Keeping tires at the right pressure can improve gas mileage by about 0.6% on average.

In some cases, the gain reaches 3%.

Properly inflated tires are also safer and last longer.

Follow the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual.

Extra weight and roof cargo boxes cost energy in any car, so carry only what you need.

A quick checklist

  • Read the owner's manual for charging and battery advice.
  • Anticipate stops and brake gently.
  • Try the economy mode for daily driving.
  • Keep plug-in models charged.
  • Pre-heat or pre-cool while the car is plugged in.
  • Prefer seat warmers to the cabin heater in winter.
  • Check tire pressure regularly.

Small habits add up.

Over a year, they can mean noticeably more miles from every gallon or every charge.

Sources and Further Reading