Hybrids Less Efficient In The Cold - KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News

Hybrids Less Efficient In The Cold

Here's something car dealers won't advertise -- hybrids are less efficient in the winter.

"It's dropped quite a bit," says Amy Shook about her six-month-old Mazda hybrid.  "Oh, I love it."

Her old car got 11 miles to the gallon.  Her new one averages a lot more, only not quite as much lately.

"Well, it used to get about 28 miles to the gallon. Now it's getting in the 25-26 range."

Amy started noticing about two months ago that her SUV was getting fewer miles per gallon.

Other hybrid owners told us the same thing. On average, they saw their mileage drop anywhere from 20-to-30 percent.

"When the weather gets cold, the battery gets cold, which makes the battery lose capacity," says Nick Rothman, a hybrid mechanic.

He says cold weather makes the cars and SUV's less efficient, and he says a lot of hybrid owners have taken notice.

"People think something is wrong with the car, so they like to get it checked out, and we tell people that cold weather can affect mileage," he says.

Amy's service manual doesn't mention the cold weather reducing the fuel efficiency of her Mazda.

Manuals for Honda and Toyota hybrids don't seem to mention cold weather issues either.

"We would have liked to have known all the variables," she says. "We did a lot of research before we bought this vehicle. A lot of research. That's unfortunate and we are paying the price for it."

After about 20 minutes on the road, the hybrid batteries warm up and gas mileage is supposed to return to normal.

Future hybrid models will use a newer battery technology, which is supposed to operate better in cold conditions.