Is the hybrid battery working propery?

[Dee71]

Hi all. After a lot of deliberation, I've decided to buy a used C-HR hybrid. I've test driven 3 so far, including a lovely looking Dynamic 17 plate in nebula blue, today. When driving that car, it sounded as though the petrol engine kicked in as soon as I accelerated, whereas on the others I've driven, I could definitely tell the electric Battery was powering the car at slow speeds. The salesman (not a toyota dealership) said he thinks it's down to the car not being driven for a while and so the Battery wasn't charged. I don't know enough about the icons that appeared on the dash or console to know if this was correct, but the chassis graphic on the console showed the Battery as being about 75% charged. The colour of the lines moving from the engine to/from the wheels on the chassis graphic were more red and amber, than green, as well. Sorry for the long post, but grateful for any advice or thoughts. Cheers

[yossarian247]

There are various factors which will make the petrol engine kick in more often, such as the ambient temp and climate control settings. I notice the engine running a lot more on ours in the recent colder weather. ISTR that having the front screen demist setting selected will make the petrol engine run immediately from cold for example. Its worth searching this forum for info as much applies across other Toyota hybrid models too.

[Dee71]

Thanks @yossarian247, that's really helpful. I noticed the AC was on in the car when I took it out.