Do we need to change oil regularly in a hybrid car?

[Avi G]

My dad has a Toyota Corolla space 2019.

He asked me, "if the car is running on the electric motor most of the time (under my dad's use, inside the city), why do I need to change the oil every 15 km, if the petrol engine did less km?"

Do any of you know?

Is there a way to know the actual km of the petrol engine?

Thanks in advance!

[FROSTYBALLS]

If the car is based in the UK, as per your profile, the UK service intervals are 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever occurs first. If outside the UK the service intervals are 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

If the car covers less than the specified number of miles/kilometers in a 12 month period, a service is due based on time (ie every 12 months). Most manufacturers specify a time basis or mileage basis for servicing. The amount of time a car spends in EV or ICE mode doesn't affect the service schedule/requirement.

If you don't adhere to the required service schedule and intervals, there could be an adverse effect on the warranty and when reselling the car, as you will have an incomplete service history..

 

[Catlover]

A I, my Prius shows a screen that tells you what %age of the time I running in EV mode. During the summer this could be 60-70% of the time, winter about 40-45% of the time.  Normally I do approx 7500 miles yearly, so we’ll below the 10,000 miles max before a service. Add to that the amount of time the engine not turning probably means the engine has travelled the equivalent of say 4800 miles. Due to the pandemic this will be down to approx 2000 miles, but I still have to have a service every 12 months or 10000 miles whichever comes sooner, and it’s always at the 12 month point. Just got to suck it.        
Just got to trust even with the car doing less the 3000 per year they do change oil/filter, as they will charge for it.          
I would put a deep scratch on the oil filter but can’t see the thing.

[Mikw]

I paid £25 quid for a litre of 0w-8 oil for my 2020 Yaris, this price means i will only change oil at the recommended service intervals and not more often.....

[TonyHSD]

Oil and filter changes are most important service on any car with internal combustion engine. Toyota service schedule as mentioned is calculated on basis that the car is hybrid and given time or mileage should be followed. Engine oil gets deteriorated with time even with minimal use (1000 miles per year ) and especially on cars that are driven on short town trips never skip oil service or extend time intervals. You can never change oil at all for 40k miles or 3-4 years and then you will just need to change the engine 😂, is all up to you. Engine oil has a shelf life of 5 years on label, in practice you can even use oil that been in storage for well over that period but once poured into the engine and car been used the oil should be replaced every 12 months or 10k miles. 

 

[Mitsos_Hybrid]

 

[Gray86]

Another point to note - starting and stopping the engine frequently, and oil temps going up & down a lot due to lots of engine-off (EV) running puts a lot of strain on the oil so even though the engine isn’t running as much, the oil is still getting some abuse. 
 

Think of this like those variable service plans on some cars - up to 20k miles if you only do long motorway commutes, or 10k miles / 12 months if you do lots of stop/start town driving. 

[TonyHSD]

56 minutes ago, Gray86 said:

Another point to note - starting and stopping the engine frequently, and oil temps going up & down a lot due to lots of engine-off (EV) running puts a lot of strain on the oil so even though the engine isn’t running as much, the oil is still getting some abuse. 
 

Think of this like those variable service plans on some cars - up to 20k miles if you only do long motorway commutes, or 10k miles / 12 months if you do lots of stop/start town driving. 

Absolutely 👍

I usually do a lots of motorway trips, maybe 70% of my total driving and I do 10k miles service. I know I can prolong the intervals as all that mileage been done within 2-3 months, I am out of any manufacturer warranty and even so I prefer oil change on time, never skipped any service schedule., and I am almost out of space for stamps in my service book 😂. 

[Mitsos_Hybrid]

After watching a lot of videos from the Car Care Nut I decided to change my engine oil every 6 months. 75% of my miles are made in short distances and in heavy traffic conditions. I only cover 6-8.000 miles per year. Hybrids don't pay road taxes in Greece, so the money I shave from there will go for oil changes.

[Rambler56]

I avoid short journeys (in or out of lockdown) where the engine does not get up to working temperature and will happily take a detour to get it warmed up.  Stick to the service schedule as a minimum, change oil earlier by all means, but always do regular POL checks (Petrol/Oil/Liquids).  My wife, by the way, thinks the levels are topped up by magic!