Should I cancel my Yaris order?

[Neptuneblue]

Hi all, I’ve a Yaris premiere hatchback on order. Due to be delivered beginning of June. 

I owned a mark 1 d4d and loved the car (it saved my life in a major accident) and like the look of the new Yaris and the economy appeals greatly. My current Kia Sportage HEV is too big so is being sold. I have zero issues with batteries in the Kia.

I’ve been trying to read the Battery threads and at 95+ pages long on one thread alone plus other threads this flat Battery issue has me majorly concerned!

I do 8000 miles per year but typically through the winter months this will be down to 2 x 6 mile journeys to work and home Monday to Friday then probably no use on the weekend. Mileage approx 70 per week.

Spring/ summer my mileage increases greatly as my wife and I will be driving all over on weekends. However, I may decide not to drive to work and cycle for a week (fair weather cyclist😉).

I appreciate a lot of you seem quite happy to charge your batteries via various methods but I absolutely will not be prepared to do this in the year 2024. I’m genuinely amazed at how prevalent the issue is! 
I would be prepared to buy a new Battery (yuassa?) if this completely removed the issue of a potential flat battery.

So, my question is:

Should I cancel my order and buy something else? I’m a cash buyer and will lose £495 deposit.

[CPN]

In a word, no. You'll be buying one of the best small full hybrids on the market in my opinion.

I have only done half of your mileage per year in mine over the last 3 and a half years and have never had a failed start once. (...and have never needed to use a booster to start it either)

[hind]

As always, "it depends". If you like the car you ordered, keep it and use it. Buy the jump start just in case. If the Battery fails, change it to Yuasa. If that one fails too, just sell the car. 

Also remember that mileage means nothing. Only time when the car is on. 

[Roy124]

Ken, many hybrids suffer from 12v Battery drainage.   Go to any make user forum and have a look.

There are different  solutions and I think the Toyota solution is one of the less satisfactory ones.

My neighbour has a Kia and tells me there is a recovery procedure.   I believe Tesla also has a recovery system. 

Regarding your deposit,  two possibilities suggest themselves.  Discuss your doubts with your Toyota dealer and how your car will not be fit for purpose.   The other is to approach Kia as a returning customer and a £500 sweetener would seal a deal.

[Neptuneblue]

4 minutes ago, CPN said:

In a word, no. You'll be buying one of the best small full hybrids on the market in my opinion.

I have only done half of your mileage per year in mine over the last 3 and a half years and have never had a failed start once. (...and have never needed to use a booster to start it either)

It’s good to hear someone hasn’t had an issue. Thanks 👍

[Roy124]

Despite my suggestion, like CPN I have had no issues YET. I am a higher mileage user, love my Cross, and cannot easily be cajoled to a different make.

[Bper]

Hi Ken,there are online discussions about the 12v Battery in the Yaris draining faster than expected, especially on short trips.This might be a concern for your winter driving pattern short commutes.You say you typically do 8,000 miles a year, with more driving in spring/summer. and your concerned about short winter commutes leading to a dead Battery, Replacing with a higher capacity Battery might help, but confirm any compatibility with your dealer. Some owners use solar chargers or trickle chargers, but you say you would prefer to avoid this.

I would discuss your concerns with the dealer about the battery and your driving habits. They might be aware of the issue and offer solutions like a larger battery during purchase.

 The Yaris is a really good car with good fuel economy and might suit your needs outside winter. The potential battery issue and lost deposit are downsides.If it was me i would go ahead with the purchase . hope this helps.

[Jimota]

I’ve owned my Yaris Cross for just over 15 months and have 5000 miles on the clock.  Despite staying abroad for months at a time and my car parked outside exposed to the elements, I’ve never had a problem with the Battery.  I did however, arrange for my son to periodically put the car into ready mode which seems to alleviate some of the issues other members have experienced.

[MikeSh]

56 minutes ago, Neptuneblue said:

Mileage approx 70 per week.

As it's a commute can we assume averaging 35mph? In which case it will be in Ready mode for at least 2 hours a week and never left more than a few days unused. I'd think that should be fine.

And you can buy a couple of new batteries with the £495 you'll save 🙂

[Big_D]

Our Yaris has done 4500 in 16 months. Never had an issue with the Battery

[Jimota]

Can’t comment on the various Battery chargers that are available but I think it’s a good idea to carry a jump booster pack.  I’ve always carried one since moving to automatic cars as you can’t bump start them like you can with a manual.

[Neptuneblue]

Many thanks for the replies, it really does help a lot to hear of people with no issues.

I will keep the order and look forward to the car arriving. 👍

[mr_blibby]

Nothing get easier does it 🤦‍♂️.... 30 options on the tumble dryer, thats if it hasnt told you told you clean the fluff filter via the app, 20 button combinations on the dishwasher and nobody uses 18 of them ....is it just me or is anyone else hankering for things that just have an ON/OFF button and maybe a calendar reminder to replace the bag on the hoover every 6 months ?

[Bernard Foy]

I'm on my fourth Yaris Hybrid and in the first three of them I was doing only around 3-4 thousand km per only doing journeys of about 5km 3 times per week and never had a bother summer or winter. My present one was sitting unmoved in the dealership for two months was charged up the day before collection and not a bother with the car. So if you like the car buy it is my advice and with your driving schedule you won't have a days bother. Good luck you cannot buy a better small car. 

[MikeSh]

54 minutes ago, mr_blibby said:

things that just have an ON/OFF button

I prefer a toggle switch. You can find it AND know whether it is (or you are going to make it) on or off without looking at it or having an indicator lamp.

[Jules88]

If you're not going to drive the car for any prolonged amount of time, you can leave the car on in READY mode at home or wherever safe parked for about 30 mins to 1 hour. Think of it as like charging an electric car. The ICE will kick in to keep the engine warm if necessary.

I left mine over Christmas for 3 days and it did fail to start on the 4th day, but since topping up my regular driving with a ready mode run here and there, its been fine so far *touch wood*

[hind]

Taking aside Turkish batteries and low capacities, charging the Battery with a charger helps to prolong its life and ensure best performance in any car, not only hybrid

[TonyHSD]

If me I will not cancel my order based on others bad experience with batteries. 
Deposit is given so let be it.  
Also I will not change the Battery before it goes bad and will not buy any extra gear like solar panels or jump starters. A good quality smart charger is a good investment for these moments when we don’t drive often or as part of the careful owner maintenance equipment.
That’s all. 

[Countryside]

10 hours ago, Jimota said:

I’ve owned my Yaris Cross for just over 15 months and have 5000 miles on the clock.  Despite staying abroad for months at a time and my car parked outside exposed to the elements, I’ve never had a problem with the battery.  I did however, arrange for my son to periodically put the car into ready mode which seems to alleviate some of the issues other members have experienced.

How long and often did he put it in ready mode while you were abroad ?

[Countryside]

10 hours ago, Big_D said:

Our Yaris has done 4500 in 16 months. Never had an issue with the battery

That’s great news 

[Countryside]

5 hours ago, Jules88 said:

If you're not going to drive the car for any prolonged amount of time, you can leave the car on in READY mode at home or wherever safe parked for about 30 mins to 1 hour. Think of it as like charging an electric car. The ICE will kick in to keep the engine warm if necessary.

I left mine over Christmas for 3 days and it did fail to start on the 4th day, but since topping up my regular driving with a ready mode run here and there, its been fine so far *touch wood*

How long and often do you put it in ready mode ?

[Andrew56]

My Yaris is now nearly two years old and I do about seven to eight thousand miles per year. However this is concentrated in long journeys and being retired with most of the rest of the time comparatively local trips. The car can sit on my drive for days at a time although I am wary about leaving it for more than a week without using ready mode. So far I've experienced no issues, but I agree the information in the long thread is concerning.  Someone who buys a new car does not expect to have to mess around with chargers/solar  panels etc.

[Countryside]

That’s great news James 

[chazbri]

Had a Yaris Cross for 2 years and covered around 7000 miles in that time never having a Battery issue. I part exchanged it for another Cross that's 2 months old now and have travelled 600 miles without a problem. Usually my journeys are short with the occasional 100 mile one but I think the car will be in ready mode for at least an hour each week. The amount of time  in ready mode seems to be the important thing according to advice from both Toyota and this forum.

[Jimota]

6 hours ago, Countryside said:

How long and often did he put it in ready mode while you were abroad ?

He was supposed to do it every week but the longest period between charges was nearly 2 weeks.  He also told me that it was put it into ready mode for at least an hour but as he is an impatient individual I suspect it was slightly less.  Anyway, no problems were encountered.