I am looking into getting a 2008 HCH. I would really like to get one because I put on about 25,000 miles a year. My biggest concern is Honda’s 8Year/80,000 mile warranty on the IMA battery. So at my driving rate it would not be under warranty during my 4th year of owning the car. I have heard the Batteries cost around $3,000 to replace and feel that any benefit I get from savings in gas could be lost in replacing the battery.

I am wondering if going with the less MPG EX-L would be a better choice since I can get a 100,000 mile warranty on it… even though that only gets me through the 4th year with repair coverage.

Any thoughts?

 

If you're talking highway driving the EX will get comparable fuel mileage anyway.

 

jripple:

If you are accumulating mostly highway miles, the 8 year warranty on the battery should be less of a concern for you. Under that scenario the battery pack will easily last the life of the car. That is the way it works.

With that said, the Hybrid Civic will still be better than the regular Civic in terms of highway fuel economy and overall cost of operation and ownership.
Not only that, but there are many other reasons that make the Civic Hybrid a better choice: MUCH lower pollution, less mechanical wear, more quiteness and a smother powertrain, and certainly a better resale value when the time comes.



Cheers;

MSantos

 

The battery in the HCH is used pretty conservatively and has proven very reliable in the early CVT equipped Civics. There is not much chance you will need to replace it in the first 100,000 miles, and it should last a lot longer than that. Think about it like this, your engine is warrantied for 60,000 miles but Honda engines fequently run into the 300,000 range--why wouldn't they be conservative on the hybrid warranty too?

Even so, let's get down to the numbers (I'm an analyst so everything is numbers). If you drive 100,000 miles, and that is all highway driving, using the EPA 36mpg for the EX-L and $3.50/g, you will spend $9,722 on gas during that 100,000 miles. With the HCH at 45mpg, you will spend $7,778 in gas--a savings of $1,944 over the EX-L. If your driving is in the city or on heavy traffic highways, the EPA 40mpg HCH will save you $5,250 over the 25mpg EX-L.

Since most people drive a mix of city and highway, you could probably average those two numbers which would be a $3,600 savings in gas for the Hybrid. Raise the price of gas to a more realistic $4.50/g (since we're talking the next 4 years) and that average rises to $4,650. So, even if you did need to replace the battery, you would still be coming out ahead, but if you don't replace the battery, you would REALLY be coming out ahead.

Besides, those are just the EPA numbers. If you are able to get 50+ mpg in the city and highway (like many people here do in their HCHs), that will really throw the numbers!

 

I agree with the others but as well, you can get an extended warranty if you are really worried. I got a 120k mile warranty for about $900 and it does cover the IMA battery.

 

The other thing to consider is that some states consider the hybrid system (battery included) as part of the emissions system...and mandate a 10-year 150000 mile warranty. I doubt Honda is putting 'special' batteries in Hybrids for those particular states. While the warranty may not cover us 'regular' state owners at 10 years or 150000 miles, we can at least be assured that the system is designed to work at least that long. Your mileage my vary.

 

Thanks for all the input. Just to give some background I drive 85 miles a day 70 of which is at highway speeds. Also I think the climate plays a factor in MPG and I live in Florida so it gets HOT here, but that is going to affect both cars... so temp is probably isn't a factor.

I looked into warranties form WarrantyDirect.com and they would not cover the IMA battary. So clyde2575 did you get your warranty through Honda?

 

Temperature DOES play a huge factor. I have gotten as high as 78mpg on my 10 mile commute home in 90 degree temps (without A/C) but I can only eek out 45mpg in 30 degree temps. The warmer it is, the easier it is for the battery to charge/assist, and the quicker the car will go into autostop in the city portion of your drive.

Since you will certainly be using A/C in Florida, that will cause you a hit, but like you say, it will hit you in either car.

Regarding the warranty, we got a Honda warranty for what we thought was a fair $1,990 for 100,000 miles. However, after finding this site, someone showed me a place online to get the same genuine HondaCare warranty for ~$1,000. Searching would help you find that link. After hearing several horror stories about third party warranties, I would only consider a manufacturer's extended warranty...

 

I have also heard that they expect the cost of the battery to decrease yearly as Hybrids become more popular. Not sure of the validity of this, of course, but it sounds nice!

 

Also consider in 8-12 years when your battery needs replacing the cost will likely be much lower as Economies of Scale grow.