Quick look:
- With today’s hybrid battery packs much improved over the earlier ones, Honda Malaysia can confidently give a 10-year warranty without any mileage limit.
- The extended warranty includes older i-DCD models and is transferable to the next owner if the cars is sold off.
The history of the modern hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is inextricably linked to Honda and Toyota. In the 1990s, long before electrified powertrains were considered seriously in the auto industry as a viable solution towards reducing toxic exhaust emissions and increasing fuel efficiency, these two automakers believed strongly in it.
From IMA to e:HEV
While Toyota gained early fame with the Prius HEV, Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system established the brand as a pioneer in delivering fuel efficiency paired with driver engagement. Honda would continue to advance the technology, reducing costs so it would be accessible to more, and today offers HEV technology – which it calls e:HEV – across its range of vehicles.
As with the evolution of any technology, the early period will see technical issues and Honda worked hard to eliminate them one by one, building customer confidence in the technology.
The lifespan of the hybrid batteries was one issue and the technology was constantly improving. Battery life was (and still is, to some extent) unpredictable. Battery life is affected by a number of factors which can’t be controlled by the manufacturer. Driving style, operating temperatures, and recharging cycles are all variable from owner to owner. Even from the early hybrids, the claim was a service life of up to 10 years and since then, battery technology has advanced a lot.
Honda Malaysia was the first to introduce a HEV model – the Civic Hybrid – for general sale in Malaysia in 2005. There were no incentives then by the government but it was made available to those who were keen on driving with new technology.
Cost of hybrid battery packs
It was then that the matter of battery reliability and lifespan came up, and at that time, the hybrid battery was an expensive item. People were used to a car battery costing a few hundred ringgit but the bigger battery pack for a HEV cost thousands.
This was a concerning factor for buyers and to give peace of mind, Honda Malaysia offered a separate 5-year (or 140,000 kms) warranty on the battery pack.
Over time, as battery reliability improved, automakers have lengthened the warranty and today, Honda Malaysia has announced that its hybrid battery warranty for all e:HEV models sold by authorised dealers will be a full 10 years. The owner will enjoy that full length of time because there is no limit on mileage travelled after first registration.
That’s certainly a strong sign of confidence Honda has in the quality and reliability of the battery, underlining its ‘Hybrid Done Right’ initiative.
Older i-DCD models also included
Unlike typical industry updates that only target buyers of new vehicles, Honda Malaysia has retroactively applied this benefit. Existing owners of current e:HEV models and previous generation i-DCD vehicles, such as the Jazz, City, and HR-V Hybrids, will also see their battery coverage increased from the original 8 years to 10 years.
![Honda Jazz Hybrid [2017]](https://www.motaauto.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Honda-Jazz-Hybrid-2017-1.jpg)
Warranty transferable
A critical aspect of this warranty coverage is that the remaining period is transferable to the next owner if the vehicle is sold off. Not all companies are so generous and some may offer an extra-long warranty – but only to the first owner.
This move is expected to have a stabilizing effect on the resale value of Honda’s e:HEV models, which has historically been a concern for buyers wary of out-of-warranty battery replacement costs.
