Jump Starting Your Hybrid: A Kiwi Workshop Guide
We see heaps of hybrids roll into the Grimmer Motors workshop from all over Hamilton and the Waikato. Priuses, Honda Insights, Hyundai Ioniqs… Lately, even the odd Subaru XV Hybrid and BYD Atto 3, plus the classics like Nissan Leafs and Suzuki Swifts. They’ll get you from Rototuna to Morrinsville or out to Huntly and back — but even the best can end up with a flat 12 volt. Don’t worry, happens to the best of us, especially with all the stop-start traffic on Ulster Street, or crawling along Te Rapa Road in rush hour.
Hybrids are a bit quirky compared to your old Corolla petrol, so jump starting them is not quite the same. We’ve seen folks try to jump a Toyota Aqua or an Asian import the old way, and end up doing a fair bit of electrical damage. No one wants a trip from Dinsdale just to be told they’ve fried the control unit. So let’s keep this simple and Kiwi: here’s how to jump start your hybrid the right way, whether you’re stuck in foggy winter at The Base or a blazing hot day out towards Cambridge.
Step 1: Get the Cars Lined Up
First job — park the donor car (doesn’t have to be a hybrid, could be your mate’s VW Golf or Mazda Demio) nice and close to your flat hybrid. You want those jumper leads to reach without doing the limbo under the bonnets. Make sure both vehicles are in park and everything’s switched off. Safety first, mate.
Step 2: Find the Positive Terminal
Now, with hybrids — especially Toyotas and Lexus models — the 12 volt battery is normally hidden in the boot. The jump start point, though, is up under the bonnet, usually in the fuse box. Might take a bit of hunting, but look for a red cover or a + symbol. If you’re not sure, have a squiz at your owner’s manual or check out the little diagrams under the fuse box lid. It’s usually buried up the front somewhere.
Step 3: Connect the Jumper Leads Right
Red lead first: Hook one end of the red (positive) jumper cable to the positive battery terminal on the donor car. The other end goes to the positive (+) in the fuse box of your hybrid. Easy as.
Black lead (negative) next: Now, clamp one end of the black cable to the donor car’s negative battery terminal. Don’t put the other end on the flat hybrid’s negative terminal if it’s in the boot, especially in something like a Honda Fit Hybrid or a VW Touareg. That’s asking for trouble — sparks and battery gases can be nasty. Instead, clamp that last end to a solid, bare metal bit in the engine bay. Even the mount for the shock tower is good. Just needs to be unpainted, solid metal.
Here’s a couple of photos for reference:
If you’re using one of those portable jump packs, that’s sweet too, just make sure you still follow the same order for leads.