Owning a hybrid car or SUV is a great way your transportation costs and reduce the emissions the car puts in the air. Like gas-powered cars, hybrids do require some regular maintenance, so you should follow the vehicle manufacturing guidelines, but here are some general suggestions from auto repair and maintenance shops that might help.

Oil Changes

Your hybrid may have a small gasoline engine in it, but the engine is there and needs an oil change from time to time. It is important to remember that the engine in your hybrid car is not running as often as it would if it did not also have an electric motor in it. Because of that, the mileage for oil changes is a little different.

Most manufacturers recommend five thousand miles on the odometer for oil and filter changes, but a few say you can allow ten thousand between changes. The interval is something you need to talk to the tech at the auto repair shop you use or at the dealer about. The tech working on your car will have a better handle on the car's conditioning and when it needs to be maintained. If you are using synthetic oil in the engine, it may be able to go even further between oil and filter changes, but follow the manufacturer's recommendation if you are not sure. 

Brakes and Tires

Tire rotations are still an essential part of vehicle maintenance and should always be part of a seventy-five hundred mile service. The car is still being driven, and the tires will still wear, so have them checked on time and rotated to get the most life out of them.

The brakes on most hybrids will also need care, but the regenerative charging that is common on these cars can reduce brake wear because it slows the car with the resistance of the regen motors. I the brakes have not been serviced in more than seventy-five hundred miles, it is time to take the vehicle to an auto repair shop and have them check the brakes for you. 

Vehicle Fluids and Other Parts

What's left to maintain on the car, you might ask. There are still the light bulbs that will need checking, the coolant, and the other fluids like the washer fluid that still need checking and topped up from time to time. Taking your car into an auto repair shop for regular checks should always be part of the process, but the maintenance is often lower cost on these cars, and they run longer as well.