A story circulating in the UK media and online has put a question mark over the second hand value of certain hybrid vehicles, as it appears the cost of replacing the battery could be higher than the value of the vehicle. 

Ranjit Singh from Leicester was a lifelong Mercedes customer and 4 years ago bought a 2014 used Mercedes E300 Hybrid form a local dealership. When the car recently developed issues he was told by the dealership that the battery had reached the end of its service life and would need replacement. The cost of a replacement battery was estimated at £15,000, plus labour, much more than the car is now worth.  

While costs of replacement on some model is much lower and reconditioning is also available for many older Hybrid batteries, anecdotal evidence indicates that some hybrid drivers in Ireland have faced similar issues and that this is a growing problem. These manufacturers say that information is provided to customers at the time of vehicle purchase and that batteries are certified for a set time. However, it appears that once this time has elapsed the vehicle owner is in uncharted water and could be faced with a major bill if a problem develops.