‘My jaw dropped’: Car owner shocked by $20,000 price tag to replace hybrid battery

PHOENIX (Gray News/KPHO) - An Arizona car owner says he was shocked when he heard how much it would cost to replace a battery in his hybrid vehicle.

Lucas Turner told KPHO that he recently took his 2014 Infiniti hybrid to a dealership for a check engine light.

He said he knew something was wrong but wasn’t expecting it to be this bad.

“They told me that I need a new hybrid battery and it’s going to cost $18,000 for the battery and another $2,000 to have it installed,” Turner said.

The hybrid car owner said his vehicle has less than 70,000 miles on it and the entire car was purchased for $16,000.

“My jaw dropped with them wanting $20,000 just for a battery,” he said. “It makes no sense in my mind.”

According to Nerdwallet, the cost to replace a hybrid battery typically ranges between $1,000 and $8,000, depending on the make and model of the vehicle.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that [Turner] could find a less expensive battery from another source,” said Karl Brauer, an analyst for iSeeCars.

Electric and hybrid vehicle batteries are warrantied for eight years or 100,000 miles.

According to Brauer, the batteries regularly last much longer.

“It’s not uncommon for these batteries to last 15-plus years and more than 150,000 miles,” Brauer said.

Car experts say to make sure to get the battery checked on a used vehicle before purchasing it.

“That should be part of the pre-purchase inspection, which you should always do when you’re buying a used car,” Brauer said. “Checking the battery is the first step. They should use that as a negotiation point and research potential replacement costs.”

Turner’s car technically still runs, but he doesn’t know how much longer it will last without the costly repair.

“So, $20,000 or a pile of scrap metal in my driveway,” he said.

Turner said Infiniti has since offered him a 50% discount on the battery replacement while he is still deciding his next move.

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