I have a 2024 Escape with 7950 km on it. Out of those, less than 1500 km were on the engine during two trips outside the city. The rest of the time, it’s been running electric.
The Ford service advisor says it’s time for an oil change, but the maintenance schedule mentions the first visit at 16,000 km. I feel like the people selling or servicing these cars often don’t fully understand hybrids and EVs. Sometimes, they seem to be spreading incorrect information.
For those of you driving PHEVs, how often are you changing the oil? Is there any common advice, or is it all just guesswork? At this rate, 16,000 km of engine use might take me 4–5 years. Should I change it sooner?
We’re at 14,500 km and haven’t changed it yet. The system says it won’t need one until May. About 10,000 km of that has been electric, so the engine’s barely been used.
Charlie said:
I just follow the car’s oil change reminder. It seems to account for everything.
This is the way to go. The car monitors time, mileage, and engine use to let you know when it’s due. My dealer keeps pushing for oil changes every 3,000 km, but it’s unnecessary and a waste of money.
I have the same car and live in a mild climate on the west coast. Our first oil change was at a similar mileage, but only about 1250 km was not electric. It had been over a year, so I figured it was time.
You can safely do oil changes yearly. The manual even says for PHEVs/HEVs you don’t need to follow mileage limits but instead go by the oil life monitor or a one-year interval.
Since most Escape PHEV owners drive mostly in electric mode, the oil doesn’t degrade quickly. Short trips, however, can cause moisture to build up in the oil, especially in winter. Check under the oil cap for a white pudding-like substance. If you see it, run the engine for 30 minutes in gas mode to burn off the moisture.
If you don’t use the engine much, the oil life display just tracks time. I did my first oil change after a year and made sure to run the engine a bit beforehand to keep it in good condition.
I’ve put about 4000 km on the engine so far. I plan to change the oil at 5000 km for the first time, then every 8000 km after that. Oil changes are cheap compared to what the car costs.
Edwardgenesis said:
I’ve put about 4000 km on the engine so far. I plan to change the oil at 5000 km for the first time, then every 8000 km after that. Oil changes are cheap compared to what the car costs.
How do you track how many km are on the engine? I can only estimate based on highway trips.
@Giovanni
I use the trip meter. My car’s total is at 13,500 km, and Trip 1 says 9400 km electric. When it hits 10,000, I’ll note it down and track it from there. Ford really should make this easier by including totals instead of resetting every 10,000 km.
I change mine once a year. I live in a humid area and have heard of PHEVs having condensation issues with the oil. It can show up as a milky film under the oil cap if the engine isn’t used enough. Changing the oil regularly is cheap insurance.
Dealership advisors and salespeople often don’t know much about these vehicles. When I asked about this, they just told me the app would notify me. Later, I realised…