I’m a regular reader of your Drive section and have a question regarding plug-in hybrid maintenance.
I recently purchased a new Kia Sportage PHEV (May 2025) and do most of my driving here in Winnipeg under EV mode. Despite this, my local Kia dealer is still recommending an oil change every 8,000 kilometres (this can be found on the Kia dealer’s website under service appointment). To me, this feels more like a conventional internal combustion schedule, even though the gas engine isn’t running nearly as much.
Could you provide some guidance on what’s truly necessary for a PHEV like mine? More importantly, would it be possible to get an official response from Kia Canada on oil service intervals for the Sportage PHEV under primarily EV usage, even if the engine oil hasn’t really been used as heavily?
I would appreciate your advice, as it’s hard to know whether the dealer is simply being cautious (or profit-minded) versus what the manufacturer actually requires.
Thank you for your help, and for the excellent Drive coverage each week.
Best regards – Jon W, Winnipeg
This question does seem to be popping up more often now in my day-to-day business dealings. I am not aware of any Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) manufacturer that offers a maintenance schedule that takes into consideration the lower operational time of the internal combustion engine (ICE) within a PHEV.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with a PHEV, this type of vehicle has both an engine as well as a battery-powered electric motor. Unlike a hybrid vehicle where the battery is charged internally from regenerative braking and the engine, the PHEV can be plugged in to an external source for most of its charge. PHEV batteries when fully charged can offer a driving range of anywhere from 30 to 80 kilometers without requiring the engine, which takes over once the batteries are depleted. I agree with you Jon, one would think that if the PHEV’s engine is rarely being used, why does the maintenance schedule follow that of a conventional gas vehicle?
The immediate answer that any dealer service staff is going to relay is that moisture will contaminate the oil regardless of usage and there certainly is truth in that. But the thought that I keep coming back to is that PHEV manufacturers haven’t figured out a way to accurately monitor and calculate the wear and tear on the engine oil/filter products for their PHEV vehicles. So, by default, they revert to a known safe system which is the conventional ICE maintenance schedule.
We reached out to Kia Canada and they recommend the 2025 Sportage PHEV “should have oil changes conducted every 8,000 kilometres or one year, whichever comes first.” They also recommend customer’s follow the guidance in the owner’s manual.
Another thought: let’s say you are in the market for a used PHEV. Are you buying the one that shows a history of oil changes at every manufacturer-specified service interval or the one that has few oil changes erratically timed? We all know the answer to that.
In my opinion and if nothing else, you need to protect the resale value of your vehicle, and that means servicing it according to the current manufacture guidelines.
Lou Trottier is owner-operator of All About Imports in Mississauga. Have a question about maintenance and repair? E-mail globedrive@globeandmail.com, placing “Lou’s Garage” in the subject line.
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