What to do if…
your plug-in hybrid has a fault mode or reduced power warning

What to do now

1. Secure the car where it is. Put it in Park, or neutral with the parking brake fully on if that is what your vehicle requires. Keep the key with you if you leave the vehicle, but do not move close to traffic to retrieve it.

2. Make the vehicle visible. Use hazard warning lights if the car is causing an obstruction, is on a hard shoulder or emergency area, is close to moving traffic, or visibility is poor. If it is dark or visibility is poor, use sidelights too.

3. Choose the safest waiting position.

   • On a motorway or high-speed road: if it is safe, leave by the side furthest from traffic and get well away from the vehicle, behind a barrier if there is one. Do not stand between the vehicle and traffic.
   • If you cannot safely get out or get away from the vehicle: stay in the vehicle, keep seat belts on, keep hazard warning lights on, and call 999 asking for the police. Use the SOS or eCall button if the car has one.
   • In a car park, quiet street, or other genuinely low-traffic place: stay with the vehicle only if you feel safe there.
   • In a lay-by or anywhere close to moving traffic: move to a safer waiting place if you can do that without stepping into danger.

4. Check for urgent warning cues. Look for messages such as Stop safely, temperature warnings, smoke, steam, burning smells, hissing, leaking fluid, unusual heat, or visible damage near the battery area.

   • If any of these are present, move people away from the vehicle and call 999.
   • Do not open high-voltage covers or inspect underneath the vehicle.

5. Follow the display or handbook, not guesswork. If the screen or handbook gives a safe shutdown instruction, follow that. If it suggests switching the vehicle fully off and on once, do that only if there are no urgent warning cues. If the warning or reduced-power mode remains, stop trying and treat it as not fit to drive.

6. Call for professional help. Contact your breakdown provider, insurer’s recovery line, lease company, or manufacturer assistance. Say clearly: “plug-in hybrid, fault mode, reduced power, not safe to drive.” Ask whether the vehicle needs flatbed recovery or any manufacturer-specific handling.

7. Use motorway location help if relevant. If you are on a motorway and can safely reach a free emergency telephone, use it because it identifies your location. If using a mobile, give the motorway name, direction, nearest junction, marker post, driver location sign, or mapping location. In England, for National Highways advice and assistance when you have stopped in an emergency area, lay-by, or on the hard shoulder, call 0300 123 5000 when it is safe to do so.

8. Reduce high-voltage risk while waiting. Keep people away from orange cables, exposed wiring, damaged battery areas, and charging equipment. Put on a high-vis jacket if you have one and can reach it without moving into danger.