Water and oil don’t mix, neither do water and electricity. Short of driving an amphibious vehicle, cars are not boats (or submarines). At the same time, flash floods are becoming more common, a combination of climate change and unchecked urban development.

The recently announced Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid will be locally-assembled in Bukit Raja, with an estimated price of RM 137k.

Compared to the regular combustion engine Corolla Cross 1.8G and 1.8V variants, how well does the 1.8 Hybrid handle flooded roads?

Yes the Corolla Cross is not an all- or four-wheel drive vehicle. It’s still front-wheel driven, just like most SUVs on sale today. However, it’s still an SUV that enjoys the benefit of having a higher ground clearance than a sedan or a hatchback.

To be specific, the Corolla Cross Hybrid has a 161 mm high ground clearance, identical to the regular combustion engine 1.8G and 1.8V variants.   

Also read: 900 mm wading depth! Top 5 best cars for driving through floods in Malaysia

To answer the question, the hybrid variant does not perform any poorer (or better) than its traditionally-powered twins.

The general rule of thumb remains though, do not drive over flooded roads when the water level is higher than the car’s ground clearance, or if you can’t be certain of the water’s depth and road surface conditions underneath - Is the road caved in? Is the sewer’s manhole cover pushed away?

Toyota hybrids are designed to be driven just like any regular car, and that also means that it can be driven on the same road conditions as other similar class vehicles.

If the car is stranded by rising flood waters, will occupants be electrocuted?  

We posed this question to UMW Toyota Motor and the answer is no, because all Toyota hybrids’ high voltage and battery parts are tightly sealed and even in the unfortunate event that flood water does enter the car, the high voltage system immediately shuts down.

The company shared with us the demonstration video below, showing that the hybrid system remained safe even when water is deliberately splashed into an uncovered battery pack, a very extreme scenario no owner will subject the vehicle to.

If you are wondering if the repair cost will be exorbitant, actually it’s not much difference from repairing any flooded combustion engine car. 

Unless it’s an extremely severe case, usually the only additional hybrid model-specific repair task for a flood-damaged hybrid is a safety diagnostic check before resetting the system. That's it.

Of course, this is not say that repairs will be cheap, which is why flood insurance is highly recommended.

While the battery pack and high voltage components are sealed, other electronic parts like engine and body control units - which are shared with regular non-hybrid models - are not water proof and those will need to be replaced, just like any other car.

Also read: Don't drive through flooded roads with your air-cond on, here's why

Regardless of what car you drive, flood repairs are never cheap so you should check if your motor insurance covers against flood. The point is that the outcome with a Toyota hybrid will be the same as that of any regular Toyota.

Also read: Pick-up trucks are not invincible in floods, here are 10 tips for driving through water

In over 10 years that Toyota hybrids have been on sale in Malaysia, the company’s authorized service centres have successfully repaired many flood-damaged Camry Hybrid, Prius, and Prius c models.

Also read: Buying used cars: 6 signs of flood damage