Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co. Ltd. announced on Thailand that it finished 2022 as Thailand’s No.1 seller of electrified (xEV) vehicles, with 26,660 units of hybrids (HEVs) sold.

Honda says it now has a 30 percent market share of Thailand’s xEV market.

Thailand is probably the only market where Honda sells more hybrids than world-leader and hybrid pioneer Toyota. The reason is quite simple, Honda sells a wider range of affordable hybrids than Toyota, at least in Thailand.

Honda Thailand sells 5 e:HEV-badged hybrid models – City sedan, City Hatchback, HR-V, Civic, and Accord.

In contrast, Toyota Motor Thailand’s hybrid offering starts only at the Corolla Altis Hybrid, Corolla Cross Hybrid and C-HR. Apart from these C-segment models, Toyota also sells hybrid variants of the Camry and Alphard.

Over in Malaysia, hybrids contribute around of 10 percent of Honda Malaysia’s sales of their City Hatchback, HR-V, and Civic. The only exception is the City sedan, which is at around 5 percent.

All e:HEV models sold in Thailand are covered by a 10-year warranty/unlimited mileage warranty for the hybrid battery, while the inverter and power control electronics are covered by a 5-year / unlimited mileage warranty.

The coverage is a bit more than Honda Malaysia’s battery-only 8-year/unlimited mileage warranty coverage, but it’s a case of a give-and-take.

Thailand cars are covered by only a basic 3-year/100,000 km warranty, while Honda Malaysia offers a longer 5-year/unlimited mileage warranty, plus 5 alternate free labour for scheduled maintenance.

So it’s a case of choosing between cutting back on coverage for the rest of the car – just 3 years/100,000 km - in return for a more hybrid-focused package, or having a longer coverage for the rest of the car – 5 years / unlimited mileage – while still retaining a very sufficient 8-year/unlimited mileage warranty, but only for the high voltage battery.

At this point, we should also point out that UMW Toyota Motor offers 10-year/unlimited mileage warranty for its Corolla Cross Hybrid, covering not just the high voltage battery but also the inverter, and power management control ECU. However it’s a RM 2,950 option. Without it, the warranty’s duration is 8-years / unlimited mileage, covering the same items.

Also read: Honda HR-V e:HEV RS is a better buy? Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid asks buyers to compare warranty coverage