The pioneering Insight hits the 8-year mark

The original gas-electric hybrid car to be sold in the U.S., the Honda Insight, is having a senior moment that could predict the future for all those hybrids that followed.

When the revolutionary little Insight went on sale eight years ago as a 2000 model, Honda said the expensive battery pack and electric motor would last for the life of the car.

Pinned down about what that meant, Honda said eight to 10 years.

That window just opened. The view looks OK, despite some battery problems that bear watching.

The two-seat hatchback amazed people when it debuted in 1999 with claims of 61 mpg in city driving and 70 mpg on the highway. Its star faded when Toyota imported the more practical four-door Prius a year later, but the Insight has devoted owners.

"I love my car," said Jessie Deeter, of Oakland, Calif. Her 2000 Insight gets around 60 mpg. "I hope my kids can drive it as a collector's car."

Deeter's Insight has 100,000 miles on it. Honda replaced its battery pack because it was not recharging properly. Honda paid for the replacement and has been very attentive, Deeter said.

"It's like any first-generation technology — you have to be a little careful with it," Deeter said. For instance, she leaves the windows open on hot days so the batteries don't overheat.

Honda won't say how many batteries it has replaced in the 13,886 Insights it sold but calls it a small number. A battery pack would cost $3,000 if you had to pay for it yourself.

Honda has stopped building the Insight. The last new one — a 2006 model — sold in April.

Older Insights get raves from Consumer Reports readers, said David Champion, the magazine's director of automotive testing.

"The Insight has always been above average to excellent," Champion said.

The fuel economy for the 2000 Insight that Consumer Reports still tracks has fallen off somewhat over the years.

"It could be the battery has weakened. It could be that the novelty has worn off and people drive it normally now," Champion said.

Hybrids also held up well in J.D. Power and Associates' three-year durability survey, with about 10 percent fewer problems than gasoline cars, said Joe Ivers, Power's head of quality.

Oddly enough, the most common problems had little to do with the batteries or electric motor: Trouble with mufflers and exhaust systems, engine computers and instrument panels are all more common for hybrids than other vehicles, Ivers said.

We're still waiting for answers to the big questions about hybrids:

• Do the batteries and motors last as long as a conventional car's engine?

• What's the value of an older hybrid when new batteries cost more than the car is worth?

• What happens to the value of a hybrid with nickel-hydride batteries when cars with better batteries hit the market?

• When will cost-effectiveness get better? Currently the best payback rate for a hybrid is the Honda Civic; by the best estimate it takes three years for fuel-cost savings to make up for the car's price premium over a gas version. A Ford Escape hybrid has a 12-year payback rate.

Information from The Washington Post and Cleveland Plain Dealer was used in this report.