Bad Driving Experience with Vehicle Start-Stop System

I recently test drive a hybrid car with an automated Stop-Start system where the engine shut down when braking to a full stop. But, I have issue when resuming acceleration.
After releasing the brake and pressing the accelerator pedal, I noticed a significant delay in the car's response. There seemed to be a lag in the vehicle's movement, leading to potentially dangerous situation.

When I attempted to enter a roundabout after coming to a complete stop, the car failed to respond promptly to my accelerator input. This delay prompted honking from the car behind me, mistakenly assuming I was hesitating. Moments later, as another car entered the roundabout from my right, my car suddenly surged forward, dangerously close to the vehicle on my right.

I adapted my driving technique by releasing the brake slightly earlier, allowing the engine to engage for a brief moment before pressing the accelerator pedal. This seemed to mitigate the lag and give smoother acceleration.

I wonder if this behavior is typical of hybrid cars or if there might have been an issue with the specific car I was driving.

I read similar experience here . Mine was not heavy breaking though, just after every normal brake.

Poll Options

  • 15
    Yes this is how you should drive Hybrid car with start-stop system
  • 16
    Nah something wrong with that car
  • 161
    Nah something wrong with how you drive
  • 37
    Cant tell, never drove car with Start-Stop system

Comments

  • +44

    Just disable the feature every time you start the car. It's a bullshit feature anyway. It only exists so manufacturers can claim to be green. You save around 50 litres per year (if memory serves me correctly). The battery required costs a shit load more than 50 litres of fuel to replace.

    Mine was not heavy breaking

    Classic ozbargain

    • +11

      No, that's just bad driving/bad hybrid. A proper one will just kick in the electric motor to get you moving unless you floor the accelerator.

    • I wonder if these constant start-stop actually damaging the electric component of the starter/engine in the long term, compared to those without one.

      • +3

        Other than the battery being more expensive, stop start doesn't REALLY seem to have a huge impact on starter life.

        • +4

          I don't know all their cars but Mazda doesn't just the starter motor to restart the engine, they use combustion by having fuel in the cylinder ready to ignite.

      • Nah just get Ford Ranger.

        • Nar get a RAM role in style ranger just poor man Ute

      • +1

        They're designed for the extra load from the constant stop starts. You can change the way you brake. On my brother's Mazda I can brake firmly enough without triggering start stop, you just gotta figure out the point where it triggers.

        Alternatively, you can switch it off.

    • +11

      Bad faith argument detected.

      How often do you replace a battery in a non start/stop car? My start/stop car needed a replacement battery at 6-7 years old. One assumes you're not replacing your battery every year. And the price differential should be between regular battery and the slightly more expensive batteries for these cars.

      But also, let's just like not do what we can to reduce our fossil fuel usage? 50L over a million cars is a lot of fuel not burned.

      • Yeah, I've been told "stop start bad, kill battery" but no-one ever talks about how long batteries last.

      • -3

        Yeah the people who don't like the stop-start system are invariably the crappy drivers that floor it and can't adapt to their car's driving behaviours, and then chalk up their inability to cope using bad faith arguments.

        It's been over a decade since this feature was implemented. If this was really such a bad feature it would be all over the headlines by now. Instead we get reddit complaints and anecdotes whose frequencies are unremarkable compared to those about normal car issues.

        OP mentioned that it is a new car so hopefully they will adjust instead of falling into that "start stop = bad" camp

        • Nah i wouldnt rule out start stop as bad yet, i only get to drive one type of model/brand. I will make my conclusion and decide if i want to join start-stop car one day once i test drive different brands thats use this tech.

          The frequent sounds of on and off is unusual for me, borderline annoying as the first time user.

      • -3

        I did the maths on that & I don't think that if a billion cars had start/stop then the planet would be like totally saved.

        • +3

          No one measure will save the planet, many measures of the type that reduce pollution will. Stop being willfully ignorant.

    • This doesn't apply to hybrids. Hybrids use the high voltage battery to spin the motor, eliminating the need for beefed up 12v battery and starter motor

    • +6

      The Mazda system uses a capacitor to store energy to use while the car is stopped, and doesn’t need to use the starter motor to re-start- the system detects which cylinder is closest to top dead centre, injects fuel, and then ignites to restart the engine. There’s no starter motor wear and minimal impact on the battery. The last car I had with this system had its battery replaced at the 6 year mark from new.

      I still don’t like stop start, but there are better and worse implementations. They all require you to anticipate when you’re about to pull away to start the engine, they all have some sort of delay.

    • The battery has to be replaced every year?

      • +1

        No. Normal life expectancy. But they cost more than regular batteries.

    • +2

      50L by 19 millions Australian drivers is 97 Million litres saved a year in petrol and resulting emissions.

      Which is the point. Not money savings for the user.

    • Pretty much this. It's more costly to run and constantly replacing batteries is actually causing more hazard to environment.

      Mining requires fk loads of energy and to manufacture the battery another matter too. Disable it!

  • +4

    Work van is stop start (not hybrid). Slightly depressing accelerater whilst still on brake will restart engine. Might also work on a hybrid?
    .

    • +2

      Left foot braking?

      • +3

        heel and toe

        • a lost art

      • "Left foot braking?"
        Yep, it's an auto so easy to do
        .

  • +6

    I recently test drive a hybrid car with an automated Stop-Start system where the engine shut down when braking to a full stop.

    What brand? None of the Toyota hybrids exhibit what you said, as you have electric power at low speeds

    I read similar experience here. Mine was not heavy breaking though, just after every normal brake.

    Umm that's referring to an EV…

    • None of the Toyota hybrids exhibit what you said, as you have electric power at low speeds

      Could be new Toyota Hilux 48V 'mild hybrid', which is a glorified stop-start system and an ESG box-checking exercise

    • It is Cupra. Yes the one on the link is an EV and i found that page thinking if this is an issue with Cupra's car only.

      • https://www.reddit.com/r/CupraFormentor/comments/1ci7ejq/cup…

        Seems to be normal with that car, depending on drive mode though.

        Not normal for a Toyota hybrid though (can't compare to the other hybrids out there on the market)

        • Ah yes maybe the issue is specific to this brand. This is my first driving experience with start-stop car hence the question to see if this is only for a particular car or the driving habit need to be adjusted.

        • I was using the standard drive mode to be economical, not the sport one.

  • +4

    You sound like you drive with both feet….

    • I honestly wouldn't be surprised if there are people out there who drive with both their feet lol (in an automatic).

      • +2

        Go kart style
        .

      • +4

        Maybe OP is a very experienced driver and uses both feet for weight transfer and reducing turbo lag in his 930.

        • +1

          Brake boosting with a big turbo is fun though

      • Why do you think that's funny? I only ever left-foot brake in automatic cars.

      • +1

        I was once a passenger to a colleague who drove like this. The experience was as terrible as you would imagine.

    • Why does it sound like that?
      I only use one foot. When i lifted my right foot off the brake, the engine turned on. Even after i move my foot to accel pedal normally (probably in 1 second or less), the acceleration still didnt kick in until a few moments later. That was how long is the lag. Both me and my partner felt the same noticeable lag.

      My other car is petrol, so I never had this lag issue at all.

      • +3

        What you expect from Cupra? Buy a proper car and it will be fine.

        • They told me its an expensive european car with all the latest tech. Well after trying it, maybe not the brand that i would go with in the future. Not only because of the driving experience, but the touch screen UI is not user friendly at all. The reverse camera also seems like a cheap low resolution camera.

          The car design looks sleek and modern though, thats probably the only thing that i like about it.

      • Even after i move my foot to accel pedal normally (probably in 1 second or less), the acceleration still didnt kick in until a few moments later.

        Sounds like something is very wrong with the car. Good luck dealing with the bullshit cupra brand to get any remedy though.

    • Well I drive a manual with one foot only… you go figure.

      • I did that once after spraining an ankle, impossible is nothing
        .

  • +2

    If you lift your foot slightly off the brake the engine will restart. I’ve never had an issue with stop/start in any car I have driven. It is a standard feature now days. You’ll get used to it. You may need to adapt your driving if you purchase the car.

    Also don’t worry if someone is honking you that is on them not your issue.

    It sounds like you Was it a CVT gearbox by any chance?

    • +1

      That's not true for a decent hybrid. Lifting your foot off the brake pedal in a Toyota Hybrid isn't what triggers the engine to start, that's based on either the traction battery level being low and/or throttle input level requiring combined power of the motor and engine.

  • +2

    I agree you will get used to it and adjust style but I don’t like the tech purely for reason I hate idea of stopping and starting engine repeatedly.
    My previous car was a Camry hybrid and had instant take off with the electric battery. When test driving to buy a ICE engine car I too noticed I could possible get in dangerous situations in the ones with stop start tech, esp recall an Outback having a delay and a truck quickly closing what I thought was a safe distance to pull out into.

    Now I own a ICE car with stop start tech but I automatically press the stop/start off button as part of my drive away ritual.

  • +6

    It's how stop/start behaves, not because it's hybrid.

    Instead of fully depressing the brake, try to press the brake pedal just enough for the car to stop. The stop/start will not engage and you won't have that lag when accelerating. The stop/start is for waiting at lights, not when giving way or at roundabouts.

    • +1

      Yeah, thats what I did, trying not to fully depress them, but not always successful. I never need to think about doing this while driving petrol car, so something new for me driving these start-stop car.

  • failed to respond promptly
    Moments later
    suddenly surged forward

    These are all subjective. Is the delay to respond a 0.5s, 1s, 5s? You did not mention what make and model is the car. Why not go test drive other cars and compare?

    • I would say around 1 - 1.5 seconds from when I take my foot off break.

  • +8

    This doesn't make any sense.

    Hybrids are the only type of car that I actually like with a stop-start because you get an instant response from the electric motor when the engine is off, and the engine only kicks in once you're at a certain speed.

    Are you sure that there's no issue with the hybrid motor / batteries, or that your hybrid battery is not flat? If you're just driving the car from new, it might not have had a chance to charge up yet.

  • +3

    I recently test drive a hybrid car with an automated Stop-Start system

    What car? As that doesn't sound like a hybrid you're driving.

  • Just make sure your right heal is placed correctly to the base of the accelerator pedal. Your right toes to the top/middle of the brake. Are you wearing thongs?

  • I have a cx3 and mainly city driving and the stop-start feature pisses me off!!!! You don't even save that much fuel anyways.

    I turn it off everytime I drive.

    With the cx3, when you take your foot from the brake, there is a lag, maybe 1 to 2 seconds and it's annoying AF.

    In saying that, does anyone know if I install a non-stop-start battery, the feature will not activate everytime I start the car?

    • +1

      Just put a viofo in with parking mode on, the constant draws will get the battery in low enough voltage to disable stop start unless you're going on a really long drive.

    • -1

      It’s not hard to follow the lights sequence and start the motor just before it turns green if there’s as much of a delay as claimed.

      • +1

        Dude, it's not about following the light sequence and starting the engine.

        Obviously you don't drive a start/stop engine car in the city…….. every stop shuts down the engine, it's annoying.

        Imagine stopping and starting the engine every 5 - 20 seconds with a 1-2 second delay.

        • -1

          I do, it’s fine. If you don’t want it to turn off it’s not hard to keep the brake pedal high enough to keep the engine running.

          Before I had a car with it I was like many proclaiming how bad an idea it was. Now that I’ve got a car with it, works without issue.

    • +1

      You don't even save that much fuel anyways.

      So 50L a year isn't much?

      Is it still not much when you consider it across all cars on the road?

  • Is this really something that's difficult to adapt to? You lift off brakes, the engine starts back up, then you apply some gas. The timing you'll figure out very quickly. Just don't press the accelerator until the engine's up to idle speed. This all takes < 0.5s. If my 90 yo dad can figure it out then you can, too.

    If you press the accelerator while the engine's starting up, of course you're gonna jerk forward. Do you start your car with your foot on the gas, too?

    Also, the people who think stop start is bad/doesn't help: any evidence?

    • "Also, the people who think stop start is bad/doesn't help"
      it's only real world benefit is in mainly stopped start/stop traffic as in peak hour crawling. Our 6 litre V8 idles at less than 2 litres of petrol per hour
      .

      • +2

        And traffic lights, among all the other times you have to stop the car for more than a few seconds.

        I guess that idle burn number's from the manufacturer, which would be fudged or in ideal conditions.

        Either way, if you spend 10 minutes idling each way to/from work, that's already 0.66L or, over a dollar of E10.

        • Dash displays instantaneous consumption, l/100km displayed when moving, l/hr displayed once stopped. Litres used at refill is close enough to petrol bowser to believe it.

          10 minutes at 2l/h is 0.333 litres.

          Having said that, i wouldn't be using it as number one choice for heavy traffic commuting
          .

          • @Nugs: It was for both ways.

            Gotcha. Guess mine didn't have that. You might also have cylinder deactivation, too?

            Anyway, the point is that little things add up. Assuming that with the longer warranties, the start stop systems don't wear things down faster, it's a net benefit. 100k idle hours (it's probably far higher for a big city) a day at 0.5L/hour is 50kL of fuel burned for doing nothing each day.

            • @ozbargainsam: No cylinder deactivation, it's the L98 engine 2006 build
              .

        • Either way, if you spend 10 minutes idling each way to/from work, that's already 0.66L or, over a dollar of E10.

          And at what cost? How much tear and wear over the dozens stop-start cycles in the 10 minutes? Let alone the … driving experience.

    • Yeah i can definitely adjust to it but just not used to it, coming from car without start-stop. From the few comments sounds like adjustment is required in driving this type of car or maybe it is also a specific brand issue. The sound of the engine switching on and off kind of disturbing, if people are not used to it.

      If you press the accelerator while the engine's starting up, of course you're gonna jerk forward. Do you start your car with your foot on the gas, too?

      Sarcasm detected.. Unless if you really think someone would ever do this haha..

  • My old Prius was the same, took off like a brick. Did mean I nearly skidded out of the dealer when I picked up the EV cause it was instant takeoff and I was used to needing to floor it. Seems to be a plain hybrid thing (no idea on PHEV, never driven one, likely never will).

    You hear engines starting up at the lights all over the place lately, that seems to be the norm on most hybrids I think. People also need to be more patient at takeoff- have been honked before the lights even changes before.

    • old prius where like this but new one are zip i think this nother brand of stop start car.

  • +2

    I would just like to send out a huge thanks to OP for not just posting and ghosting, for sticking around and answering some of the communities questions that have been invaluable in sorting out their issue.

    No mention of make or or model, how many km the vehicle has done, age of vehicle, service history, was it a new vehicle or a used vehicle… those kinds of things…

    My guess, based on all this valuable information OP has supplied in the comments section is, they are new to hybrids and are unaccustomed to how they function and pulled up a thread on Reddit about a totally different issue and vehicle drive system and got their confirmation bias hat on…

    • What is the rule of posting in ozbargain until we have the title ghosting and being frowned upon by the community? Is it not logging in and replying in less than 12 hours? I thought Ozbargain meant to be a forum, not a whatsapp group chat. :)

      To some of your point, you summary/guesses are correct. I am new to start-stop system (cant call them hybrid anymore since someone mentioned some non-hybrid also seems to have this tech) and unaccustomed to how they function. Hence the question of whether this is a car issue or the driving habit adjustment required in here. My main car and all other cars that I have driven in the past were all petrol car, so I never had this kind of lag issue.

      Maybe the title of my post is missing the word My. It should be "My bad driving experience…" so people with start-stop vehicles are not offended.

  • +1

    As I understand it Cupra uses the VW DSG transmission which has a reputation for hesitation on those situations. It happens on my petrol T-cross. I don't have any such problems in my other vehicle, which is hybrid and has stop/start. I've adapted my driving style for the T-cross.

    • Yes - same with mummy's T-cross 2022. You just learn to anticipate the lag and pre-emptively let go of brakes when npossible. If you really need responsive throttle, just temporarily disable the stop/start feature.

      • Ah good to know, so its just the way those car works.

  • I suggest turning stop start off, most manufacturers have made the starter motor with stop/start taken into account, but I just find it inconvenient, maybe if you're in heavy stopped traffic for long stretches, I might turn it on while in that traffic, but at every set of lights? No thanks.

  • -2

    Thank you for sharing your experience with the hybrid car's Stop-Start system. The delay you noticed when resuming acceleration is a known issue with some hybrids. These systems save fuel by shutting down the engine at stops but can introduce a lag when restarting. Your workaround of releasing the brake slightly earlier to engage the engine before accelerating is practical, but the significant lag suggests there might be an issue with the specific car you drove. Consider checking for software updates, recalibrating the system, having the vehicle inspected, or test driving other models to determine if the behavior is typical.

    • Thanks for the input. It was a temporary car that i tested so i am back to my comfortable petrol car now where the driving experience is much smoother for me. Maybe if i am driving a different start-stop car i can compare and see if the issue was just with that particular car. Most likely i might switch off the start stop tech, as many has suggested here.

      I am so used to that start stop car now i need to remind myself that i no longer need to release the break earlier and let the car roll a bit, in anticipation of green light.

      • +2

        Should thank ChatGPT for the input

  • +1

    I added a cable to our stop/start car so that it remembers the last selection. We pretty much drive with stop/start off permanently.

    The hybrid cars I've driven have the electric motor engage prior to the engine starting. They were very responsive from a standstill

  • You shouldn't need to adapt anything to how you drive with a stop start system. By the time you've taken your foot off the brake and put it onto the accelerator it should have started and there should be no lag. It's not right to blame the OP's driving style - it's most likely just a poor stop start system that Cupra uses. Good systems will detect when the car in front starts moving and start the engine even while your foot is still on the brake. Likewise if the traffic light goes green.

    • That would be cool if the car can start the engine once they detect movement.

      My current petrol car does let me know with alert once the car in front of me is moving away from stationary. So i assume this tech is not too far away to be a standard for a start-stop car.

  • Welcome to pretty much all new cars

  • Stop-Start primarily serves as a way for manufacturers to meet emissions standards, rather than offering any savings to drivers.

    There is usually a way to turn this feature off, or some 'hack' to disable it.

    • When I was a kid I always heard that starting a car takes a litre of fuel or whatever. But when I looked it up people online say starting the engine only uses the equivalent of a few seconds of fuel when idling. So I can see why the stop start thing makes sense from an emissions/fuel saving POV. If it's bugged and won't reliably start when stopping for a moment on the road then you should turn it off, or get it fixed.

      • It does save a small amount of fuel, but ultimately costs you more in other ways so no real benefit. Disable it if you can.

    • +1

      It also offers 12V stop start battery manufacturers and resellers a nice steady source of income as they need replacing quite regularly compared to non-stop start varieties of batteries.

  • I always turn it off on my Mazda. It is called istop, and I press the button to diable it once I start the engine.

    • +3

      You can hack the bonnet sensor to disable it, then you won't need to press the button every time.

  • I've had this happen to me. It's a bit unsettling when it happens the first time, but you learn to anticipate it.

    In my case I was on the hwy, about to pull a u-way. There's a gap right now, but you see up the road that theres a bank of traffic coming, so you decide to take it fast so you're not waiting . But as you brake the engine to make the turn the engine shuts down. Now you're infront of a whole bunch of traffic, barreling towards you at 80k/h, and your car feels like a go-cart.

    • +1

      Wow good thing you are okay, that could end up pretty bad.

  • +3

    I am always amused when people show problems with the way systems (even completely useless ones like these) operate and people say you're doing in wrong. Dual clutch transmissions being one, holding your iPhone wrong is another. I just want to get into a car and it behaves the way a car should. I shouldn't need to finesse the transmission so I don't stutter at the lights or jerk around in stop/start traffic.

    Slushboxes are perfectly fine these days. I thought it was funny when Golf transitioned back to a normal auto a couple of years ago and all the motoring journalists were praising how easy it was to drive, whereas before, it was all "you've got to learn to drive it properly."

    TL;DR Turn stop/start off every time you get in the car. It is a manufacturing efficiency scam and it makes your drive less enjoyable. If you can't turn it off, don't buy the car.

  • Stop start might save you $30 in petrol a year, a 100% bullshit feature and not worth it. Just get used to turning it off first thing as you start the car.

  • I think its a pain in the ass "feature"

    I just turn it off each time

  • +1

    Your missing some poll options. >Is this a badly designed hybrid. Test drive a Toyota or Lexus hybrid, you will find the engine works perfectly in tandem with the battery EV motor, no hesitation at stop starts, low speeds, fast take offs etc.

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