Use the indication your car provides
A driver moving from a conventional petrol car to a full hybrid may wait for the familiar engine sound after pressing the start button. It may not come. On vehicles that use a READY indication, the hybrid system can be available to drive while the combustion engine remains stopped. Read the handbook for the exact model rather than treating quietness as a failed start.
Do not transfer that behaviour to every vehicle carrying a hybrid badge. Mild hybrids, full hybrids and plug-in hybrids can use different displays and starting arrangements. The important point is knowing which indication your own car uses and checking it deliberately. A lit radio or instrument display alone may represent an accessory mode rather than a vehicle ready to move.
Silence also matters when parking
Before leaving the driver's seat, follow the prescribed parking and shutdown procedure and confirm the drive-ready state has ended. Do not rely on the absence of vibration or exhaust sound. Keep the vehicle secured as the handbook requires. A quiet vehicle that is still ready is not the same as a switched-off vehicle.
The combustion engine can start automatically when the system needs it. Never leave a ready hybrid operating in an enclosed garage on the assumption that it is running only electrically. Also avoid opening the bonnet or approaching moving components because the engine happens to be silent at that moment. For an owner check, use the shutdown conditions set out in the manual.
If READY does not appear
Note the exact message and the state of the controls during a normal attempt. Check the ordinary starting requirements described for your model, including the recognised key and the relevant pedal or selector conditions. Do not repeatedly press the power button through different modes without understanding the sequence; that can make your account of the original problem less clear.
If the car remains unavailable, seek model-appropriate assistance. A hybrid has more than one electrical system, and a charged traction battery does not establish that every part of the starting supply is healthy. Do not touch orange high-voltage cables, service disconnects or battery enclosures. Tell the assistance provider that the vehicle is a hybrid and give the displayed messages. The useful distinction is between a car that is quietly ready and one whose system has not become ready at all.
