Whether your hybrid is a Prius, a Fusion, or a Civic, hybrid vehicles have sophisticated electrical systems. And there’s a limit to how much you can tax the system with additional electronics.

As a general rule for hybrids, we recommend not exceeding a 30-ampere current draw on your battery, or a total output of 350 watts RMS from your audio system. Luckily, that still leaves you with lots of room for a great sound system upgrade in your ride. Since you're going to pass all those gas stations, you might as well enjoy your drive more.

If you’re new to car audio, don’t let the technical terms intimidate you. To understand current draw, it helps to think about a water tank, which represents your car’s battery. Voltage is the amount of available power, represented by the amount of water in the tank. Electrical current is like water flowing through a pipe — the speed at which it flows is the current draw.

Wattage is the amount of work the current can produce — represented by how forcefully the water comes out of the pipe. When you pull too much current from the battery to produce more wattage, there isn’t enough voltage left to power other vital electronics in your hybrid.

Tip 2: Install a better stereo and speakers

Replacing the factory radio usually gives you an immediate bump in audio power and cleaner sound due to improved digital-to-analog converters. And the typical new car stereo isn't going to strain your electrical system. New speakers are an easy upgrade that doesn't negatively affect electrical current draw at all.

Replacing the factory stereo

For our new stereo, we chose a Kenwood DVD receiver with a touchscreen display to run the show. It offers Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™, which the factory radio did not include. Drivers would now have a lot more music options and stereo functionality on their company trips.

[See all of our touchscreen stereos]

We paired the Kenwood stereo with the iDatalink Maestro RR interface, which provided all the wiring connections, steering wheel integration, and the ability to check out the cool diagnostic gauges in the Mariner.

We had listened to some demo music on the factory system before the installation. It was a painful listening session. I can't believe we waited this long to upgrade this sound system. Once the Kenwood car stereo was installed, we did another sound check with the factory speakers still intact. The difference was immediate and impactful. The soundstage, which had been suppressed and lowered by the factory system, was now much more open and natural. We couldn't wait to continue.

Replacing the factory speakers

For speakers, we decided on the Polk DB572 5"x7" speakers for the front and rear doors. These are hugely popular with our customers, as the reviews can attest. They also work well with a variety of music, and their efficiency complements the Kenwood stereo's power.

In addition to the speakers, we also decided to go with a combination of Dynamat and a set of Stinger Roadkill FAST Rings to seal the speakers in the factory openings. These items also deadened unwanted noise and rattles, so we could get the best sound possible without interruptions. Anthony had experience with both, and he was very complimentary of the FAST Rings he'd used in previous vehicles. They're easy to install and can be cut to needed shapes.