Doesn't the engine stop anyway when you come to a halt in a Toyota hybrid, they always have whenever i've driven them, me? i'd just let it do what it want to.

The foot operated parking brake should be used regularly to keep it all working nicely.

Selecting P may well lock the transmission but in the event someone shunted into your car that means the gearbox takes all the strain and it is possible something very expensive could break inside the box, better to apply the parking brake whenever you park as well.

For best practice it doesn't matter, the mechanical parking brake is nothing to do with the transmission, do whatever you feel works for you.

Brake lights at junctions don't really bother me, i try not to look directly into them (with the current light wars in full swing your night vision is completely wrecked anyway), if you were stopping for a 10 minute 3 or 4 way set of roadwork traffic lights that's a bit different.

Edited by gordonbennet on 09/12/2018 at 09:01

Lexus/Toyota hybrids shouldn't be held in N for any period of time as the traction battery management system will be inoperative and you could risk running it flat. There should be a warning in the handbook about this.

When stationary the car should be in D with the foot brake applied, the engine or electric motor will not try to propel the car so no damage can be done, or in P with the parking brake also applied. In either case, if the the systems decide that the battery needs to be charged the engine will start.

True - as long as you press the brake pedal hard enough, lightly pressing it (which will still be enough to hold the car stationary) will put the car in crawl/hill start mode and the electric motor(s) will be energised, draining the traction battery with no forward motion to show for it.