The invention relates to a method for protecting a DPF in the exhaust section of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle from unintentional combustion of soot in the DPF. According to the invention, the motor vehicle is a hybrid vehicle having at least one electric machine and is able to be driven exclusively by one or more electric machine(s) for some time. The vehicle is operated in a DPF protection mode if the system detects that unintentional combustion of soot is taking place or threatening to take place in the DPF, initiating an automatic decoupling of the combustion engine from the wheel drive train, forward propulsion demands by the driver are met exclusively with the aid of the one or more electric machine(s), and the combustion engine is switched off completely or is operated with stable stoichiometric combustion.