Compare the2022 Hyundai Elantra HybridVS 2021 Toyota Prius

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Elantra Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Prius doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Elantra Hybrid has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the Prius LE/XLE/Limited offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Elantra Hybrid has a standard cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Prius LE/XLE/Limited has a cross-path warning system.

Both the Elantra Hybrid and the Prius have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

The Elantra Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Prius’ 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Elantra Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Prius. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Prius ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Elantra Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Prius’ (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Elantra Hybrid for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Prius (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 10th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 19th, below the industry average.

The Elantra Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 18 more horsepower (139 vs. 121) and 90 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

For better stopping power the Elantra Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Prius:

For better traction, the Elantra Hybrid has larger standard tires than the Prius (205/55R16 vs. 195/65R15). The Elantra Hybrid Limited Sedan’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius (225/45R17 vs. 215/45R17).

The Elantra Hybrid Blue Sedan’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Prius L Eco/LE’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Elantra Hybrid Blue Sedan has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Prius L Eco/LE.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Elantra Hybrid is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 2.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Prius.

The Elantra Hybrid has 6.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius (99.4 vs. 93.1).

The Elantra Hybrid has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, 4.6 inches more rear legroom and 2.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, just waiting momentarily behind the back bumper can open the Elantra Hybrid’s trunk, leaving your hands completely free. The Prius doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

When different drivers share the Elantra Hybrid Limited, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Prius doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Elantra Hybrid’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Prius’ parking brake has to released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Elantra Hybrid and the Prius have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Elantra Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Prius prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Elantra Hybrid has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Prius has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XLE/Limited.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Elantra Hybrid Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Prius doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Elantra Hybrid’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Prius doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.