Compare the2022 Toyota PriusVS 2021 Honda Civic

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Prius are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Civic doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Prius has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Civic doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Prius has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Civic doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Prius LE/XLE/Limited has standard Parking Support Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Civic doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Prius offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Civic doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Prius LE/XLE/Limited’s standard cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Civic doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Prius’ driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Civic doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Prius and the Civic 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, available blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Prius is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Prius	Civic
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	182	204
Chest Movement	1 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	183 G’s	252 G’s
Hip Force	8 lbs.	306 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	269	404

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Prius for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Civic.

There are over 16 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Honda dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Prius’ warranty.

Reliability

The Civic’s redline is at 6500 to 6700 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The Prius has a 4000 RPM redline.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Prius’ reliability 33 points higher than the Civic.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 47 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Honda is ranked fifth.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Prius gets better mileage than the Civic Hatchback:

			MPG
Prius
FWD	Auto	Eco 1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	58 city/53 hwy
		1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	54 city/50 hwy
AWD	Auto	1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/47 hwy
Civic Hatchback
FWD	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy
	Auto	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/40 hwy
		Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Prius gets better mileage than the Civic Sedan:

			MPG
Prius
FWD	Auto	Eco 1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	58 city/53 hwy
		1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	54 city/50 hwy
AWD	Auto	1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/47 hwy
Civic Sedan
FWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
		Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy
		1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	32 city/42 hwy
		Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Prius’ fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Civic doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Prius’ engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Civic doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Prius uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Civic Hatchback Sport/Sport Touring requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Prius higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic (3 to 7). This means the Prius produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Civic every 15,000 miles.

The EPA certifies the Toyota Prius as a “Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle” (PZEV). The Honda Civic is only certified to “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV) standards.

Brakes and Stopping

The Prius stops much shorter than the Civic:

	Prius	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	175 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Prius Limited handles at .90 G’s, while the Civic Sport Sedan pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Prius Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (26.3 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Prius’ turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Civic Sedan LX/EX/EX-L’s (33.5 feet vs. 35.4 feet). The Prius Limited/XLE FWD’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the Civic Hatchback Sport/Sport Touring’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.8 feet).

Chassis

The front grille of the Prius uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Civic doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Prius L Eco is quieter than the Civic Sport Hatchback:

	Prius	Civic
At idle	26 dB	38 dB
Full-Throttle	71 dB	85 dB
70 MPH Cruising	66 dB	73 dB

Passenger Space

The Prius has .1 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more rear headroom and 4.6 inches more rear hip room than the Civic Sedan.

The front step up height for the Prius is 3.4 inches lower than the Civic Hatchback (14.1” vs. 17.5”).

Cargo Capacity

The Prius has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the Civic Sedan (27.4 vs. 15.1 cubic feet).

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Prius’ hatch uses gas strut supported hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Civic’s useful trunk space.

The Prius’ standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Civic LX Sedan’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

Ergonomics

The Prius (except L/LE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Civic doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Prius’ front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Civic’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Prius L Eco/LE’s standard variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Civic LX/Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Prius (except L/LE) offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Civic doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Prius’ standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Honda only offers heated mirrors on the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring.

On extremely cold winter days, the Prius XLE/Limited’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Civic doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Prius LE/XLE/Limited’s Intelligent Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Civic doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Prius owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Prius with a number “5” insurance rate while the Civic is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Prius is less expensive to operate than the Civic because typical repairs cost less on the Prius than the Civic, including $32 less for a fuel pump and $36 less for front struts.

Recommendations

The Toyota Prius has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Prius	Civic
Consumer Reports® Recommends	Top Pick	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE