Compare the2022 Nissan LeafVS 2022 Toyota Prius

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Leaf have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Toyota Prius doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

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

The Leaf (except S) offers an optional Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Prius only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Leaf 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 Leaf has a standard rear 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 rear cross-path warning system.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Leaf is safer than the Toyota Prius:

	Leaf	Prius
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	216	229
Neck Injury Risk	26%	33%
Neck Stress	250 lbs.	323 lbs.
Neck Compression	11 lbs.	51 lbs.

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

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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Leaf is safer than the Toyota Prius:

	Leaf	Prius
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	131	168
Chest Movement	.8 inches	.8 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	158	267
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	665 lbs.	781 lbs.

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

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 13th.

Engine

The Leaf’s standard electric motor produces 26 more horsepower (147 vs. 121) and 131 lbs.-ft. more torque (236 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Leaf PLUS’ standard electric motor produces 93 more horsepower (214 vs. 121) and 145 lbs.-ft. more torque (250 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Leaf is faster than the Toyota Prius:

	Leaf	Leaf PLUS	Prius
Zero to 30 MPH	2.7 sec	n/a	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	6.7 sec	10.5 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	12.9 sec	n/a	18.3 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.3 sec	n/a	10.9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	2.8 sec	n/a	5.1 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.5 sec	n/a	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.8 sec	15.4 sec	17.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88 MPH	91 MPH	79 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Leaf gets better mileage than the Prius:

			MPGe
Leaf
	FWD	Electric Motor	123 city/99 hwy
		PLUS S Electric Motor	118 city/97 hwy
		PLUS SV/SL Electric Motor	114 city/94 hwy
Prius
			MPG
	FWD	Eco 1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	58 city/53 hwy
		1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	54 city/50 hwy
	AWD	1.8 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/47 hwy

The Leaf’s maximum EPA estimated driving range is 149 to 226 miles on a full charge. The Prius can only travel about .6 miles before it has to start its internal combustion engine.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Leaf higher (10 out of 10) than the Toyota Prius (7). This means the Leaf produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Prius every 15,000 miles.

The EPA certifies the Nissan Leaf as a “Zero Emissions Vehicle” (ZEV). The Toyota Prius is only certified to “Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle” (PZEV) standards.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Leaf	Prius
Front Rotors	11.1 inches	10 inches
Rear Rotors	11.5 inches	10.2 inches

The Leaf’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Prius are solid, not vented.

The Leaf stops much shorter than the Prius:

	Leaf	Prius
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	142 feet	149 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Leaf has larger standard tires than the Prius (205/55R16 vs. 195/65R15).

The Leaf 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’ standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Leaf S has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Prius.

The Leaf has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Prius doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Chassis

The Leaf is 3.6 inches shorter than the Prius, making the Leaf easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Leaf SV is quieter than the Prius:

	Leaf	Prius
At idle	25 dB	28 dB
Full-Throttle	67 dB	75 dB
70 MPH Cruising	65 dB	72 dB

Passenger Space

The Leaf has 1.8 inches more front headroom and .1 inches more rear legroom than the Prius.

Ergonomics

The Leaf SV/SL has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Prius doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Leaf’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Prius L Eco/LE’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Leaf 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.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Leaf owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Leaf will cost $1035 less than the Prius over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Leaf is less expensive to operate than the Prius because typical repairs cost less on the Leaf than the Prius, including $38 less for front brake pads.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Leaf and the Toyota Prius, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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