Compare the2022 Honda InsightVS 2022 Toyota Prius

Safety
Engine
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Insight deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Insight’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Prius’ side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Insight has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Prius LE/XLE/Limited offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Insight 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.

Compared to metal, the Insight’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Toyota Prius has a metal gas tank.

Both the Insight 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 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 Honda Insight is safer than the Toyota Prius:

	Insight	Prius
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	202	229
Neck Injury Risk	17%	33%
Neck Stress	139 lbs.	323 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	147/283 lbs.	274/256 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	197	246
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	26%	31%
Neck Stress	111 lbs.	222 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	159/44 lbs.	100/151 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 Honda Insight is safer than the Toyota Prius:

	Insight	Prius
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	316 lbs.	373 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	276 lbs.	463 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	617 lbs.	781 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Insight, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.4% less likely to roll over than the Prius, which received a four-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Insight its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 80 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Prius last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

Engine

The Insight’s 1.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 30 more horsepower (151 vs. 121) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Insight is faster than the Toyota Prius:

	Insight	Prius
Zero to 60 MPH	7.7 sec	10.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	23.8 sec	31.4 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	17.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	86 MPH	79 MPH

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Insight	Prius
Front Rotors	11.1 inches	10 inches

The Insight stops much shorter than the Prius:

	Insight	Prius
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	139 feet	149 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Insight has larger tires than the Prius (215/55R16 vs. 195/65R15).

The Insight EX’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 Insight EX has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Prius.

Suspension and Handling

The Insight’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Prius doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Insight is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Prius.

The Insight EX handles at .87 G’s, while the Prius L Eco pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Insight Touring executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the Prius L Eco (27 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.9 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

Chassis

The Insight uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Prius doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Insight has 4.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius (97.6 vs. 93.1).

The Insight has .3 inches more front hip room, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, 4 inches more rear legroom and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

Ergonomics

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

Consumer Reports rated the Insight’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Prius’ headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Insight’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Prius’ headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Insight 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.

The Insight Touring’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.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Insight owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Insight will cost $880 less than the Prius over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Insight will be $827 to $2883 less than for the Toyota Prius.

Recommendations

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

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its July 2019 issue and the Honda Insight Touring won out over the Toyota Prius Limited.