Compare the2023 Chevrolet BoltVS 2022 Toyota Prius Prime

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
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 Bolt are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Chevrolet Bolt 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 Prime doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Bolt offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Prius Prime 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.

Both the Bolt and the Prius Prime have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 cross-path warning.

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

	Bolt	Prius Prime
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	24%	33%
Neck Stress	239 lbs.	323 lbs.
Neck Compression	17 lbs.	51 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	137/187 lbs.	274/256 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 Chevrolet Bolt is safer than the Toyota Prius Prime:

	Bolt	Prius Prime
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	74	168
Abdominal Force	132 lbs.	134 lbs.
Hip Force	297 lbs.	373 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	10 inches	12 inches
Hip Force	417 lbs.	781 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Bolt’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Prius Prime’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 2 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bolt’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 14th.

Engine

The Bolt’s electric motor produces 79 more horsepower (200 vs. 121) and 160 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 106) than the Prius Prime’s 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Chevrolet Bolt is faster than the Toyota Prius Prime:

	Bolt	Prius Prime
Zero to 30 MPH	3 sec	3.7 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.8 sec	10.8 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	3.5 sec	6.7 sec
Quarter Mile	15.3 sec	18.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93 MPH	78 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Bolt can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 259 miles. The Prius Prime has to start its internal combustion engine after only 25 miles.

Environmental Friendliness

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Bolt	Prius Prime
Front Rotors	10.9 inches	10 inches
Rear Rotors	10.4 inches	10.2 inches

The Bolt stops shorter than the Prius Prime:

	Bolt	Prius Prime
70 to 0 MPH	181 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	138 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	145 feet	147 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Bolt has larger tires than the Prius Prime (215/50R17 vs. 195/65R15).

The Bolt’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Prius Prime’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Bolt has standard 17-inch wheels. Only 15-inch wheels are available on the Prius Prime.

The Bolt 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 Prime doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires standard on the Bolt can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Bolt handles at .80 G’s, while the Prius Prime Limited pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

The Bolt is 1 foot, 7.7 inches shorter than the Prius Prime, making the Bolt easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Bolt has 2.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius Prime (93.9 vs. 91.5).

The Bolt has .7 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom and 2.6 inches more rear legroom than the Prius Prime.

Ergonomics

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

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

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Bolt has a standard rear wiper. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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

The Bolt 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 Prime has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XLE/Limited.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Bolt is less expensive to operate than the Prius Prime because typical repairs cost much less on the Bolt than the Prius Prime, including $332 less for a water pump and $221 less for front struts.

Recommendations

The Bolt was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” in 2017. The Prius Prime has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Bolt was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2017. The Prius Prime has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Bolt as the 2017 North American Car of the Year. The Prius Prime has never been chosen.