Compare the2023 Nissan AltimaVS 2022 Toyota Prius

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
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 Altima 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 its rear seat belts.

The Nissan Altima 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 Altima SL/SR VC-Turbo has a standard Intelligent 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 Altima 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 Altima has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Prius LE/XLE/Limited offers Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Compared to metal, the Altima’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 Altima 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, 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 Nissan Altima is safer than the Toyota Prius:

	Altima	Prius
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	171	229
Neck Injury Risk	30%	33%
Leg Forces (l/r)	114/342 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 Nissan Altima is safer than the Toyota Prius:

	Altima	Prius
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	185	249
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	157	267
Hip Force	769 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 Altima, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.5% 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, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Altima its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Prius last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Altima second among midsize cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Prius isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 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 above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

Engine

The Altima AWD’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 61 more horsepower (182 vs. 121) and 73 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Altima’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 67 more horsepower (188 vs. 121) and 75 lbs.-ft. more torque (180 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Altima SR’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 127 more horsepower (248 vs. 121) and 168 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Altima AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota Prius:

	Altima	Prius
Zero to 30 MPH	2.9 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	10.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	19.7 sec	31.4 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8.3 sec	10.9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	4.8 sec	5.1 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5.6 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.8 sec	17.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	79 MPH
Top Speed	119 MPH	115 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Altima AWD’s standard fuel tank has 5.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius AWD-e’s standard fuel tank (16 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Altima FWD’s standard fuel tank has 4.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius FWD’s standard fuel tank (16.2 vs. 11.3 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Altima	Prius
Front Rotors	11.65 inches	10 inches
Rear Rotors	11.02 inches	10.2 inches
Opt Rear Rotors	11.5 inches

The Altima stops much shorter than the Prius:

	Altima	Prius
70 to 0 MPH	172 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	149 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Altima has larger standard tires than the Prius (215/60R16 vs. 195/65R15). The Altima SR/SL’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius (235/40R19 vs. 215/45R17).

The Altima S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Prius’ standard 65 series tires. The Altima SR/SL’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Prius XLE FWD/Limited’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Altima S has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Prius. The Altima SR/SL’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Prius XLE FWD/Limited.

The Altima 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.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Altima’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Prius (111.2 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Altima is 3.4 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Prius.

The Altima handles at .91 G’s, while the Prius pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Altima executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.6 seconds quicker than the Prius L Eco (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 28.9 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

Chassis

The Altima SR VC-Turbo 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.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Altima is quieter than the Prius (70 vs. 72 dB).

Passenger Space

The Altima has 7.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius (100.6 vs. 93.1).

The Altima has 1.5 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear legroom, 2.6 inches more rear hip room and 4.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

Ergonomics

The Altima 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 Altima’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 Altima 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 Altima SL/SR VC-Turbo’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.

Both the Altima and the Prius offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Altima SL has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Prius doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Altima owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Altima with a number “1” insurance rate while the Prius is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Altima is less expensive to operate than the Prius because typical repairs cost much less on the Altima than the Prius, including $94 less for a water pump, $63 less for a muffler, $329 less for fuel injection, $94 less for a fuel pump, $567 less for a timing belt/chain and $575 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Altima third among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Prius isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Nissan Altima outsold the Toyota Prius by almost four to one during 2022.

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