Compare the2023 Hyundai Sonata HybridVS 2022 Honda Insight

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
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 Sonata Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Insight doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid 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 Insight doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sonata Hybrid Limited has standard Reverse Collision-Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Insight doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Sonata Hybrid Limited has a standard Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Insight only offers a rear monitor.

Both the Sonata Hybrid and the Insight 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning 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 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is safer than the Honda Insight:

	Sonata Hybrid	Insight
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	98 lbs.	111 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/21 lbs.	159/44 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 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is safer than the Honda Insight:

	Sonata Hybrid	Insight
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	163	220
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	301	328
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	577 lbs.	617 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Sonata Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Insight’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Sonata Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Honda covers the Insight. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Insight ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Sonata Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Insight’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Sonata Hybrid for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Insight.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 82 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 24th.

Engine

The Sonata Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 41 more horsepower (192 vs. 151) than the Insight’s 1.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is faster than the Honda Insight:

	Sonata Hybrid	Insight
Zero to 30 MPH	3 sec	3.2 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	8.7 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.1 sec	5.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.1 sec	16.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	84 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sonata Hybrid Blue gets better fuel mileage than the Insight Touring (50 city/54 hwy vs. 51 city/45 hwy).

The Sonata Hybrid has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Insight (13.2 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Sonata Hybrid	Insight
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	10.2 inches

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

The Sonata Hybrid stops shorter than the Insight:

	Sonata Hybrid	Insight
70 to 0 MPH	178 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	122 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Sonata Hybrid has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Insight’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sonata Hybrid’s wheelbase is 5.5 inches longer than on the Insight (111.8 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sonata Hybrid is 3.5 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Insight.

The Sonata Hybrid Limited handles at .83 G’s, while the Insight Touring pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sonata Hybrid Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Insight Touring (27.5 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Sonata Hybrid a Large car, while the Insight is rated a Mid-size.

The Sonata Hybrid has 6.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Insight (104.4 vs. 97.6).

The Sonata Hybrid has .7 inches more front headroom, 3.8 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 1 inch more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 7.1 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Insight.

Cargo Capacity

The Sonata Hybrid has a larger trunk than the Insight (16 vs. 15.1 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Sonata Hybrid. The Insight doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sonata Hybrid’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Insight doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The Sonata Hybrid uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Insight uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Sonata Hybrid Limited, the memory system makes it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations. The Insight doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Sonata Hybrid Limited’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Insight doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Sonata Hybrid Limited has a standard 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 Insight doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

The Sonata Hybrid’s standard 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 Insight’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

When the Sonata Hybrid Limited is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Insight’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Sonata Hybrid Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Insight doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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

The Sonata Hybrid has a 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. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Insight Touring.

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

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid SEL/Limited has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Insight doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Sonata Hybrid Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Insight doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the Honda Insight, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Sonata outsold the Honda Insight by over five to one during the 2021 model year.

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