Compare the2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5VS 2022 Toyota Prius

Both the Ioniq 5 and Prius have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Ioniq 5 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Prius’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Ioniq 5’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Prius doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Ioniq 5 Limited has a standard Surround 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 Ioniq 5 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 Ioniq 5 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 Ioniq 5 and the Prius have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 Hyundai Ioniq 5 weighs 748 to 1674 pounds more than the Toyota Prius. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Ioniq 5 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 114 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Prius last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

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

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

The Ioniq 5’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Prius’ (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ioniq 5 for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Prius (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

The Ioniq 5 Standard Range’s standard electric motor produces 47 more horsepower (168 vs. 121) and 153 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Ioniq 5 Long Range’s optional electric motor produces 104 more horsepower (225 vs. 121) and 153 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Ioniq 5’s optional electric motors produces 199 more horsepower (320 vs. 121) and 341 lbs.-ft. more torque (446 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric motors is faster than the Toyota Prius:

	Ioniq 5	Prius
Zero to 60 MPH	4.5 sec	10.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	12.6 sec	31.4 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	4.8 sec	10.9 sec
Quarter Mile	13.2 sec	17.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	102 MPH	79 MPH
Top Speed	117 MPH	115 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the Ioniq 5 gets better mileage than the Prius:

			MPGe
Ioniq 5
	RWD	Long Range Electric Motor	132 city/98 hwy
		Standard Range Electric Motor	127 city/94 hwy
	AWD	Electric Motors	113 city/90 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 Ioniq 5 can travel with zero emissions for 220 to 303 miles (dependent on model). The Prius has to start its internal combustion engine after only .6 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Ioniq 5 higher (10 out of 10) than the Toyota Prius (7). This means the Ioniq 5 produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Prius every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Ioniq 5’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Prius:

	Ioniq 5	Prius
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	10 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	10.2 inches

The Ioniq 5 stops shorter than the Prius:

	Ioniq 5	Prius
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	144 feet	149 feet	Consumer Reports

For better traction, the Ioniq 5 has larger standard tires than the Prius (235/55R19 vs. 195/65R15). The Ioniq 5 Limited AWD’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius (255/45R20 vs. 215/45R17).

The Ioniq 5’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 Ioniq 5 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Prius. The Ioniq 5 Limited AWD’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Prius XLE FWD/Limited.

The Ioniq 5 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ioniq 5’s wheelbase is 11.8 inches longer than on the Prius (118.1 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Ioniq 5 is 4.6 inches wider in the front and 4.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Prius.

The Ioniq 5’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51% to 49%) than the Prius’ (61% to 39%). This gives the Ioniq 5 more stable handling and braking.

The Ioniq 5 Limited AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Prius L Eco pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Ioniq 5 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Prius (6.1 vs. 5.3 inches), allowing the Ioniq 5 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Ioniq 5 has 13.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius (106.5 vs. 93.1).

The Ioniq 5 has .4 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front hip room, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 6 inches more rear legroom, 1.7 inches more rear hip room and 4.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ioniq 5’s rear seats recline. The Prius’ rear seats don’t recline.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Ioniq 5 SEL/Limited’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Ioniq 5’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Prius doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

The Ioniq 5 offers up to a 2300 lbs. towing capacity. The Prius has no towing capacity.

The Ioniq 5 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Prius 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.

The Ioniq 5 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.

When two different drivers share the Ioniq 5 Limited, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Prius doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Ioniq 5 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 Prius doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Ioniq 5’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Prius’ parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Ioniq 5 and the Prius have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Ioniq 5 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Prius prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Ioniq 5’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Prius’ cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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 Ioniq 5’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Prius’ headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Ioniq 5 has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Prius has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XLE/Limited.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Ioniq 5 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Prius doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Ioniq 5 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 Prius’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Ioniq 5 Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Prius doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Ioniq 5’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 Ioniq 5 and the Prius offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Ioniq 5 SEL/Limited 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.

The Ioniq 5 Limited’s Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Prius LE/XLE/Limited’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Toyota Prius, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Ioniq 5 second among compact suvs 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.