Compare the2023 Toyota PriusVS 2022 Honda Insight

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Prius 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 Honda Insight doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Prius 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 Prius has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Insight doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Prius offers an optional Parking Support Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Insight doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Prius has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Insight doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Prius Limited offers an optional Panoramic 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 Prius and the Insight have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Prius its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 36 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Insight has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Prius for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Insight.

There are over 16 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Honda dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Prius’ warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Honda is ranked fifth.

Engine

The Prius’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 43 more horsepower (194 vs. 151) than the Insight’s 1.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Prius’ optional 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 45 more horsepower (196 vs. 151) than the Insight’s 1.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Toyota Prius 2.0 is faster than the Honda Insight:

	Prius	Insight
Zero to 60 MPH	7.1 sec	7.7 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	18.8 sec	23.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15.5 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	86 MPH
Top Speed	115 MPH	114 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Prius gets better mileage than the Insight:

			MPG
Prius
	FWD	LE 2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	57 city/56 hwy
		XLE/Limited 2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	52 city/52 hwy
	AWD	LE 2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/54 hwy
		XLE/Limited 2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	49 city/50 hwy
Insight
	FWD	EX 1.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	55 city/49 hwy
		Touring 1.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/45 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Prius AWD-e	Insight
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	11 inches	10.2 inches

The Prius stops much shorter than the Insight:

	Prius	Insight
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Prius LE has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Insight EX. The Prius XLE/Limited’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Insight Touring.

The Prius LE has a standard space-saver spare (not available on XLE/Limited) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Insight; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Prius’ wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Insight (108.3 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

The Prius Limited handles at .87 G’s, while the Insight Touring pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Prius LE’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Insight’s (34.4 feet vs. 35.7 feet). The Prius XLE/Limited’s turning circle is .3 feet tighter than the Insight’s (35.4 feet vs. 35.7 feet).

Chassis

The front grille of the Prius uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Insight doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Prius has .9 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front hip room and 4.4 inches more rear hip room than the Insight.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Prius’ hatch uses gas strut supported hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Insight’s useful trunk space.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Prius Limited, the memory seats make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Insight doesn’t offer memory seats.

The Prius 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 power windows standard on both the Prius and the Insight have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Prius 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 Prius’ front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Insight’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Prius LE’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.

Both the Prius and the Insight offer available heated front seats. The Prius Limited also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Insight.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Prius 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 Prius XLE/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.

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

The Prius’ optional Advanced Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Insight doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

The Toyota Prius outsold the Honda Insight by almost five to one during 2022.

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