Compare the2023 Mazda MX-30VS 2022 Toyota Prius Prime

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda MX-30 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 Prime doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Mazda MX-30 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 MX-30 Premium Plus has a standard 360° Monitor 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.

The MX-30 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. Only the Prius Prime Limited offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the MX-30 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 Prime Limited has a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the MX-30 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 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 Mazda MX-30 is safer than the Toyota Prius Prime:

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

The MX-30’s electric motor produces 22 more horsepower (143 vs. 121) and 94 lbs.-ft. more torque (200 vs. 106) than the Prius Prime’s 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Mazda MX-30 is faster than the Toyota Prius Prime:

The MX-30 can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 100 miles. The Prius Prime has to start its internal combustion engine after only 25 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mazda MX-30 higher (10 out of 10) than the Toyota Prius Prime (7). This means the MX-30 produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Prius Prime every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the MX-30’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Prius Prime:

The MX-30 stops much shorter than the Prius Prime:

For better traction, the MX-30 has larger tires than the Prius Prime (215/55R18 vs. 195/65R15).

The MX-30’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 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 MX-30 has standard 18-inch wheels. Only 15-inch wheels are available on the Prius Prime.

The MX-30 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Prius Prime’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the MX-30 is 1.3 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than on the Prius Prime.

The MX-30 Premium Plus handles at .84 G’s, while the Prius Prime Limited pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The MX-30 is 9.6 inches shorter than the Prius Prime, making the MX-30 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The MX-30 has 1 inch more front hip room and 1.4 inches more front shoulder room than the Prius Prime.

When two different drivers share the MX-30, 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 Prime doesn’t offer a memory system.

The MX-30’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 MX-30’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Prius Prime LE/XLE’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the MX-30 has a standard rear wiper. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The MX-30 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.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the MX-30 has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the MX-30 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 Prime’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The MX-30’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Prius Prime offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The MX-30 has a 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.