Compare the2023 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 DoorVS 2022 Toyota Prius

The MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door 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 Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Prius 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.

Compared to metal, the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’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 Cooper Hardtop 4 Door and the Prius have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available front parking sensors.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Prius’ 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Prius’ (12 vs. 5 years).

MINI pays for scheduled maintenance on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door 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 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that MINI vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks MINI above average in initial quality. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 13 more horsepower (134 vs. 121) and 57 lbs.-ft. more torque (162 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 68 more horsepower (189 vs. 121) and 101 lbs.-ft. more torque (206 vs. 105) than the Prius’ 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Prius AWD-e’s standard fuel tank (11.6 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door S Auto’s optional launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Prius doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Prius:

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’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. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s optional 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 Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has standard 16-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Prius. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s optional 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Prius XLE FWD/Limited.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Prius doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Prius’ suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is 1 foot, 9.5 inches shorter than the Prius, making the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has .5 inches more front headroom and .1 inches more rear headroom than the Prius.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door 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.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that MINI service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks MINI fourth in service department satisfaction. With a 25% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

The power windows standard on both the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door and the Prius have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door 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 Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’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 Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’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 L Eco/LE’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Prius doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door 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.

To better shield the driver’s vision, the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has a standard dual-element sun visor that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Prius doesn’t offer a secondary sun visor.

When the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Prius’ mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s optional 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 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s optional 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.

The MINI Cooper comes in coupe, convertible and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Toyota Prius isn’t available as a coupe or convertible.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is less expensive to operate than the Prius because typical repairs cost much less on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door than the Prius, including $462 less for fuel injection and $403 less for a timing belt/chain.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door and the Toyota Prius, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door first among compact sporty 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.