Compare the2023 BMW 530eVS 2023 Toyota Prius Prime

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The 530e’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The BMW 530e 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 knee airbags.

The 530e offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the 530e and the Prius Prime have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The BMW 530e weighs 743 to 955 pounds more than the Toyota Prius Prime. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, its standard front crash prevention system, its “Good” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the 530e the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 192 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Prius Prime has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The 530e comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Prius Prime’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The 530e’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Prius Prime’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 530e for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Prius Prime (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in initial quality. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

Engine

The 530e’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 68 more horsepower (288 vs. 220) than the Prius Prime’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the 530e’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The 530e has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius Prime (12.1 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The 530e’s 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 Prime doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the 530e’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Prius Prime:

	530e	Prius Prime
Front Rotors	13.7 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	11 inches

The 530e’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Prius Prime are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the 530e has larger standard tires than the Prius Prime (245/40R19 vs. 195/60R17). The 530e’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius Prime (F:245/35R20 & R:275/30R20 vs. 195/60R17).

The 530e’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Prius Prime SE’s standard 60 series tires. The 530e’s optional 245/35R20 front and 275/30R20 rear tires have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile than the Prius Prime XSE’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 530e has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Prius Prime SE. The 530e’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Prius Prime XSE.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the 530e can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The 530e 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 Prime’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the 530e’s wheelbase is 8.8 inches longer than on the Prius Prime (117.1 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the 530e is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than on the Prius Prime.

Passenger Space

The 530e has 7.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius Prime (98.8 vs. 91.2).

The 530e has .8 inches more front headroom, 3.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, .6 inches more rear legroom and 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius Prime.

Cargo Capacity

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the 530e offers cargo security. The Prius Prime’s hatchback body style, non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat cargo security.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the 530e. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the 530e’s trunk can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The 530e uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Prius Prime 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 engine in the 530e is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Prius Prime. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks BMW 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 18% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

Ergonomics

The 530e 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 Prime doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat in the Prius Prime XSE Premium, the 530e offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The 530e offers an optional 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 Prius Prime doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The 530e 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 XSE.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the 530e 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.

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are optional in the 530e to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

When the 530e 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 Prime’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The 530e’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 530e offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Prius Prime.

The 530e’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 Prime doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the 530e and the Prius Prime offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the 530e has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.