Compare the2024 Lexus ESVS 2023 Toyota Prius

The Lexus ES 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 knee airbags.

Both the ES and the Prius have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the ES the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 54 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Prius has not been tested, yet.

The ES 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.

Lexus’ powertrain warranty covers the ES 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Prius. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Prius ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The ES’ corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Prius’ (6 vs. 5 years).

J.D. Power and Associates rated the ES third among midsize premium cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Prius isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in initial quality. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

The ES has more powerful engines than the Prius:

The ES can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 1.6 miles. The Prius can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the ES Hybrid’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 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The ES Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius AWD’s standard fuel tank (13.2 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The ES’ standard fuel tank has 4.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius FWD’s standard fuel tank (15.9 vs. 11.3 gallons).

For better stopping power the ES’ brake rotors are larger than those on the Prius:

For better traction, the ES has larger standard tires than the Prius (215/55R17 vs. 195/60R17). The ES’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius (235/45R18 vs. 195/60R17).

The ES’ 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 LE’s standard 60 series tires. The ES F Sport’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Prius XLE/Limited’s 50 series tires.

The ES offers an available 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the ES’ wheelbase is 4.7 inches longer than on the Prius (113 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the ES is 1.2 inches wider in the front and 1 inch wider in the rear than the track on the Prius.

The ES F Sport uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Prius doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The ES has 8.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius (99.9 vs. 91.2).

The ES has .3 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 4.4 inches more rear legroom, 2.6 inches more rear hip room and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

With its sedan body style, valet key and remote trunk release lockout, the ES offers cargo security. The Prius’ 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 ES. The Prius doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

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

The ES 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 Lexus service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in service department satisfaction. With a 49% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

The ES offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, 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 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The ES 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.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the ES offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Prius doesn’t offer cornering lights.

A power rear sunshade is optional in the ES and manual rear side window sunshades are standard in the ES Ultra Luxury to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Prius doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

When the ES with available tilt-down mirrors 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.

The ES’ 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 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The ES’ 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 ES and the Prius offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the ES 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.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Lexus ES, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Lexus ES outsold the Toyota Prius by 13% during 2022.