Compare the2023 Toyota PriusVS 2024 Lexus ES

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 ES doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Prius and the ES 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.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Prius is safer than the ES:

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 ES is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2023.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Prius for 1 year and 15000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the ES (2/25000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 5 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Prius’ warranty.

The battery on the Prius is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Prius’ battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The ES’ battery is in the hot engine compartment.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Prius’ reliability 23 points higher than the Lexus ES and 28 points higher than the Lexus ES Hybrid.

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 Lexus 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, Lexus is rated lower.

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

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

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Prius higher (7 out of 10) than the Lexus ES (5 to 7). This means the Prius produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the ES every 15,000 miles.

For better maneuverability, the Prius LE’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the ES’ (34.4 feet vs. 38 feet). The Prius XLE/Limited’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the ES’ (35.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

The Toyota Prius may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 600 pounds less than the Lexus ES.

The Prius is 1 foot, 2.8 inches shorter than the ES, making the Prius easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 ES doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Prius has .5 inches more front headroom and .8 inches more front legroom than the ES.

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 ES’ useful trunk space.

The Prius’ standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The ES doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

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 ES’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Both the Prius and the ES 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 ES.

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