Compare the2024 Toyota Prius PrimeVS 2024 BMW i5

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Prius Prime 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 BMW i5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Prius Prime are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW i5 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Prius Prime and the i5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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.

The Toyota Prius Prime achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The i5 has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Prius Prime 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the i5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the i5 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Prius Prime’s warranty.

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 BMW 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, BMW is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. BMW is ranked 9th.

On the EPA test cycle the Prius Prime running on electricity gets better mileage than the i5:

The Prius Prime SE’s maximum EPA estimated range on a full tank and a full charge is 606 miles, after which it can be refueled at any gas station in minutes. The i5’s range is only 240 to 295 miles, after which the minimum time to recharge is 30 minutes for only an 80% charge at a specially configured quick charge station not available in most areas. A full recharge at a professionally installed 220-volt charging station can take up to 8 hours.

For better maneuverability, the Prius Prime SE’s turning circle is 6 feet tighter than the i5 eDrive40’s (34.4 feet vs. 40.4 feet).

The Toyota Prius Prime may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1450 to 1700 pounds less than the BMW i5.

The Prius Prime is 1 foot, 6.1 inches shorter than the i5, making the Prius Prime easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Prius Prime uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The i5 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Prius Prime has standard extendable sun visors. The i5 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Prius Prime has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the i5.

The Prius Prime has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The i5 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Prius Prime as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Prius/Prius Prime was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 1 more times in the last 21 years. The i5 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

Motor Trend selected the Prius Prime as their 2024 Car of the Year. The i5 has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Prius Prime as the 2024 North American Car of the Year. The i5 has never been chosen.