Compare the2024 Toyota Prius PrimeVS 2023 Tesla Model 3

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 Prime are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Prius Prime XSE Premium offers an optional Panoramic View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model 3 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Prius Prime’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Prius Prime has standard Safety Connect™, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Prius Prime and the Model 3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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 and driver alert monitors.

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 Prime its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 67 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Model 3 has not been fully tested, yet.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Prius Prime for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Tesla doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Model 3.

There are over 8 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Prius Prime’s warranty.

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 Prime’s reliability 15 points higher than the Model 3.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. With 63 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota higher than Tesla.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Tesla is ranked 14th.

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 Model 3’s range is only 272 to 358 miles, after which the minimum time to recharge is 15 minutes for only a 50% 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 10 hours and 24 minutes.

The Prius Prime stops shorter than the Model 3:

The Prius Prime has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Prius Prime flat and controlled during cornering. The Model 3’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For better maneuverability, the Prius Prime SE’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Model 3’s (34.4 feet vs. 38 feet). The Prius Prime XSE’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Model 3’s (35.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

The Toyota Prius Prime may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 500 pounds less than the Tesla Model 3.

The Prius Prime is 3.7 inches shorter than the Model 3, making the Prius Prime easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Prius Prime has 1.3 inches more front hip room and .7 inches more rear legroom than the Model 3.

The Prius Prime’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model 3 doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

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 Model 3 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Prius Prime XSE Premium keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Model 3 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 Model 3 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Motor Trend selected the Prius Prime as their 2024 Car of the Year. The Model 3 has never been chosen.