Compare the2024 BMW i5VS 2024 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 i5’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 i5 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 i5 M60 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the i5 has standard Cross Traffic Warning with Brake Intervention, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Parking Support Brake costs extra on the Prius Prime.

Both the i5 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The BMW i5 weighs 1345 to 1786 pounds more than the Toyota Prius Prime. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The i5 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 i5’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Prius Prime’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the i5 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’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. With 2 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Toyota.

Engine

The i5 eDrive40’s standard electric motor produces 115 more horsepower (335 vs. 220) than the Prius Prime’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The i5 M60’s standard electric motors produces 373 more horsepower (593 vs. 220) than the Prius Prime’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

The i5 can travel longer on a full charge than the Prius Prime on electricity, only, on a full charge:

			Miles
i5
	RWD	19" Wheels eDrive40 Electric Motor	295 miles
		20" Wheels eDrive40 Electric Motor	278 miles
		21" Wheels eDrive40 Electric Motor	270 miles
	AWD	M60 19" Wheels Electric Motor	256 miles
		M60 20" Wheels Electric Motor	248 miles
		M60 21" Wheels Electric Motor	240 miles
Prius Prime
	FWD	SE Electric Motor	44 miles
		XSE Electric Motor	39 miles

The i5, as a pure battery electric vehicle, has no need to “idle” its motors in traffic: they only burn power when moving. The i5’s climate control systems still work completely when the vehicle is stopped. The Prius Prime still runs its internal combustion engine whenever it’s stopped, burning excess fuel.

Transmission

The i5’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

The i5’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 i5 has larger standard tires than the Prius Prime (245/45R19 vs. 195/60R17). The i5’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius Prime (F:245/40R20 & R:275/35R20 vs. 195/60R17).

The i5’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Prius Prime SE’s standard 60 series tires. The i5’s optional 245/35R21 front and 275/30R21 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 i5 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Prius Prime SE. The i5’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Prius Prime XSE.

The i5 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Prius Prime; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The i5 offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The i5 offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Toyota doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Prius Prime.

The i5 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 i5’s wheelbase is 9.6 inches longer than on the Prius Prime (117.9 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the i5 is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Prius Prime.

The i5’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50% to 50%) than the Prius Prime’s (56% to 44%). This gives the i5 more stable handling and braking.

Passenger Space

The i5 has 6.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius Prime (98 vs. 91.2).

The i5 has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 3.9 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear legroom and 4.1 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 i5 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 i5. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the i5’s trunk can be opened and closed 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 i5 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.

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 i5 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 i5 has standard driver and 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 i5 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning, navigation instruction and driver assistance information 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 i5 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 Prime has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XSE.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the i5 offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Prius Prime doesn’t offer cornering lights. The i5 also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are optional in the i5 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 i5 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 i5’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 i5 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 i5’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 i5 and the Prius Prime offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the i5 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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the BMW i5 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Prius Prime XSE offers wireless charging.

The i5’s Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Optional Remote Control Parking will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Prius Prime XSE Premium’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.