Compare the2024 Toyota Prius PrimeVS 2024 Volkswagen ID.4

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 ID.4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Prius Prime and the ID.4 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, 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 ID.4 has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The Prius Prime’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the ID.4’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Volkswagen 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 33 points higher than the ID.4.

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 Volkswagen vehicles. With 55 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota higher than Volkswagen.

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 Volkswagen 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, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 27th.

The Prius Prime’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 19 more horsepower (220 vs. 201) than the ID.4’s standard electric motor.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Prius Prime is faster than the Volkswagen ID.4 electric motor:

On the EPA test cycle the Prius Prime running on electricity gets better mileage than the ID.4:

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 ID.4’s range is only 206 to 291 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.

The Toyota Prius Prime has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the ID.4. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Prius Prime stops shorter than the ID.4:

The Toyota Prius Prime may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 1300 pounds less than the Volkswagen ID.4.

The Prius Prime is 8.6 inches shorter in height than the ID.4, making the Prius Prime much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The Prius Prime has 1.3 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front hip room and 5 inches more rear hip room than the ID.4.

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 ID.4 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 is only available on the ID.4 S/Plus.

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 ID.4 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Prius Prime XSE Premium’s optional Advanced Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The ID.4’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

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 Volkswagen ID.4 isn't recommended.

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 ID.4 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 ID.4 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 ID.4 has never been chosen.

The Toyota Prius outsold the Volkswagen ID.4 by 263 units during 2023.