All-New 2019 Honda Insight vs. Toyota Prius - How Do they Compare?

Honda revealed the details of its 2019 Insight Hybrid sedan today. The new Insight Hybrid joins the new Clarity plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and battery electric among Honda's rapidly growing list of new and exciting green vehicles.

Size and Shape - 2019 Honda Insight vs. 2018 Toyota Prius vs. 2018 Honda Civic
The new Insight is a compact sedan the same size as the current Honda Civic sedan. Both have 98 cubic feet of passenger space. They both have the identical cargo volume of 15.1 cubic feet. So, our initial take on the Insight is that this is the new Civic Hybrid by another name. Honda says the new Insight has 4 inches more rear legroom than Prius and almost 2 inches more than Ioniq.

By contrast, the current Toyota Prius has 93 cubic feet of passenger space and 24.6 cubic feet of cargo area, due in part to its hatchback design. All three vehicles, the Prius, Civic, and new Insight seat five passengers.

Fuel Economy - 2019 Honda Insight vs. 2018 Toyota Prius vs. Toyota Camry Hybrid
According to Honda, the new Insight will have a City EPA-estimated fuel economy of 55 MPG. That puts the Insight between the 58 MPG City Prius Eco and the 54 MPG City Toyota Prius of other trims. By comparison, the Toyota Camry Hybrid LE earns a 51 MPG City rating and the other Camry Hybrids earn a 47 MPG City rating. Honda did not offer the Combined fuel economy rating of the Insight, so we assume that it is the City rating that casts it in its best light. We will be looking forward to the official fuel economy figures to be posted to FuelEconomy.gov.

Performance: 2019 Honda Insight vs. 2018 Toyota Prius
One area that Honda claims the Insight will have a distinct edge over the Prius in is performance. Although Honda did not offer any 0-30 MPH or 0-60 MPH test numbers for the Insight, the 151 hp of the new Insight Hybrid seem to dwarf the 121 hp of the Prius. Testing will tell, but if there is one area that Toyota Prius owners will admit is not world class, it is is acceleration.

Pricing: 2019 Honda Insight vs. Toyota Prius
The new Insight starts at just under $24K. The Prius starts at about $24,500. In the past year or so, Honda has reduced its incentives (discounts) on new models, while Toyota has kept its incentives strong. Pricing of green cars is a complex subject with so many corporate, federal, and state incentives. It will be interesting to see how the Honda Insight sells if dealers hold the line on discounts.

We will reserve our comments on the driving experience of the Insight until we have a chance to drive one. Every modern Honda model has become much more dynamic and exciting as they enter new generations. We would expect nothing less of the 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid.

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