Prius vs Ioniq – The Battle for Hybrid Glory
Prius vs Ioniq seems to be an exciting battle in the making. Toyota Prius has been one of the most successful Hybrid vehicles in the past decade. Prius brings in legendary Toyota reliability and super high mileage with it. Being the unchallenged king of Hybrid world, finally Toyota Prius seems to be getting some real adversaries.
Hyundai Ioniq being a new entrant has excited the Auto world crowd with impressive mileage and price. Hyundai has climbed up the reliability charts by leaps and bounds in last decade. Hyundai stands only behind the Japanese manufactures, having surpassed american Trio of GM, Ford and Chrysler.
With Ioniq, Hyundai is well poised to match the Japanese in all departments. But before that can happen, Ioniq needs to improve upon the reigning champion Toyota Prius.
Below is the comparison of Specifications, internal & external features , Comfort , Convenience and Safety of Prius vs Ioniq. As you can see these cars are matched in almost all departments.
Engine, Mileage and Performance
Hyundai Ioniq beats Toyota Prius hands down in Mileage but not by much. The 8 MPG advantage in highway driving is quiet an improvement but need to tested on real world conditions. Toyota’s engines are reliable and smooth, Prius comes with 1.8 CVT engines and they are also one of the most reliable. In the performance and Engine section we will have to go with Toyota based on past performance.
With Prius in its 10+ anniversary, its hybrid performance has been very reliable. We have to see Hyundai’s on road reliability and hopefully Hyundai avoids any nagging issues with its new Hybrid Engines.
Style & External Looks
Hyundai has it easy here, Prius is considered one of not so good looking vehicles. The latest revision of Prius has attracted contrasting views from very good to ugly. On the other hand Hyundai Ioniq has played it safe and looks nice. But Ioniq also has some similarities to Prius in appearance.
2017 Toyota Prius on the other hand comes with more LED lights and styling and offers over the top car of future look with its styling. It also comes with LED Daytime Running Lights and Rear LED lights. Higher models also offer LED headlights with Auto High beam.
Interior & Entertainment Features
While Toyota Prius comes with its Entune entertainment system, Ioniq supports both Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Both vehicles come with 4.2 inch Instrument panel in addition to Entertainment display with Touch screen controls. Both models have higher end Music options with Toyota having JBL speakers as an option.
Safety Features
From 2017 most of the Toyota vehicles come with Toyota Safety sense as standard. This brings in Lane Departure Warning, Steering assist, Blind-spot warning, Cross traffic alerts and Collision detection as standard. These seem to be getting positive feedback on real life conditions. While Hyundai brings in most of these features, it will be tough to outshine the Prius here.
Price
Hyundai Ioniq starts at $23,300 and Toyota Prius starts at $24,200. But the Prius also has more standard features than Ioniq and price might fall in similar spectrum overall. Dealer network and rebates will decide final price paid.
Overall choice might come down to your personal preference of look and feel as there is little separating these 2 vehicles.
| 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid | 2017 Toyota Prius Hybrid | |
|---|---|---|
| City Mileage | 57 | 54 |
| Highway Mileage | 59 | 50 |
| Combined Mileage | 58 | 52 |
| Powertrain | Hybrid | Hybrid |
| Sport Mode | Yes | Yes |
| Eco Mode | No | Yes |
| Safety Features | ||
| Airbags | 7 | 7 |
| Hillstart Assist Control | Yes | Yes |
| Rearview - Backup Camera | Yes | Yes |
| Tire Pressure Monitoring System & Pressure Indicator | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced Cruise Control | Smart Cruise Control -Optional | Radar Cruise Control -Optional |
| Wheels | 15 Inch Eco Spoke Alloy Wheels | 15 Inch 5 spoke Alloy wheels |
| Heated power outside mirrors | No | Yes |
| Blindsport Monitoring System | Available | Available |
| Lane Departure Warning | Available | Available |
| Rear Parking Sensor | Available | |
| Cross Traffic Alert | Available | Available |
| Intelligent Clearance Sonar (ICS) with Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA) | No | Available |
| Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection | No | Yes |
| Steering Assist | No | Yes |
| Auto High Beam | Yes | Yes |
| Exterior | ||
| Headlights | Automatic Projector Headlights | |
| LED Headlights | Not available. | Available |
| LED Datime Running Lights | Available | Standard |
| LED Taillights | Available | Standard |
| Moonroof | Available | Available |
| Special Wheels | 17 inch Alloy | |
| Interior | ||
| Proximity Key Entry with Push start | Yes | Yes |
| Instrument Panel | 4.2 inch LCD | 4.2 inch LCD |
| Tilt and Telescopic Steering wheel | Yes | Yes |
| Steering wheel audio and cruise controls | Yes | Yes |
| Dual Automatic Temperature control | Yes | Yes |
| Fold down rear seat | Yes | Yes |
| Heated Seats | Available | Available |
| Autodimming Reariew | Available | Available |
| Power Driver Seat | Available | Available |
| Power Passenger Seat | No | |
| Entertainment | ||
| Multimedia Display | 7 inch touch screen | |
| Apple Carplay | Yes | No |
| Android Auto | Yes | No |
| Entune Connect | No | Yes |
| Integrated Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Aux plugs | Yes | Yes |
| USB | Yes | Yes |
| Sirius XM | Yes | Yes |
| HD Radio | Yes | Yes |
| Premium Speakers | Available | Available |
| JBL Speakers | No | Available |
| Base Model Cost | 23300 | 24200 |
| Fully Loaded Cost | $31000 (Appr) | 32115 |