2020 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2021 Toyota Prius

Half a decade ago, Honda redesigned the Civic, aiming to compete with models like the Subaru Impreza and Toyota Corolla. For 2020, Honda made subtle tweaks to the Civic Hatchback's styling, including body-color crossbars on the air intakes, a new grille, and smoked headlights. The Sport Touring trim, with its Platinum White Pearl paint and glossy black detailing, garnered admiration from onlookers, who mistook it for a Type R. Inside, the Sport Touring trim featured stitched leather on the steering wheel, soft surfaces, and quality materials, though hard plastics were still present. The six-speed manual gearbox, previously exclusive to the Sport trim, was now available in the Sport Touring trim, bringing the price to $28,980, including the destination charge.

The 2021 Toyota Prius retained its iconic boomerang-shaped hood and roofline, a design that had become synonymous with the model since its second-generation debut in 2004. Despite advancements in aerodynamic vehicle design, the Prius stuck to its unique styling, which some found unappealing. The interior was equally unconventional, with a strip of displays mounted in the center of the dashboard and a toggle lever for transmission controls. The Prius offered various trims, including the L Eco, LE, XLE, 2020 Edition, and Limited, with an optional AWD-e system for the LE and XLE trims. Prices ranged from $24,525 to $32,650, with our test vehicle, the Prius 2020 Edition, costing $31,295, including destination charges.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, particularly in Sport and Sport Touring trims, was equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. This powertrain produced 174 horsepower in the LX, EX, and EX-L trims, and 180 horsepower in the Sport and Sport Touring trims. Torque varied depending on the transmission, with 162 lb-ft for the CVT and 177 lb-ft for the six-speed manual. The Civic Hatchback's engine was quiet and refined, providing ample power for a front-wheel-drive vehicle. While the Civic Si offered a tighter and more thrilling driving experience, the Sport and Sport Touring trims were more comfortable for daily use, with a softer ride and quieter cabin. The EPA rated the test car at 32 mpg in combined driving, and it achieved 32.7 mpg during testing.

The 2021 Toyota Prius prioritized fuel efficiency, with the L Eco version achieving an impressive 56 mpg in combined driving, according to the EPA. Other front-drive Prius models earned a 52 mpg combined rating, while AWD-e models managed 49 mpg. The Prius 2020 Edition averaged 47.5 mpg during testing. The Prius combined a 1.8-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with a 53-kilowatt electric motor, resulting in a total system output of 121 horsepower. While this wasn't much for the 3,020-pound vehicle, the electric motor's 120 lb-ft of torque provided a lively feel off the line. The Prius featured Eco, Normal, and Power driving modes, as well as an EV Mode for electric-only driving at speeds under 25 mph. The TNGA platform contributed to the Prius's handling, offering a lower center of gravity and a more athletic feel. However, hard acceleration produced significant powertrain noise, and the steering lacked road feel.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback offered 25.2 cubic feet of cargo space, slightly more than the Honda HR-V Touring's 23.2 cubic feet. While the HR-V had a larger maximum volume of 57.6 cubic feet, the Civic's superior acceleration and fuel efficiency made it a more appealing choice. The Civic's low seating position made entry and exit more challenging, but the Sport Touring's heated leather front seats provided ample thigh support. The rear seats offered good comfort and legroom, though the lack of air-conditioning vents and dark tinted rear glass could make passengers uncomfortable.

The 2021 Toyota Prius, despite its compact appearance, provided ample interior space for up to five people. The test vehicle featured an eight-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. However, the low seating position made entry and exit difficult, and the SofTex synthetic leather upholstery tended to trap sweat. The rear seats offered adequate foot room, legroom, and headroom, but lacked air-conditioning vents. Cargo space varied by trim level, ranging from 24.6 to 27.4 cubic feet behind the back seat, and 47.9 to 50.7 cubic feet with the seat folded down.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback featured a stylish dashboard with digital instrumentation and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system in all but the LX trim. The Sport Touring trim included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, a navigation system, a quick-charging USB port, and a 12-speaker premium sound system. However, the infotainment system lacked a tuning knob, a larger screen, and effective voice-recognition technology. Automatic climate control and Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock were standard features, providing convenience and peace of mind.

The 2021 Toyota Prius's 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system included stereo-volume and tuning knobs, as well as shortcut buttons to main-function menus. Standard features across all trims included Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa compatibility, Safety Connect, and WiFi Connect. The Limited trim offered a 10-speaker JBL premium sound system, a navigation system, and a natural voice recognition system, paired with an 11.6-inch portrait-style touchscreen. However, the standard stereo sound quality was poor, and the digital instrumentation displays were dated.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback came standard with the Honda Sensing suite, which included forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, automatic high-beam headlights, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and a Road Departure Mitigation system. Adaptive cruise control was also standard, with low-speed following capability for CVT-equipped models. However, the lane-keeping assist lacked smoothness, and the adaptive cruise control occasionally braked for no reason. The Civic lacked a blind-spot monitoring system and rear cross-traffic alert, relying instead on the LaneWatch system for the right-side blind spot. The 2020 Civic Hatchback did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS due to poor headlight performance, though it received top marks for crash-test performance.

The 2021 Toyota Prius featured the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 (TSS 2.0) suite as standard on all trims. This included adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane-centering assist, automatic high-beam headlights, and a road-sign recognition system. Higher trims included a blind-spot monitoring system with rear cross-traffic alert. Safety Connect services were also standard, offering automatic collision notification, emergency assistance, roadside assistance, and a stolen vehicle locator function. The NHTSA had not rated the 2021 Prius for crashworthiness, but the IIHS gave it favorable marks, though it did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating.