2023 Toyota Prius vs 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid

Toyota completely revamped the 2023 Prius, finally giving it a stylish appearance that had been missing from the lineup. The new design was a response to increasing competition from cheaper electric vehicles and other hybrids, pushing Toyota to create a car that was both efficient and visually appealing. The exterior was sleeker, with a blend of curves and edges that gave it a futuristic look while still appealing to conservative buyers. The wheels were pushed further into the corners, enhancing handling and giving the Prius a more athletic stance. The car was longer, lower, and wider than its predecessor, riding on a solid platform that felt robust over rough surfaces. Inside, the materials and fit were top-notch, with a pair of screens greeting the driver, including a dashboard-mounted infotainment screen. The cabin prioritized function over form, lacking decorative trim pieces, but remained a comfortable space.

The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid, available in Sport, EX-L, Sport-L, and Touring trims, ranged from $32,895 to $38,890, excluding a $1,095 destination charge. The redesign replaced the sporty styling with a clean, technical look, best complemented by the machined-finish 19-inch wheels on the Sport and Touring trims. Our test car, a Touring model, featured Canyon River Blue metallic paint and a black leather interior. The interior was lightened with a gray headliner, contrast stitching, metallic finishes, and an artful mesh trim strip. While the lower cabin plastics appeared too shiny for a $40,000 car, the Accord Touring's interior impressed with its 'Acura Lite' feel. The car offered a comfortable ride, with ample legroom and headroom for rear passengers, and a trunk space of 16.7 cubic feet, surpassing its class rivals.

The 2023 Toyota Prius featured a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, an upgrade from the previous 1.8-liter unit. This engine, combined with a more powerful electric motor and lithium-ion battery, delivered 194 horsepower in front-wheel-drive models and 196 horsepower in all-wheel-drive models, a significant increase from the previous 121 horsepower. The continuously variable automatic transmission provided a more athletic and eager driving experience, with 0-60 mph acceleration times dropping to 7.1 seconds from 10.5 seconds. The Prius handled well, with agile and athletic suspension, and road and wind noise were well isolated. The brakes had a minor squishiness typical of hybrids, but overall, the Prius was a comfortable and engaging daily driver.

The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid featured Honda's latest two-motor hybrid powertrain, pairing a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors. The system delivered 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque, with the latter available from zero to 2,000 rpm. The Accord Hybrid was only available in front-wheel drive, and its instantaneous electric-motor torque provided enthusiastic acceleration. The car weighed about 3,500 pounds, depending on the trim level, and was zippy in city driving and during stop-and-go commutes. The EPA rated the Accord EX-L at 48 mpg in combined driving, while the Sport, Sport-L, and Touring trims earned 44 mpg. During testing, the Touring returned 43.1 mpg. The Accord Touring impressed with its blend of ride and handling characteristics, making it an excellent daily driver.

The 2023 Toyota Prius, despite its larger exterior, had a slightly smaller interior in some dimensions compared to the previous model. Headroom decreased in both the front and rear seats, but legroom increased, allowing taller passengers to fit comfortably in the rear. The optional fixed glass roof on the XLE trim opened up the cabin, though the glass sections did not open for airflow. Cargo space decreased to 20 cubic feet on XLE and Limited models and 24 cubic feet on the LE. The cabin featured cupholders, a wireless smartphone charging pocket, and USB-C charging ports in both front and rear seats. The cargo section had small underfloor storage cubbies and a flexible cargo cover for the rear window.

The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid prioritized comfort, though taller drivers might find the seat doesn't move far enough back. Every Accord Hybrid had a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, with leather-upholstered versions offering heated front seats. The Touring trim added ventilated front seats and heated outboard rear seats. Rear passengers enjoyed ample legroom and headroom, with supportive seating and a perfect backrest angle. The Touring's air conditioning vents and USB charging ports kept rear passengers comfortable, and the wide-opening doors facilitated easy entry and exit. Interior storage was excellent, though the driver's seatback lacked a storage pocket. The trunk offered 16.7 cubic feet of cargo space, surpassing its class rivals.

The 2023 Toyota Prius featured an 8-inch color touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on the base LE and mid-grade XLE models. The XLE could be upgraded to a 12.3-inch touchscreen for $735, standard on the Limited trim. The navigation system required a $160 annual subscription to Toyota's Drive Connect system. All models had a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, which was too busy with information. Six USB-C charge ports were available throughout the cabin, with wireless smartphone charging on XLE and Limited models. The Prius also offered subscription-based connectivity bundles, including Remote Connect, Safety Connect, and Drive Connect.

The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid came with a 10.2-inch digital instrumentation display and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Standard features included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Alexa Built-in, and HondaLink subscription services with a Wi-Fi hotspot. The Touring trim added a 12-speaker Bose premium sound system, a wireless smartphone charger, and a 6-inch head-up display. It was the only Accord with Google Built-in, offering Google Maps, Google Assistant, and Google Play Store, with a complimentary three-year subscription. The digital instrumentation was practical, showing essential information like headlights, turn signals, and brake lights.

The 2023 Toyota Prius came with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, a suite of active safety features including radar-based adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-departure alerts with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, and Proactive Driving Assist. These features were standard on all Prius models. Other safety features included stability control, traction control, eight airbags, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts. The Limited trim could be optioned with Advanced Park for hands-free automatic parallel parking. The 2023 Prius had not yet been crash-tested by IIHS or NHTSA.

The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid received a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS. It featured the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assistance features, including automatic high-beam headlights, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centering assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control with traffic-jam assist. The EX-L trim added parking sensors, and the Touring gained low-speed automatic braking. During testing, the lane assist features were challenged by bright sunlight, and the traffic-jam assist worked intermittently. The adaptive cruise control left enough space for other drivers to cut in, and the lane-centering system required small steering corrections to avoid warnings.