Compare the2026 Honda CivicVS 2026 Toyota Prius

The Honda Civic has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Prius doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Prius’ side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Civic and the Prius have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Civic is safer than the Toyota Prius:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Civic is safer than the Toyota Prius:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

The Civic Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 4 more horsepower (200 vs. 196) and 80 lbs.-ft. more torque (232 vs. 152) than the Prius’ optional 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Civic Hybrid 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Toyota Prius 2.0:

Both the Civic and Prius have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Civic (except Civic Hybrid) has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Civic’s standard fuel tank has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius FWD’s standard fuel tank (12.4 vs. 11.3 gallons).

The Civic has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Prius doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Civic stops much shorter than the Prius:

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Prius (215/55R16 vs. 195/60R17). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius (235/40R18 vs. 195/60R17).

The Civic LX Sedan’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Prius LE’s standard 60 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Prius XLE/Nightshade/Limited’s 50 series tires.

The Civic 2.0 has a standard space-saver spare (not available on Hybrid) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Prius; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Hatchback handles at .86 G’s, while the Prius Limited pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Prius Limited (27.1 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

The Honda Civic may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 200 pounds less than the Toyota Prius.

The Civic Hybrid uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Prius doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Civic has 7.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius (99 vs. 91.2).

The Civic has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 2.6 inches more rear legroom and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Civic easier. The Civic’s trunk lift-over height is 26.2 inches, while the Prius’ liftover is 29.2 inches.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 23% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 24th.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Civic’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Prius’ headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Civic has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Prius has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XLE/Nightshade/Limited.

The Civic Sport Hybrid/Sport Touring Hybrid’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Prius doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

The Honda Civic comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Toyota Prius isn’t available as a sedan.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Honda Civic retains 72.11% of its original value after 5 years, significantly more than the 64.43% resale value of the 2025 Toyota Prius after five years, which can save the Honda’s owner up to $3322.371408 in depreciation.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Civic and the Toyota Prius, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its October 2024 issue and the Honda Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Sedan won out over the Toyota Prius XLE.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Civic second among compact cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Prius isn’t in the top three.

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2025 and 10 more times in the last 41 years. The Prius/Prius Prime hasn’t been picked since 2024, and the Prius/Prius Prime has only been chosen twice.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2025 North American Car of the Year. The Prius was last chosen in 2024.

The Honda Civic outsold the Toyota Prius by almost six to one during 2024.