Prius or Civic?

Question

I'm looking at the new 2008 Prius and the 2008 Civic Hybrid (recommendations on trim would be great, too, since the ratings I've seen are drastically different per trim). I've done a lot of research already and it's coming up pretty close. I don't know if the Prius has gotten any easier to repair since the last model or if the Civic lives up to its nearly 50 mpg claim.

I'm not concerned with cargo room, space, performance (I mean this in the "idiots-racing-their-cars" way, not the steering/braking/turning etc), or looks. This is gonna be my first car...please help me make a good choice :)

Dana1981 · Accepted Answer

No question the Prius is the better car.

Both cars get 45 mpg on the highway, but the Prius wins in the city 48 to 40 mpg (20% better than the Civic hybrid).

On top of that, the Prius is a mid-sized car while the Civic is a compact.  That means the Prius has more passenger room and a lot more storage space.

On top of that, despite being a bigger car with better fuel efficiency, the Prius is actually a bit cheaper than the Civic hybrid.

These are the reasons the Prius sells about 7 times more models than the Civic hybrid in the US.  Basically people buy the Civic hybrid if they want a fuel efficient car but think the Prius is ugly.  Since you like the way the Prius looks, it's probably an easy choice.  But you might as well test drive both to see which you like better.

You can't go wrong with either car, but I think the Prius is clearly better.

whatastudteehee · Answer

hey i was in your situation a couple months ago. i was actually looking between those two cars. 
i ended up with the toyota prius, and hands down it was a great choice. i am extremeley satisfied with the prius. it does not lie at all about gas consumption. over two months i have had an average of 49 mpg. it records in the car, and i have calculated it myself. the other hybrids claim alot, but i don't think they actually come close when put to the test. on top of that the safety features are incredible. the car will not even let you drive if someone in the passenger or drivers seat is not wearing a seatbelt. its very modern, with a built in screen which shows consumption, navigation, music, etc. 

great, great, great car. 
personally, i think it looks better than the civic. i got mine in red and i love it.

Karmacy · Answer

Prius is actually amazing. It depends on where you're driving it... but we spend a lot of time on the road, and we're not the slow-and-easy type.... our average fuel consumption is about 50 mpg.
Also, the Prius has a really nice shape. I think Prisu trumps Civic, anyday.
For us, road tax on Prius is £15 per year, which is an improvement on the Merc E class (£200 per year)
So, yeah. Go for the Prius.

Some1 · Answer

yea prius is better on gas but i think the mpg on the new civic hybirs is down, but the civic looks so much nicer the prius looks like alil car for clowns haha, so yea the civic would deff be a better bet because gas isnt that much diff in them

mrvadeboncoeur · Answer

Both the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius are great cars. Nothing wrong with either choice. Take both for a test drive, and see which one fits you better.

Other than size (Civic is a compact, Prius is a larger midsize) and styling, be aware that both hybrid choices are different. Honda's IMA is primarily a gasoline engine with electric assist (the newer HCH II has little electric-only propulsion), while Toyota's HSD is a full hybrid design that can be gasoline, electric, or a combination of the two. Some people like the simplicity of one hybrid design over another, but that's a personal choice. Same goes for the instrumentation gages in the HCH vs. the touchscreen in the Prius.

Pricing wise, I'd say go with the Prius.
Toyota Prius, starting at $21,100: http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/
Honda Civic Hybrid, starting at $22,600: http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-hybrid/
(even the US federal income tax credit for this Honda doesn't make up the initial price difference...)

Hybrids do cost less in the long term than their conventional counterparts. (Intellichoice used a 5 year ownership comparison in 2006) See http://www.intellichoice.com/press/Hybrid-Survey-2006 and http://www.intellichoice.com/carBuying101/HypeOverHybrids

While Consumer Reports in 2006 only found the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid would pay off within the same 5 year frame. The Honda Accord Hybrid, the Ford Escape Hybrid, the Lexus RX400h, and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid were also studied. (I'll note that there was a mathematical error in the initial publication of Consumer Reports' hybrid vehicle cost analysis, which a retraction was published later... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11637968/ ) Since this publication, many more hybrid models have become available, so I can't use this to say about hybrids "in general." However, in the US, the Toyota hybrids have sold so many that they no longer qualify for the US Federal hybrid vehicle income tax credit, but Honda and others still have theirs.

Check out the April issue of Consumer Reports if you want reliability information. Both the Honda Civic and Toyota Prius make their best bets for new cars and for used cars.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/top-picks-for-2007-4-07/overview/0704_top-picks-2007.htm
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/used-cars/used-cars-best-and-worst-406/index.htm
and the Prius was just rated top Green Car for the 5th year in a row: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/news/2007/04/top-picks-for-2007-4-07/overview/0704_top-picks-2007.htm

In the US, hybrid models (like the Prius and HCH II) tend to be the best in fuel economy in their respective classes, using the same testing procedure to compare all cars (hybrid/gasoline/diesel/flex-fuel/etc.), and that is for BOTH highway and city driving: 
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/bestworstNF.shtml

2008 Honda Civic Hybrid:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/24829.shtml
US EPA: 40 MPG city, 45 MPG highway, 42 MPG combined
owners report on average low 40s mpg at:  https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Honda&model=Civic%20Hybrid
and about 46 mpg at: http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/honda-civicii.html

2008 Toyota Prius:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/24882.shtml
US EPA: 48 MPG city, 45 MPG highway, 46 MPG combined
owners report on average mid 40s MPG at:  https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Toyota&model=Prius
and about 47 MPG at:  http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/toyota-priushsd.html

The Prius and Honda Civic are also in Kelley Blue Book's 2007 Best Resale Value Awards: http://www.kbb.com/kbb/ReviewsAndRatings/BestResaleValueAwards.aspx  (Though the Prius was dropped in the 2008 list...)

The Prius is also in edmunds' used cars best bets list as well, and their lowest true cost to own list (2007 and 2008). 
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/bestbet/articles/index.html
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/tco/2007/index.html
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/tco/2008/index.html

Both the Prius and HCH are great cars. (Fuel economy is about the same, and both are AT-PEV emissions, with minimally 8 years/80,000 mile hybrid battery warranties (10 year/150,000 miles in CA emission states), and both have been available in the US for over 5 years now.) But, only you can decide which will work out best for you. Take both for a test drive, and see which one you like better, which you like the seating better, and/or like the available options better... Do you prefer a sedan (Honda Civic Hybrid), or do you like a hatchback (Toyota Prius)? Is a compact OK with you (Honda Civic Hybrid), or would you prefer a larger midsized vehicle (Toyota Prius)? If you want a manual transmission, then you'll have to look for a used HCH. Do you want to show off that you have a hybrid or not? The Prius is only available as a hybrid and its distinctive aerodynamic design gives it away, while the HCH blends in and looks like most every other Civic on the road...

Anonymous · Answer

Civic for sure prius's are old lady cars.

ThatPerson · Answer

Civic is better, smaller which means less gas. Plus it has better manuverability since its smaller. Its more sporty, but the Prius should be safer since its bigger.

rdltng · Answer

Civic is much nicer.

drk3887 · Answer

civic!! www.ifoundmycar.com for great deal on a civic!!

Anonymous · Answer

civic looks better

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Prius or Civic?

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