Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Insight deploy with different levels of force or don't deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Insight'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.
The Insight has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle's blind spots where the side view mirrors don't reveal them. Only the Prius LE/XLE/Limited offers a blind spot warning system.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Insight has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Prius LE/XLE/Limited has a rear cross-path warning system.
Compared to metal, the Insight's plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Toyota Prius has a metal gas tank.
Both the Insight and the Prius have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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 and driver alert monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Insight is safer than the Toyota Prius:
|
|
Insight |
Prius |
| OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
|
Driver |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
| HIC |
202 |
229 |
| Neck Injury Risk |
17% |
33% |
| Neck Stress |
139 lbs. |
323 lbs. |
| Leg Forces (l/r) |
147/283 lbs. |
274/256 lbs. |
|
|
Passenger |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
197 |
246 |
| Chest Compression |
.4 inches |
.6 inches |
| Neck Injury Risk |
26% |
31% |
| Neck Stress |
111 lbs. |
222 lbs. |
| Leg Forces (l/r) |
159/44 lbs. |
100/151 lbs. |
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 Insight is safer than the Toyota Prius:
|
|
Insight |
Prius |
|
|
Front Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Hip Force |
316 lbs. |
373 lbs. |
|
|
Rear Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Hip Force |
276 lbs. |
463 lbs. |
|
|
Into Pole |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| Spine Acceleration |
38 G's |
39 G's |
| Hip Force |
617 lbs. |
781 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Insight, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.4% less likely to roll over than the Prius, which received a four-star rating.
For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight's “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Insight its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 80 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Prius last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.
