Compare the2025 Subaru ImprezaVS 2025 Toyota Prius

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Subaru Impreza has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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.

The Impreza has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Prius doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Impreza. But it costs extra on the Prius.

Both the Impreza and the Prius have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, available blind spot warning systems 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 Subaru Impreza is safer than the Toyota Prius:

	Impreza	Prius
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	22.4%	23%
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	170	348
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches

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 Subaru Impreza is safer than the Toyota Prius:

	Impreza	Prius
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	6 lbs.	290 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	291	467
Hip Force	423 lbs.	705 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	254	384

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

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Impreza’s reliability 13 points higher than the Prius.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Toyota vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. Toyota is ranked third.

Engine

The Impreza RS’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 152) than the Prius’ optional 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Impreza RS 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota Prius 2.0:

	Impreza	Prius
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.1 MPH	87.5 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Impreza lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Prius doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

The Impreza has 6.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius AWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 10.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Impreza has 5.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius FWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 11.3 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Impreza’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Prius:

	Impreza	Impreza Sport/RS	Prius	Prius AWD-e
Front Rotors	11.6 inches	12.4 inches	11.1 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	11.2 inches	11 inches	11 inches

The Impreza’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Prius are solid, not vented.

The Impreza stops shorter than the Prius:

	Impreza	Prius
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Impreza has larger standard tires than the Prius (205/55R16 vs. 195/60R17). The Impreza Sport/RS’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius (225/40R18 vs. 195/60R17).

The Impreza’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 Impreza Sport/RS’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Prius XLE/Nightshade/Limited’s 50 series tires.

Chassis

The Impreza is 4.9 inches shorter than the Prius, making the Impreza easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Impreza a Large car, while the Prius is rated a Mid-size.

The Impreza has 9.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius (100.5 vs. 91.2).

The Impreza has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom, 1.5 inches more rear hip room and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Impreza easier. The Impreza’s trunk lift-over height is 26 inches, while the Prius’ liftover is 29.2 inches.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Impreza is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Prius. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 38% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 24th.

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Impreza has a standard rear wiper. The Prius doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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 Impreza’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Prius’ headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Impreza 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.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Impreza has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Prius doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Impreza’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Prius offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Impreza’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.

Recommendations

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

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