Compare the2024 Toyota PriusVS 2023 Tesla Model 3

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Prius are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Prius Limited offers an optional Panoramic View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model 3 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Prius’ standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Prius has standard Safety Connect™, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Prius and the Model 3 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Prius its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 43 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Model 3 has not been fully tested, yet.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Prius for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Tesla doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Model 3.

There are over 8 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Prius’ warranty.

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 Prius’ reliability 32 points higher than the Model 3.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. With 63 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota higher than Tesla.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Tesla is ranked 19th.

The Prius stops shorter than the Model 3:

The Prius has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Prius flat and controlled during cornering. The Model 3’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Prius Limited handles at .87 G’s, while the Model 3 pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Prius LE’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Model 3’s (34.4 feet vs. 38 feet). The Prius XLE/Limited’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Model 3’s (35.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

The Toyota Prius may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 to 750 pounds less than the Tesla Model 3.

The Prius is 3.7 inches shorter than the Model 3, making the Prius easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Prius has .5 inches more front legroom and 1.3 inches more front hip room than the Model 3.

The Prius’ standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model 3 doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Prius has standard extendable sun visors. The Model 3 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Prius Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Model 3 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.