Compared: 2024 Toyota Prius vs. 2024 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid

Two different takes on eco-friendly cruising.

Bob Sorokanich | 

Aug 19, 2024 | 3 min read

Toyota | Hyundai

When it comes to hybrid sedans, the Toyota Prius is a household name. It was one of the first hybrid vehicles available on the U.S. market, and the fifth-generation version had a significant redesign for 2023.

The Hyundai Elantra Hybrid is a relative newcomer to the hybrid market, but Hyundai offers great equipment and features at lower prices than the comparable Prius.

Toyota

The Elantra Hybrid Offers Similar Equipment for Less

The 2024 Toyota Prius is available in three trim levels. The base-model LE starts at about $30,000 and includes keyless entry with push-button start, radar cruise control, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

The Prius XLE, at around $33,000, adds Toyota's SofTex leatherette upholstery, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, front and rear Park Assist with automatic braking, and wireless smartphone charging.

Step up to the roughly $36,000 Prius Limited to get heated and ventilated front seats, a power liftgate, smartphone-as-key, a bigger 12.3-inch dashboard touchscreen, an upgraded eight-speaker JBL stereo, and a glass panoramic roof. All-wheel drive (AWD) is a $1,400 option available on all Prius models.

Hyundai

The 2024 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid is available in two trim levels, starting with the Elantra Hybrid Blue. For about $27,000, this model brings similar standard equipment to the Prius LE, plus a Wi-Fi hot spot and dual-zone climate control.

Choose the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Limited for about $31,000 and you'll get leatherette upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, a Bose eight-speaker premium stereo, voice recognition, a sunroof, wireless phone charging, park-distance warning, and smart cruise control with stop and go. AWD is not available on the Elantra Hybrid.

Hyundai

The Elantra Hybrid Is More Spacious, but the Prius Gets a Bigger Trunk

If you need to prioritize room for tall passengers, you may want to go for the Hyundai. The Elantra Hybrid Blue offers more than 2.5 inches of additional front-seat headroom over the Prius and nearly an inch more headroom for rear-seat passengers.

The Elantra Hybrid Limited sacrifices about 2 inches of headspace to make room for the standard sunroof, but all Elantra models offer more than 3 inches of extra rear-seat legroom compared with the Prius.

Toyota

On the other hand, if you need a big trunk, the Toyota may be the way to go. The base-model Prius LE offers nearly 24 cubic-feet of trunk space (dropping slightly to 20 cu-ft on higher trims), which exceeds the Elantra Hybrid's smaller 14.2-cu-ft trunk.

Toyota

The Prius Wins on Horsepower and Fuel Efficiency

In this comparison, the Prius is the horsepower king. All Prius models make a total of 194 horsepower from the gasoline engine and electric motor combined, rising to 196 total horsepower if you opt for AWD.

The Hyundai Elantra Hybrid lags in comparison, with a total of just 139 horsepower coming from the gasoline engine and the electric motor working together.

Hyundai

The Prius is also the fuel-efficiency winner in this comparison. The most efficient Prius model, the front-wheel-drive LE, gets an estimated 57/56/57 mpg in city/highway/combined driving.

The least-efficient 2024 Prius trims, the AWD versions of the XLE and the Limited, still manage 49/50/49 mpg.

If you do mostly freeway driving, the Elantra Hybrid Blue offers great highway mileage, with an estimated 51/58/54 mpg. The luxurious Elantra Hybrid Limited gives up a bit of efficiency, netting 49/52/50 mpg.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Bob Sorokanich

Bob Sorokanich is a car-obsessed journalist and editor who manages to maintain an old Mini Cooper and a love affair with automobiles while living in New York City. When he's not thinking about cars, he's riding his motorcycle, and when he's not riding his motorcycle, he's anticipating his next joy ride.