I like both cars and you really can't lose with either one, but I say buy the Prius. It's a larger car than the Civic with better cargo capacity - plus you sit about six inches higher for better visibility. It also gets better mpg and can go more than a mile on electric power only, a feat that can't be matched by the Civic's less sophisticated hybrid system.

I just bought a Civic Hybrid after much research and several test drives. Despite the fact the Prius is a slightly larger car, I found the Civic "felt" larger. My main motivation for buying a hybrid was emission levels with mileage coming a close second. The Civic has a better emission rating and in reality, similar mileage figures. I personally don't need to have the world recognize my "Green" preference so I suppose the Civic suits that aspect of my personality.

At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference. Both Honda and Toyota have been in the hybrid game for a long time so you're not going to be part of anyone's testing program. The main thing is that you're doing something for the environment!

It also has a little to do with the price as well.
A Prius is usually pricer than the Civic Hybrid. Plus, isn't Toyota's tax credit done already?

I have had my 2007 Prius Touring Edition for nine months. I turned over 25,000 miles last week. Of that mileage, about 8,000 has been severe winter driving in Oregon's Cascade mountains. I put on Nokian WR performance studless snowtires in November and will take them off next week. Over the life of the car, which includes six months of winter-mixture gas, snowtires, mountain driving, and higher-than-legal speeds, I've averaged about 42-43 mpg.

I love this car. It is extremely versitile, even holding skis and snowboards with 1/3 of the rear seat folded. For my work I travel extensively often carrying boxes, easels, ChartPacs, etc. The large trunk usually suffices, especially given the headroom afforded by the hatch, but with the seats folded capacity is enormious. My teen-age boys prefer the Prius to our GMC Envoy as there is a lot more rear legroom.

While the Civic is a great car, it's still just a car with a trunk. Even without the excellent mileage and PZEV advantages, the Prius is an extremely well designed, highly versitile, and great car. The only reason to go with a Civic is if you do not want to be seen in a Prius, which would be a shame!

I feel this article doens't deal with the cd player or the other things that come in a car. How is the handling or steering? Perhaps the prius has more highway passing power or the civic has a smoother drive.

John, I was thinking of getting snow tires for my Prius. How do they affect the ride and handling?
Thanks,
Trainer

When I test drove a 2006 Civic Hybrid, I also test drove a 2006 Prius the same day. I was leaning toward the Prius because of utility and weirdness, that was until I drove it. I am 6'1", and being such, I felt like I was driving a truck with the Prius' seating position. I couldn't lower the seat either. Sure their was plenty of headroom, but it didn't make up for the uncomfortable experience. And for the weirdness, I couldn't stop thinking about how expensive all of the computer systems on the Prius must be to replace. (As a former Saab owner, I obsess over repair costs!!)

Then I sat in the Civic Hybrid. The seat was at the lowest driving position and everything in the car was where you would expect it to be. It fit like a glove compared to the Prius. It felt more like a car while driving it. Since my main purpose for the car is commuting, comfort eventually won out. I don't like not having the utility aspect, but friends with trucks and hatchbacks make up for that.

hey, mattio, thati s the sort of things i was looking for in this article.

Juan: If you click through the "Learn more" section at the bottom on this post you'll find our full-length car reviews of the Prius and Civic Hybrid, plus links to our research section that includes data points like cost of ownership and prices.

In deciding on the options, or not, to include in a Prius purchase, what are some of the readers' experiences, please?

John,
Some people can't stand the Prius's back window view.

Juan Carlos,
You could also read our full reviews on either car on Cars.com that are linked above. They give a full rundown on how they drive. We didn't want this answer to be 3000 words.

People seemed concerned about the relative servicing costs in a hybrid like a Prius. Experience here in Australia shows that Prius is actually cheaper to service than a Corolla. High mileage fleets report that simple things like brake pads and rotors dont need replacing and that it really is just an oil change. I recently read an article about some Prius clocking up 300,000 kilometers without a problem.

I also found that on the US dept of energy website that they are conducting accelerated durability tests on hybrids. They include service costs and other parts etc. Even the batteries are no issue. Basically meant to last the life of the car.
SEE
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/avta/light_duty/hev/hev_reports.html

Thanks, Vic, for the link. We may use that info for another piece.

From as far as I know, Nickel ion batteries have a more limited battery life than Lithium ion ones. So does that mean they have to be replaced before the car actually dies?

We own a 2007 Civic Hybrid and really love the car. I'm 6-foot-2, and my wife's 5-foot-2. She had serious visibility issues with our neighbor's Prius; none in our HCH. 95% of my commute is on the highway and I've consistently beaten the old combined EPA estimate of 50 for the HCH. Cold weather and/or short trips will definitely drive the mileage down to 44 or so. Our neighbors use their Prius almost exclusively for city driving (so not a good comparison) and get in the low 40s but still adore the car. If I had a 15-minute commute and lived anywhere any colder than I do now (central PA) I might have opted for the Prius my wife's objections notwithstanding. But I have a 90-minute Interstate commute and I think the HCH is perfect for that.

One additional word of caution -- Honda paint is simply awful. Not from a corrosion standpoint, but it doesn't stand up to rock chips at all.

Thanks so much for the height comments. I'm 6'1, and headed to Denver where I'll have a longer (30+ min/way) commute, so everyone's comments have really made me lean towards to the Honda.

I'm interested if others have had a similar experience with DrSteve's paint problems. Colorado is notorious for flying rocks. Any suggested top coats?

Also, I'm trying to find the least expensive state/region to buy one, as I'm fairly flexible with where I'm headed (pref. west of the Mississipi) to buy it before heading to Denver.

Any major electrical problems? Does anyone know of major differences of 06/7/8?

Thanks so much.

I've been driving the Civic Hybrid for six months now and love it. I test drove the Prius and it was nice but did not have the sporty car feel of the HCH. The tax credit at the time was also $2,100 on the HCH, zero for the Prius. I also have a preference for Hondas. Only once in 6 months has the lack of a hatchback feature been an issue.

Freeway mileage is great, 45-50, although the sun in LA cuts the mileage during the day as I like it cool inside. My son is only four, so lack of back seat space has not been an issue. If he were 14, I might have thought about the Prius or Camry Hybrid a bit more.

One interesting thing I have noted is that when the battery is low, from excessive idling, etc. the acceleration is noticably less as the electric motor does have much to contribute. As a safety issue, hybrid owners need to be aware of their battery status when accelerating onto the freeway, etc.

Both are good, but remember the prius has late availability do to high gas prices.

I have found the Prius to be the better car overall compared to the Civic. I have talked to many people who drive both cars and the Civic seems to be in the shop more...not that either car is "bad" in anyway. I am 6'3" and big. I fit in the Prius well and I find it MUCH easier to get in and out of. It also responds to Hypermiling driving techniques better. Then, when it comes to REAL re-sale value, the Prius stands out head over heals better than the Civic. Right now the real problem is just finding either car for sale.

In response to Sarah's question: I have a 2003 Civic and the paint scratches if you look at it funny! Otherwise it's a great car though.

i was put in the waiting list for toyota prius hybrid, have to wait for six months or so. i can't even drive test one because the dealer doesn't have in the lot. is prius really better that honda civic hybrid?

My Fiancee and I both have the Honda Civic Hybrids, one is a 2005 and the other a 2006. We love our cars and have had only one complaint... the lack of back-seat folding down. When we shopped around for our 2006 we found that the Prius (which was easily available at that time) was quite a bit more expensive and had too many little useless gimmick functions that were overpriced additions we wouldn't be able to live without. We ended up in a GPS, fully loaded HCH for about 22K which would have been closer to 30K if we went with the prius. We also find the Honda dealerships treat their clients better from past experience buying cars and including the most recent. Another thing which swayed us to the HCH was the fact that Honda produced the first Hybrid (The insight) which really opened up the market so the prius could even exist. The insight, if still available would have been our choice of course (70 mpg is still unbeatable). However, back on point... We both get better than 50 mpg (usually around low 50's) and if you drive on the highway for long distances and don't go too fast you can see closer to 60 mpg with the HCH (from our experience of course)... From anyone we have ever talked to with the Prius we have never heard of them doing a lot better than 40-45 mpg, so that makes a difference too. Also, I am over 6 feet tall as well and found the prius to fit awkwardly. We are thinking about trading one of the HCH for a Prius so that we can experience them both for a while and really see which is better but for now it is just a debate and we really have to say we love the HCH...

I am considering buying a Prius, but I'm a little scared by stories of $300 headlights, $2,700 - $3,000 batteries, etc.

Are Prius' that much more expensive to maintain compared to a regular car?

Thanks so much for your insight.

Brian

I bought a new 08 Prius without any test drive. I took it on vacation two days after getting it after a two month wait. I used 34 gallons of gas on a 1500 mile trip and could not be more pleased. I like the room in front and back. There were three of us in the family that went on this vacation with luggage and still had room. It is fun to drive and it still shocks me when I stop at a light and everything shuts down. I have seen the Civic but it seems to be the same old same old. Take what you have and stuff a hybrid engine in it and say it is new. It just isn't. The car is built well and should last well beyond the 8 year warranty on the battery. My only regret is I did not do it sooner as I average 50+ mpg. I would do it over again in a heart beat. The American vehicle manufacturers are so far behind it saddens me since this is my first foreign car.

I bought a new 08 Prius without any test drive. I took it on vacation two days after getting it after a two month wait. I used 34 gallons of gas on a 1500 mile trip and could not be more pleased. I like the room in front and back. There were three of us in the family that went on this vacation with luggage and still had room. It is fun to drive and it still shocks me when I stop at a light and everything shuts down. I have seen the Civic but it seems to be the same old same old. Take what you have and stuff a hybrid engine in it and say it is new. It just isn't. The car is built well and should last well beyond the 8 year warranty on the battery. My only regret is I did not do it sooner as I average 50+ mpg. I would do it over again in a heart beat. The American vehicle manufacturers are so far behind it saddens me since this is my first foreign car.

I bought a new 08 Prius without any test drive. I took it on vacation two days after getting it after a two month wait. I used 34 gallons of gas on a 1500 mile trip and could not be more pleased. I like the room in front and back. There were three of us in the family that went on this vacation with luggage and still had room. It is fun to drive and it still shocks me when I stop at a light and everything shuts down. I have seen the Civic but it seems to be the same old same old. Take what you have and stuff a hybrid engine in it and say it is new. It just isn't. The car is built well and should last well beyond the 8 year warranty on the battery. My only regret is I did not do it sooner as I average 50+ mpg. I would do it over again in a heart beat. The American vehicle manufacturers are so far behind it saddens me since this is my first foreign car.

My friend bought a prius sep 3 and averages 43 mpg city. the only question i have is why did you repeat the last comment 3 times

Have owned 2008 Civic Hybrid for 8 months. It has been serviced regularly. Now there is a problem with the rear wheel alignment which seems to have come on since the 8,000 mile service. The rear tires are wearing on the inside seriously. Honda says this car does not fall within any recall or service bulletin and that the faulty parts were replaced according to the VIN. Other than that, the car gets 50 mpg highway and has done well.

Dont buy a Prius if there is any advers road conditions in your area.
google
"Consumer Reports" "Prius traction control".

"The American vehicle manufacturers are so far behind it saddens me since this is my first foreign car."
Far behind?"

Educate yourself...they are dangerous...ask a fireman about crash sites.
40 MPG if you keep it between 30-35 and dont stop.

Being American used to mean something....we are the only ones not watching out for ourselves, prius should come with a green card. :)

If being American means "prius should come with a green card" (definitely an insult where i come from) then...

i own a honda civic hybrid 2007
millage around town around 43 miles to the
gallon shines more on the open road where 54 miles to the gallon 2008 hybrid is 32000 here prius 38000
new 2010 prius great cabin improved seating interior
plastic not up to honda standard and is very dark
performance and economy slightly up on last generation model noisey under hard aceleration
not as smooth fine to drive as honda hybrid.