Featured Auto Express: Hyundai Ioniq vs Toyota Prius

masses of kit?

 

Basically, lots of features.

 

So one car has better acceleration, better braking, better MPG, is more refined, is more comfortable. The Prius. The Ioniq has slightly more trunk space until the seats are down. Ioniq has a spare, Prius doesn't. Prius costs slightly more ~4%.

Interesting that the service costs are listed for the Prius and are significant, where for the Ioniq they are listed as N/A. Is that not available or not applicable? Also some items in the comparison table are asterisked with no explanation.

UK marketing, service, taxes and dealer (OPC) arrangements are different.

 

I'd say the N/A is because the Ioniq is new enough to not have them published.

 

some prius pkg's have a spare.

 

In the UK, a spare is an option on all trim levels, it seems. (They get four trim levels - Active, Business Edition, Business Edition Plus, and Excel - with the spare not being included by default, but optionally available. There's two other options, a full-flat load floor (which I have to assume means "you got the spare tire, your load floor is now flat when the back seat's folded") and on Business Edition Plus and Excel, a downgrade to 15" wheels, which is important because in Europe, 15" and 17" wheels are certified separately, and 15" wheels get better fuel economy (and it's on a line where 15" gets lower taxes and tolls as a result).)

 

In Israel, it is marketed with a full spare (as standard) and a 'full-flat load floor'. I think that in the UK the optional is a temporary spare.

 

Here in the US, the presence of a spare (and the flat load floor) is linked to trim level, but it's a temporary spare, not full-size. (Meanwhile, the owner's manual talks about the full-size spare that we don't get, and people have modified the foam insert under the floor on cars without the spare to add a temporary spare with the lower load floor.)

 

The good thing from hyundai is that their battery is lifetime warranty.

 

Yes. That's been mentioned elsewhere on here, but that guarantee is not really specific in what it covers you for.

 

In USA, perhaps. Not in Europe AFAIK.

 

That's so true. The USA consumer certainly knows how to get customer satisfaction from manufacturers.

 

I agree. Recently we watched how VW treated europeans and americans. In fact, both were NOxed, but some had "buyback" even with stalled sales. In Europe, sales continued, no sueing and not succeeding recall/repair plan.

 

But VW has the cleanest on road emissions for diesels in Europe, as a diesel fanboy on another site would say.

 

information below is relevant to UK

servicing costs have just been released, 3 years / 30,000 mile plan in UK is £399

the MPG the Prius is better on paper (91 v 83 mpg), real world there is not enough data, but from what I am seeing (best tank 72mpg, overall last 5000 miles about 67mpg) seems to be similar to the 2016 Prius

spare wheel on Ioniq is a space saver with no option for a full size spare

the difference in cost is more like 20%

base Ioniq (SE) is £19,995
Base 2016 Prius (active) is £24,100

from what I am seeing there is little to separate the two cars, main differences are the price and transmission (CVT v DSG)

other than that do you back the established player (Toyota) or the new kid (Hyundai)

 

I'll point out that Hyundai isn't new to hybrids, just not well known; the Sonata is on its second generation.

Does the Ioniq and Niro have a 12 volt battery there? They won't in the US, but do in Korea.

 

really? that seems odd.

 

Yep, 12v battery drivers side in the boot, passenger side in the boot is the sub woofer for the stereo if you have the infinity stereo package

the sonata is not available in the UK, so the Ioniq and Niro are the first hybrids for Hyundai / KIa in the UK

the only other alternative fuel car by Hyundai in the UK is the Hydrogen fuel cell IX35 (previous version of the Tuscon) and there are less than 100 of those

 

Yeah, it sounds like some things may have been still in testing for release in Korea and elsewhere. Which could also explain some of Hyundai's foot dragging here.