One of, if not the brand to put hybrid technology on the map was without a doubt Toyota. Nearly two decades ago, Toyota introduced the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle with the Toyota Prius. Since then, Toyota has continued to introduce hybrid vehicle after hybrid vehicle, so many in fact that there are now four different Prius models, each with their own trim levels separating them further. One member of the family is the Prius c, a subcompact hatchback designed more for urban city driving.
We thought we’d see how it measures up to one of the similar hybrid vehicles on the market, despite being a bit smaller, by pitting the 2018 Toyota Prius c vs 2018 Kia Optima Hybrid. To do so, we put together the table below, which highlights a few of the important specifications to consider when shopping for a hybrid sedan like these.
Naturally, the first aspect we looked at was fuel efficiency, as it is without a doubt the most important thing in a hybrid vehicle. As we mentioned above, the Prius c was designed for urban city driving, so obviously it offers an abundance of city fuel efficiency. At 48 miles per gallon, it absolutely trumps the Kia Optima Hybrid by 9 mpg. If you do most of your driving within city limits with short distances, then the Prius c is the obvious choice. The Prius c offers plenty of highway fuel efficiency as well at 43 mpg, but the Optima Hybrid does step its game up offering 3 mpg more in this regard.
Unfortunately, the Kia sedan is much more powerful as well, offering nearly 100 extra horsepower to deliver that extra pickup. But again, if you’re doing most of your driving in the city, then you won’t need all that extra power anyways. The Prius c is also much smaller and lighter than the Kia, so it doesn’t need quite as much power.
Finally, that brings us to cargo capacity, which the Prius c once again has an advantage in, offering an extra 3.7 cubic feet of space to fill with your cargo. If all of this makes you believe the 2018 Toyota Prius c is the right vehicle for you, be sure to get in touch with us right here at Arlington Toyota today!
