Toyota Corolla vs. Toyota Prius

Compare repair costs, reliability, and owner reviews

Toyota Corolla

$362
Average Annual
Repair Cost

Toyota Prius

$408
Average Annual
Repair Cost

Overall Reliability Rating

4
1
2
Excellent
The Toyota Corolla Reliability Rating is 4.5 out of 5.0, which ranks it 1st out of 36 for compact cars. The average annual repair cost is $362 which means it has excellent ownership costs. The severity of repairs is low while frequency of those issues is average, so major issues are uncommon for the Corolla.
4
Excellent
The Toyota Prius Reliability Rating is 4.0 out of 5.0, which ranks it 10th out of 24 for midsize cars. The average annual repair cost is $408 which means it has excellent ownership costs. While repairs are more frequent than average for the Prius, these issues are often minor, so you can expect to make slightly more trips to the shop than normal.
Cost
Average annual repairs total
$362
inexpensive
expensive
$408
inexpensive
expensive
Frequency
Average annual repair shop visits
0.35
not often
very often
0.52
not often
very often
Severity
Percentage of annual repairs that are urgent
7%
not urgent
urgent
11%
not urgent
urgent

Overall Car Ratings & Details

5 (32)
4 (89)
3 (48)
2 (17)
1 (3)
The Toyota Corolla ranks highest in safety and ranks lowest in performance.
“This is a great car with excellent gas mileage. I have about 71k miles on my corolla and I have not had anything problems with it.”
“This is a great car with excellent gas mileage. I have about 71k miles on my corolla and I have...”
5 (3)
4 (21)
3 (8)
2 (4)
1
(0)
“Great car, very reliable, did have some computer problems with the headlights going out. SF Toyota took good care of the problem, though, with no additional cost and no hassle. It's not a super fun...”
“Great car, very reliable, did have some computer problems with the headlights going out. SF...”

Vehicle Comparison Rundown

The Toyota Prius and the Toyota Corolla are two very different compact sedans made by Toyota.

While the Corolla is a conventional front-wheel drive, gas-powered four-door sedan, the Prius is a gasoline-electric hybrid, five-door hatchback. Both share the same wheelbase, and are similar in most of their other dimensions.

The Prius offers much more cargo space, due to its hatchback configuration. But its biggest selling point is fuel economy. Averaging 51 miles per gallon in the city, the Prius has the edge over Corolla in cost of operation. The Prius also has a tighter turning radius.

The Corolla has more pep than the Prius. It is nearly two seconds faster going from zero to 60 MPH. The base price of the Corolla is also nearly $5,000 less than the Prius. But you should be able to make that money back in fuel savings over time — the right choice depends on whether you want to save now or later.