Seating Capacity

The Insight takes the view that most cars on the road only have one or two people aboard, and so weight and size can be reduced to an appropriate size for two people. This makes a lot of sense for those of us who seldom if ever use the back seat of our car and/or have another vehicle for use when driving with more than one other person.

On the other hand, the Prius is a four door sedan that seats five people, and makes a lot of sense for those who regularily travel with more than two  people together. It also has the benefit of being able to serve as the one and only car for a family of as many as five people.

Many people who drive both cars have also comment that the Insight has more of a "sporty" cockpit feel, while the prius has an almost mini-van like feel in comparison.

Like Any Other Car

Both the Prius and Insight have been designed to make the hybrid power source and regenerative braking transparent to the driver. Honda and Toyota have made it a point that the vehicle should seem like any other car from the driver's perspective.

Interior Features

Beyond the differences in format, the Insight and Prius have a lot in common in terms of features. For example:

Both cars have automatic climate control systems
Both cars have keyless remote entry
Both cars have anti-theft immobilizer systems
Both cars have standard power windows, locks & mirrors
Both cars have digital instruments (though in the Prius they're center mounted rather than in front of the steering wheel)

Honda Insight interior (manual transmission version)

Prius interior with center-positioned instruments.