2020 Honda Insight Hybrid

Honda Insight is not a new name but rather an irregular production model. Its different model years were 2000 to 2006, 2009 to 2014, and now 2020 to present. The previous models bear next to no resemblance to the current model, both on the outside and the inside. The current model, however, is definitely the best one to date and even bests some of the established players in the segment. There are plenty of hybrid cars in the market right now, and you even have another Honda to consider here. So, which tree hugger should you consider as your daily driver?

Trims and Features

The 2020 Honda Insight offers three choices of trims: LX, EX, and Touring. The base LX trim has a solid list of features, though you’ll have to step up to the EX trim if you want technology like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Standard advanced safety features include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning and mitigation, lane-keeping assist, automatic high beams, a traffic sign reader, and a driver attention monitor.

Trim	Honda Insight LX	Honda Insight EX	Honda Insight Touring
MSRP	$22,830	$24,060	$28,090
Key Features	Auto high-beam headlights	Same features as the LX with following additions and replacement	Same features as the LX with following additions and replacement
	LED headlights with auto-on/off	SiriusXM Radio HD Radio	Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with voice recognition and Honda HD Digital Traffic
	LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) and turn indicators	Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration	Dual-zone automatic climate control system
	LED taillights and brake lights	Honda Lane Watch and Honda Link	LED fog lights and side mirrors with LED turn indicators
	160-watt audio system with 6 speakers	180-watt audio system with 8 speakers	450-watt premium audio system with 10 speakers, including subwoofer
	Bluetooth hands-free and streaming audio	Smartphone/Audio Interface	HomeLink remote system
	USB Audio Interface	2.5-amp USB
	7-inch Driver Information Interface (DII)	8-inch Display Audio with high-resolution touch-screen

We recommend

The Touring variant is the best choice among all the variants, as it gets the best equipment of all the three.

Economy is where the Honda Insight shines. The tiny gas engine, efficient battery pack, powerful motors, all combine together to form the best tree hugger of recent times. It can squeeze 55 miles for a single gallon of fuel, provided you leave your lead boots at home. If mileage is your concern while buying a car,

Model	Honda Insight LX	Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid	Ford Fusion Energi Titanium	Toyota Camry LE Hybrid	Toyota Avalon XLE Hybrid	Chevrolet Volt LT
MPG (city)	55	49	43	51	43	42
MPG (highway)	49	43	41	53	44	42
MPG (combined)	52	46	42	52	44	42

Toyota Camry hybrid follows right behind the Insight’s tail, stretching a gallon for 52 miles on an average, 51 in the city. The larger Toyota is a farther still, managing 44 MPG on an average. Chevy’s hybrid warriors are quite nice too, with Malibu hybrid pulling 46 miles to the gallon, and the Volt a little less than that.

If you opt for the top Touring trim, you might forget that you're in an economical hybrid as soon as you sit down on the perforated leather-trimmed seats and grip the thick, leather-wrapped sports steering wheel.-Motor Trend

Seating and Comfort

The 2020 Honda Insight has a very comfortable and spacious interior. The seats are so supportive, you could trust them with your dreams and ambitions. There is quite a generous amount of room, for the size anyways, and you could easily seat four people inside. There isn’t much space for a fifth occupant, and the company claimed seating of 5 passengers can only be achieved with children in the back seats. It's intelligent and functionally well-designed, with clear and well-labelled controls. 

The Insight is a surprisingly large car inside, offering plenty of headroom for taller adults. The outward visibility is great because of the large windows. The Insight features an attractive cabin with soft-touch materials, though some class rivals have a more-refined interior.

Model	Honda Insight LX	Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid	Ford Fusion Energi Titanium	Toyota Camry LE Hybrid	Toyota Avalon XLE Hybrid	Chevrolet Volt LT
Passenger capacity	5	5	5	5	5	5
Front (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)	39.3/56.9/42.3	39.1/58.5/41.5	39.2/57.8/44.3	38.3/57.7/42.1	38.5/42.1/58.3	37.8/56.5/42.1
Second (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)	36.9/55.0/37.4	37.5/57.1/38.1	37.8/56.9/38.3	37.6/55.7/38.0	37.9/40.4/57.1	35.8/53.2/34.7

The biggest car in the segment, Toyota Avalon, has the best interior space amongst all cars here. The rest of the cars are smaller and consequently have lesser space too. The Fusion is the most expensive car here but fails to impress with its average accommodation levels.

Interior Features

• Reclining Front Bucket Seats -inc: driver seat manual height adjustment and adjustable head restraints
• 60-40 Folding Bench Front Facing Fold Forward Seatback Rear Seat
• Manual Tilt/Telescoping Steering Column
• Remote Keyless Entry w/Integrated Key Transmitter, Illuminated Entry, Illuminated Ignition Switch and Panic Button
• Cruise Control w/Steering Wheel Controls
• Automatic Air Conditioning
• Engine Immobilizer
• Air Filtration
• Power Door Locks w/Autolock Feature

Infotainment

Honda's new infotainment screen is quick, sharp and easy to use. There are separate buttons and knobs for audio and climate control. As a result, the infotainment system is reasonably user-friendly, at least to this driver who prefers to keep her eyes on the road rather than on a screen. Standard Infotainment features in the Insight include the following :

• Bluetooth
• USB port
• a six-speaker audio system
• Siri Eyes Free
• 5-inch LCD screen (8-inch touch screen optional)

Other optional features are as follows:

• An additional USB port
• 8- and 10-speaker audio systems
• Satellite radio
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Cargo volume

Usually, hybrids have a battery pack extending into the trunk, thereby eating up a significant amount of storage space. But with the progress of technology, that isn’t too much of a hassle. You could easily fit in a few big bags in the trunk.

Model	Honda Insight LX	Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid	Ford Fusion Energi Titanium	Toyota Camry LE Hybrid	Toyota Avalon XLE Hybrid	Chevrolet Volt LT
Cargo Volume (ft.3)	15.1	13.0	8.2	15.1	16.1	10.6

The Ford disappoints heavily here, offering the least cargo space in here by far. There are sub-compact hatchbacks that have more space in the trunk that the Fusion Energi. The Avalon hybrid has the most cargo space of all the cars here, which is primarily due to the size.

First off, it [2020 Honda Insight] no longer looks like the last-generation Insight or Prius. It's now a sedan and can easily be mistaken for the new Accord.-Edmunds

Dimensions and weight

In terms of dimensions, the Insight doesn’t blow the ball out the park in any way. Neither is it especially compact nor is it a towering road devourer. Based on the Honda Civic sedan, the Insight sits towards the upper limit of the compact sedan segment. In terms of weight though, there is a lot to talk about. Honda engineers have combined space-age technology with long-lost art of mage craft to create an extremely lightweight yet strong package. You get a traditional gas engine, a large battery, and a 2-motor drivetrain, all of which weighs just under 3000 pounds. The mage craft part isn’t true, obviously. It’s not a long-lost art.

As stated above, the Insight is based on the extremely popular Honda Civic. Honda’s shared design philosophy makes its way here and elevates the looks of this sedan to a more premium level. The large chrome strip that runs along the face is reminiscent of every modern Honda, as is the large rear area, which imitates a coupe type roofline. This adds to the cabin space, and also lends a unique silhouette to the side profile.

Model	Honda Insight LX	Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid	Ford Fusion Energi Titanium	Toyota Camry LE Hybrid	Toyota Avalon XLE Hybrid	Chevrolet Volt LT
Curb weight (lbs.)	3000	3366	3986	3472	3638	3519
Length(in)	183.6	194.2	191.8	192.1	195.9	180.4
Width(in)	71.6	73.0	72.9	72.4	72.8	71.2
Height(in)	55.5	57.9	58.0	56.9	56.5	56.4
Ground clearance (in)	N/A	5.9	N/A	5.7	5.3	N/A
Wheelbase (in)	106.3	111.4	112.2	111.2	113.0	106.1
Track width (in) F/R	60.9/61.6	62.6/62.5	62/62.3	63/63.2	62.3/63.6	60.6/61.8

Ford hasn’t designed their Fusion Energi with much weight-saving material. As a result, it carries the most weight around, close to 2 tons. Surprisingly, the compact Volt is extremely heavy, too heavy even, for its size. Even the much larger Toyota Avalon is lighter than the Chevy.

Exterior Features :

• Wheels: 17" Aluminum Alloy
• Chrome Door Handles
• Rain Detecting Variable Intermittent Wipers
• LED Brakelights
• Trunk Rear Cargo Access
• Light Tinted Glass
• High Beam Daytime Running Auto High-Beam Headlamps

The 2020 Insight earned a Top Safety Pick+ designation and the highest rating of Good from the IIHS. It also earned the highest rating of Superior for front crash prevention, and the 2020 Insight’s headlights earned the highest rating of Good for how well they illuminate the road ahead. Honda has also taken care of the safety aspect of the Insight. Standard safety features on offer are as follows:

• Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)
• Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS)
• Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM)
• Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow
• Dual Front Side-Mounted Airbags

Honda Insight vs Ford Fusion Hybrid

Ford Fusion has a wonderful hybrid variant and another plug-in hybrid variant. Both these variants are brilliant cars, offering brilliant economy figures. Still, it isn’t exactly up to the level the Japanese cars are. The Insight not only offers better economy figures but has a much better trunk as well. The rear legroom is better in the Ford, although that alone can’t be its saving grace.

Honda Insight vs Honda Accord Hybrid

Sibling rivalry! Honda Insight may be the new kid on the block, but it has to try hard to match pace with it older, more mature sibling, the Honda Accord Hybrid. Accord has a bigger, well, everything! From a bigger engine, bigger dimensions, bigger trunk, bigger cabin space, to even a bigger price tag. If you were to ask for an overall better car, perhaps the answer would contain the word Accord somewhere in it. Still, the Insight is good in all respects, and great where it can be, fuel efficiency being one such area. For sheer economy, the Insight has no rival.

A few years ago, hybrid cars would have only been an option for the rich, and that too as a third car at best. They were ugly, powerless, cramped, and many other undesirable things. The cost of saving the planet was quite high, and many people who put their money on these did so only for the bragging rights. Oh, how the times have changed!

Like all Hondas, the 2020 Insight is extremely reliable, well built, and quite handsome looking. If you aren’t aware of the price tag, you might even mistake it for a much larger car. The space inside is generous for a family of four (or five, if three of them are kids). The trunk isn’t a compromise either, and the driving experience is quite nice too. You could use this as a daily driver too. Overall, this Honda car can easily justify its price tag and find its place in a sensible buyer’s list of options.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is 2020 Honda Insight a good car?

The 2020 Honda Insight delivers outstanding gas mileage. It also has a superb safety rating, thanks to a combination of excellent crash test scores plus a lengthy list of standard safety features. Overall, it's one of the top choices in our ranking of hybrid and electric cars.

Is the Honda Insight Reliable?

The 2020 Honda Insight has a slightly above-average predicted reliability rating of 3.5 out of five from J.D. Power.

Does Honda Insight have blind-spot monitoring?

Unfortunately, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic assist aren't even optional on the Insight. In this car, Honda still uses a lane watch feature that shows the driver's blind spot in the centre screen via a rear-facing camera, and only for the right side of the car.