Kyle with his family Toyota Prius

Kyle with his family Toyota Prius

Kyle, our high-school correspondent, spends a lot of time driving himself among classes, sports events, and the other commitments in a heavily scheduled teenager's life.

And often it's not just him in the car. Remember the old days of riding around with your friends? Kyle does his share of carpool duty for friends, so accommodation for people and stuff is an important part of any car for him.

How does the interior space for people and stuff compare?

The Prius has a noticeable amount of extra room compared to the Insight. I haven't needed all the extra room yet, but the Prius is a relatively small car and the Insight is a little bit smaller yet.  

The Insight's back seat is a real problem.  I can barely fit 4 people in comfortably.  The back seat leg room and space in the Insight is by far the biggest problem I have with it.  

The Prius never gave me any problems with space.  I could fit 5 people into it without trouble, and they were comfortable.

ADVANTAGE: Toyota Prius, clearly.

Though its aerodynamic hatchback shape is quite different, the Toyota Prius is actually categorized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as a mid-size car. That puts it in the same class as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Chevrolet Malibu.

The 2010 Honda Insight, on the other hand, is clearly a subcompact, and is closer in shape and accommodation to the Honda Fit than even the Honda Civic--which is not offered in the US as a five-door hatchback.

COMPARE: 2009 Toyota Prius vs 2010 Honda Insight

Tomorrow, Kyle gets to that all-important figure for teenage wallets and parental pocketbooks: the gas mileage. Meanwhile, here are our two previous Kyle-grams:

Part I: Toyota Prius vs 2010 Honda Insight: Kyle's Unique Comparison Test

Part II: Toyota Prius vs 2010 Honda Insight: Kyle Drives Each One

2009 Toyota Prius

2009 Toyota Prius