By Micah Muzio
Updated December 02, 2019
Do you want the money-saving benefits of a hybrid, but you’d rather not drive an eco-conscious statement piece? Then the tastefully styled Honda Insight could be the hybrid for you.
The Insight’s sedan body style lacks the hatchback functionality favored by many of its competitors. Beyond that, if you wish to project an image of “conspicuous conservation,” there are better choices. Hello, Toyota Prius!
Honda’s Insight is all-new for 2019.
The history of hybrid vehicles is marked by visually distinct or, some might say, weird-looking designs. The 2019 Honda Insight seeks to buck that trend. Born from the beloved Honda Civic, the Honda Insight merges a handsome sedan body with exceptional hybrid efficiency. Delivering up to 55 mpg in the city, the Insight’s sub-$24,000 starting price places it between the slightly pricier Toyota Prius and the slightly cheaper Hyundai Ioniq hybrid.
Used 2019 Honda Insight pricing starts at $15,176 for the Insight LX Sedan 4D, which had a starting MSRP of $23,785 when new. The range-topping 2019 Insight Touring Sedan 4D starts at $19,023 today, originally priced from $29,045.
Original MSRP | KBB Fair Purchase Price (nat'l average) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
$23,785 | $15,176 | |||
$25,015 | $16,751 | |||
$29,045 | $19,023 |
The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors. The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for used 2019 Honda Insight models in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership. These prices are updated weekly.
Whether propelled by its small gasoline engine, its torquey electric motor, or a combination of both, acceleration in the 2019 Honda Insight is seamless and perfectly adequate. Merging with freeway traffic is a worry-free affair, though hard acceleration does fill the cabin with droning engine noise. Consider that temporary soundtrack a small price to pay for outstanding fuel economy. The new Insight offers multiple drive modes that vary the throttle pedal’s urgency, while regenerative-braking intensity can be varied using steering-wheel-mounted paddles. The latter is a helpful feature that saves the driver from riding the brake pedal down long hills. As for suspension tuning, the Insight sedan absorbs road impacts with smooth sophistication. Coupled with a quiet cabin, competent handling and nicely weighted steering, the Insight is a top-tier commuter.
Like its Honda Civic cousin, the Insight offers generous passenger space and a roomy 15.1-cubic-foot trunk. Thanks to the hybrid battery’s placement under the rear seats, the Insight’s seatbacks fold to accommodate larger loads just like a normal sedan’s. Benefiting from standard active-noise cancellation and additional insulation in the hood, dash and fenders, the 2019 Honda Insight’s cabin is notably quieter than the Civic’s. It also looks fancier with real stitching and perforated leather seats appearing on higher trims. Meanwhile, a USB-adjacent phone tray and a large reconfigurable center console amplify the Insight’s practicality quotient.
Even though it sprang from Honda’s excellent Civic platform, the Insight has distinct character of its own. Only the Civic’s roof and rear-quarter panels carry over unchanged; every other panel has been reworked to create the 2019 Honda Insight. And we like the results. Standard alloy wheels and LED head- and taillights impart a premium aura while understated “hybrid” badges merely hint at the hybrid technology that hides beneath. Otherwise, the Honda Insight looks like a normal, albeit attractively shaped, sedan.
REGENERATIVE BRAKES
Hybrid cars use regenerative brakes to recapture kinetic energy as electricity. This technology improves efficiency but often results in a strange, wooden-feeling brake pedal. By contrast the Insight’s brakes feel wonderfully normal, allowing the driver to bring the vehicle to a smooth, imperceptible stop.
8-INCH INFOTAINMENT SCREEN
Standard on the EX and Touring trims is a nifty 8-inch infotainment screen. This easy-to-use interface features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, and, unlike Hondas of the recent past, includes a volume knob as nature intended.
In simplest LX trim the Honda Insight includes niceties like automatic climate control, a multi-angle rearview camera, power windows with an automatic up/down function, and a 5-inch color audio display. Strangely, the LX omits the external trunk release found in the higher EX and Touring trims. Impressively, the Honda Sensing suite of active safety features comes standard on all trims. That means even the cheapest Honda Insight offers advanced safety and convenience technologies like dynamic cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and forward-collision warning with automatic braking.
In typical Honda fashion, premium features are accessed through higher trims. For a mere $1,200 more than the base LX trim the Insight EX adds smart entry with walk-away auto lock, 60/40-split rear seatbacks, a center armrest, remote engine start, Honda’s LaneWatch blind-spot camera, an external trunk release, and an 8-inch touch screen featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. For our money, the EX is the sweet spot in the lineup. Those craving heated leather seats, embedded navigation, a 10-speaker premium audio system, and a moonroof will find satisfaction in the top-level Touring trim.
The Insight’s efficiency comes via a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine, a lithium-ion battery pack, and Honda’s 2-motor hybrid drive system. In olden days, the transition from electric to gasoline propulsion in hybrid cars was…conspicuous. Drive the latest Honda Insight and, aside from occasional engine drone at full throttle, the electric/gasoline wizardry is completely transparent. The 2019 Insight also features an EV mode that, under certain conditions, allows the driver to cover up to one mile using electricity alone.
1.5-liter inline-4 + electric motors (Hybrid)
151 horsepower combined
197 lb-ft of torque combined
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 55/49 mpg (LX/EX), 51/45 mpg (Touring)
Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings.
We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology.
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Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.)
We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.
Curb Weight | 2987 lbs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
EPA Passenger | 97.6 cu.ft. | ||
Fuel Capacity | 10.6 gallons | ||
Front Head Room | 39.3 inches | ||
Front Leg Room | 42.3 inches | ||
Max Seating Capacity | 5 | ||
Overall Length | 183.6 inches | ||
Front Shoulder Room | 59.9 inches | ||
Trunk or Cargo Capacity | 15.1 cu.ft. | ||
Turning Diameter | 35.7 feet | ||
Wheel Base | 106.3 inches | ||
Width with mirrors | 71.6 inches |
Alloy Wheels | Available | ||
---|---|---|---|
Fog Lights | Available | ||
Number of Doors | 4 doors | ||
LED Headlights | Available | ||
Rear Spoiler | Available |
City | 55 mpg | ||
---|---|---|---|
Highway | 49 mpg | ||
Combined | 52 mpg |
Drivetrain | FWD | ||
---|---|---|---|
Transmission Type | Automatic | ||
Recommended Fuel | Regular | ||
Hill Start Assist | Available |
Horsepower-Combined | 151 @ 6000 RPM | ||
---|---|---|---|
Torque | 99 @ 5000 rpm | ||
Engine | 4-Cyl, Hybrid, 1.5 Liter |
Basic | 3 years / 36000 miles | ||
---|---|---|---|
Powertrain | 5 years / 60000 miles | ||
Corrosion | 5 years / Unlimited miles |
Used 2019 Honda Insight | Used 2022 Honda Insight | Used 2019 Chevrolet Malibu | Used 2019 Ford Fusion | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Price | $16,158 | $24,249 | $17,714 | $19,453 | |
KBB.com Rating | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.1 | |
Consumer Rating | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.5 | |
Fuel Economy | City 55/Hwy 49/Comb 52 MPG | City 55/Hwy 49/Comb 52 MPG | City 49/Hwy 43/Comb 46 MPG | City 43/Hwy 41/Comb 42 MPG | |
Fuel Type | Hybrid | Hybrid | N/A | N/A | |
Safety Rating | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | |
Seating Capacity | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
Basic Warranty | 3 years or 36000 miles | 3 years or 36000 miles | 3 years or 36000 miles | 3 years or 36000 miles | |
Horsepower | 151 @ 6000 RPM | 151 @ 6000 RPM | 122 @ 5000 RPM | 188 @ 6000 RPM | |
Engine | 4-Cyl, Hybrid, 1.5 Liter | 4-Cyl, Hybrid, 1.5 Liter | 4-Cyl, Hybrid, 1.8 Liter | 4-Cyl, Hybrid, 2.0 Liter | |
Drivetrain | FWD | FWD | FWD | FWD |
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