Whether you like vanilla or chocolate, McDonald’s or Burger King, or Honda or Toyota, it really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because we all have our own tastes and preferences when it comes to everything in life and as such, we will all like one thing more than the other. But sometimes, one thing really is better than the other, and in some ways, Honda is better than Toyota. Here are a few reasons why. 

Honda beat Toyota to the hybrid market

Honda came out with the first-generation Insight way back in 1999, seven months before the first Prius debuted in the U.S. Of course, Toyota probably doesn’t care since the Prius has been one of the best-selling cars in automotive history, but Honda still won the race to market and continues to make strides with the current-generation Insight. On top of that, the 2020 Honda Insight garners almost the same fuel economy as the current Prius, so it’s definitely possible that Honda could dominate the hybrid category in the future. Only time will tell.

Honda beats out Toyota when it comes to performance

Yes, we know that the Toyota Supra exists and it’s quite the performer. However, Honda offers up a heavy dose of performance in a lot of their current products. For example, the Civic Si offers a healthy turbocharged punch with its 1.5-liter engine that makes 205 horsepower.  And the Honda Accord Sport 2.0 delivers better performance than the Camry with the V6. Do we even need to mention the Civic Type R? Probably not. But Honda products typically provide a much more engaging driving feel over those from Toyota.

Case in point, the Toyota Corolla Hybrid. Car and Driver reported that it’s “boring to drive” and it reached 60 mph in 10.7 seconds. That’s really slow. On the other hand, Honda’s Insight went 0 to 60 in 7.7 seconds, which is much faster. If Honda can make their hybrid car that much faster than Toyota’s, then we have to give Honda the performance edge. We know that most consumers don’t really care that much about acceleration times, especially when it comes to hybrids, but quicker acceleration can mean quicker freeway and traffic entrances.

Honda doesn’t try to be something that it’s not

So this one it a bit of cheap shot, but it’s still a little weird that the Toyota Supra uses a BMW engine. We know, it’s been controversial for the past year, however, if Honda made a supercar, they probably wouldn’t source an engine from a different manufacturer. Oh, that’s right, they made the Acura NSX. And on top of that, Honda developed a really cool hybrid powertrain that makes the NSX get up to 60 mph in only three seconds. That’s some pretty genuine engineering in our book.

Also, as much as we love the Toyota 86, it’s still a slow performer and most buyers would likely find more thrills by going with a Civic Type R, or possibly even a Civic Si. But, to each their own.

Ultimately, it really is just about personal preference

In the end, it really does come down to personal preference and, to be honest, Toyota makes really good cars and has done so for a very long time. But Honda has as well, and while both automakers have proven that they can both make reliable, fuel-efficient, and affordable products, it’s easy to pick Honda over Toyota if you’re looking for a more engaging drive and overall better performance.