Honda Prologue vs. Toyota bZ4X: Which Mainstream EV Is Best?

• The Honda Prologue and Toyota bZ4X are the first mainstream EVs from two of the biggest automakers on the planet.
• On paper, the Honda and Toyota line up nicely against each other, but after some thorough testing, we found a clear winner.

Meet the contenders

The Honda Prologue was late to the party. It finally hit dealerships a few months ago, a few years behind rivals from Hyundai, Ford and, yes, Toyota. To create its first major EV, Honda sought help from General Motors to develop and build the Prologue. As a result, the Prologue has a ton in common with the Chevy Blazer EV — a vehicle that we own as part of our long-term test fleet.

Our test car is a fully loaded Prologue Elite that has an 85-kWh battery pack, all-wheel drive, and two electric motors producing a total of 288 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque. The Elite also comes with 21-inch wheels, heated and ventilated front seats, a head-up display and Google built-in technology.

The bZ4X went on sale a few years ago and has quietly chugged along without much fanfare ever since. We've got a top-trim Limited model here, but with front-wheel drive instead of the optional AWD. It has 201 hp and 196 lb-ft, with a 71.4-kWh battery pack. Like the Honda, the bZ4X Limited offers heated and ventilated seats, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a full suite of safety features.

Testing and time behind the wheel

The EPA says that the Honda is good for 296 miles of range with front-wheel drive or 273 miles with all-wheel drive. But in the Edmunds EV Range Test, we drove our AWD model 320 miles, smashing its estimate and proving that the Prologue does very well in the real world.

On the other hand, Toyota rates the 2024 bZ4X Limited FWD at 236 miles, a few less than prior model years. Our range test yielded 256 miles, which is a nice 8.5% improvement over the EPA figure but quite a bit less than the Honda. If you want a bZ4X with all-wheel drive, the number falls a bit more. Neither vehicle has participated in our Edmunds EV Charging Test just yet, but with similar-size batteries and the same peak speed of 150 kW, they should fill up at a similar pace.

With an AWD Honda and an FWD Toyota, this isn’t a totally fair apples-to-apples comparison. Still, the Prologue out-accelerates the bZ4X to 60 mph by a significant margin. In our testing, we saw 6.2 seconds for the Honda and 7.3 seconds for the Toyota. Emergency braking stops from 60 to 0 mph were very close (127 feet for the Honda, 126 feet for the Toyota), as were the skid pad numbers (0.84 g for the Honda, 0.82 g for the Toyota).

On the road, both SUVs are very easy to drive and comfortable. But it's the smaller details that make the Honda our choice between the two. For example, only the Prologue has full one-pedal driving, which enables you to come to a complete stop without having to hit the brakes. The Prologue feels punchier, too, thanks to the extra torque it has over the bZ4X.

The everyday experience matters

Context from our extensive testing process is important, but these are two vehicles that need to shine in everyday scenarios. And when it comes to general usability, the Honda Prologue is just an all-around better vehicle.

The Honda Prologue has a simple but functional interior. There’s an 11.3-inch center touchscreen complemented by an 11-inch digital gauge cluster. It’s less screen real estate than you get in the Blazer EV, but it’s just as quick to respond to inputs, with equally impressive graphics quality. And unlike the Chevy, Honda kept wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is a huge win for consumers.

Up front, there's a massive storage area beneath the center console and two very comfortable chairs with plenty of passenger space. We also appreciate that Honda kept the traditional start/stop button, instead of using the Blazer’s system that turns the vehicle off based on butt-in-seat detection. Having spent time with both, the button is a much better and more intuitive solution.

On the other hand, the bZ4X is a bit of an ergonomic nightmare. Like in the new Prius, the gauge cluster is way up on the dash, so the steering wheel blocks the view no matter how it's adjusted. During our testing, we put tall and short staff members in the driver’s seat; nobody could be comfortable and still see all of the gauges. Most of the controls for climate and comfort are all touch-sensitive instead of physical buttons. They don’t work all of the time and can be hard to find if you’re looking at the road.

Toyota does score back a few points with a great infotainment setup. The bZ4X uses a 12.3-inch touchscreen that comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Like the Honda, it has easy-to-use menus and fantastic screen resolution. However, the Prologue’s Google built-in system is just that much better, albeit by a slim margin.

More for your money

Factoring the cost between these two EVs comes down to more than just their initial price tags. Because the Honda Prologue is built in North America and the Toyota bZ4X is built in Japan, only the Honda qualifies for a federal tax incentive of $7,500. Not every buyer will be eligible, but for those who are, that evens the gap between the two almost completely.

The Honda Prologue starts just below $48,000, but our fully loaded Elite AWD model comes in at $59,750 with all fees included. Add in the incentive and it’s a much more palatable $52,250. On the other hand, the bZ4X starts at a more affordable $43,000, but to match the Honda’s equipment the price inflates to $51,744. So with the incentive accounted for, the difference is negligible.

Edmunds says

In the end, our real-world testing and experience show that the gap between the Prologue and bZ4X is much wider than it looks on paper. With better driving dynamics, a more user-friendly interior, nicer tech setup and substantially more range, the Honda Prologue is simply the better vehicle.

Provided that you’re OK with the Prologue not being a "real Honda" through and through, it’s the stronger option to buy. Honda’s next EV will be built from the ground up by the company, and we’re curious to see how it'll be differentiated from the very GM-familiar Prologue.