Audi A5 vs Toyota Prius C
What's the difference?

Audi A5

$79,900 - $92,900

2026 price

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Toyota Prius C

—

2018 price

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Aston Martin Vanquish

Lamborghini Aventador

Lamborghini Huracan

Land Rover Discovery Sport

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Mercedes-Benz CLA200

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Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

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Summary

2026 Audi A5

2018 Toyota Prius C

By Chris Thompson

By Andrew Chesterton

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 4, 2.0L

Inline 4, 1.5L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded/Electric

Unleaded Petrol/Electric

Fuel Efficiency

6.9L/100km (combined)

3.9L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Stacked with techy features
Edition One value is hard to deny
Still a delight to drive

Miserly fuel use
Eye-catching exterior design
Surprisingly quick away from lights

Dislikes

Loses some interior simplicity
Edition One not a permanent fixture
Having to wait for more variants

Feels record-player old in places
Some cabin materials feel cheap
Standard safety is underdone

2026 Audi A5 Summary

The Audi A5 has done something naughty. It’s replaced the Audi A4.

Or at least that’s the case for now after the Ingolstadt brand made a bit of a mess of its naming strategy.

Essentially, the Audi A5 is now available as a sedan or a wagon, and the next A4 coming soon will be electric. The previous A5 was a swoopier two-door coupe or four-door gran coupe style model. So the A5 is now effectively Audi’s main BMW 3 Series or Mercedes C-Class and CLA rival.

Plus, the Audi S5 is also here to cater to performance car fans.

Can a new platform, a sleek, fresh look and a techy interior do the job?

We’ve been pedalling around the Victorian countryside in the hopes of finding out.

Stick with me, and I reckon we’ll get to the bottom of it. The question about the car, that is, not the bottom of Victoria.

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2018 Toyota Prius C Summary

See if you can guess the name of the world's first ride-sharing app. You're thinking Uber, right? Nope. It was a company called Sidecar. It's broke now, shuttered for good in 2015. What about the first video-on-demand service? Netflix? Nope. Amazon beat them to it, for starters, but so did many other, now-defunct companies who tried it even earlier.

The point is, being first on the scene is no guarantee you'll be the best, or the most successful. I mean, just look at electric cars; plenty of manufacturers were doing all-battery models before (and arguably better than) Tesla, and every one of them is now parked in Elon Musk's gargantuan shadow.

Before full-electric there were hybrids, and first to arrive on that particular scene in any meaningful way was Toyota and its awkwardly shaped Prius, back in 2001. And they had that field to themselves for a while, but soon enough the other manufacturers trotted out hybrid and plug-in hybrid models of their own.

And so Toyota shook up the Prius offering, launching the seven-seat Prius V, and the bite-sized (and Yaris-based) Prius c we've tested here, in 2012, hoping to broaden the appeal of its hybrid offerings. Problem is, 2012 was an awfully long time ago, and so Toyota has waved its wand over the ageing Prius c for 2018, changing its design, tech offering and interior in an effort to keep it fresh.

So, is the Japanese giant still head of the hybrid class? Or has it been beaten at its own game?

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Deep dive comparison

2026 Audi A5 2018 Toyota Prius C

Verdict

The Audi A5 remains a convincing option in the premium mid-size sedan category, even with the near-$10K price increase over its equivalent grade A4 predecessor.

Even in its base spec, it’s a lovely thing to drive and adds enough new kit to be a reasonable option when it comes to value. In terms of tech usability, it stands out from rivals. Practicality is still king for Audi.

But for the heart-over-head types, the S5 is fast and fun while remaining a comfortable cruiser and the price is decent. On a personal note, a six-cylinder wagon? That's a big yes from me.

For the time it’s available, it’s hard to go past the value on offer in the S5 Edition One. Getting an AWD V6 with that kind of capability for under $100K is something that's sure to tempt buyers. If it doesn’t, we need to take a good look at ourselves.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

Verdict

It's as if the the future is firmly rooted in the past at Toyota. The Prius is still undoubtedly clever, frugal and easy to drive, but it is feeling so old in places that the bad had begun to weigh on the good. If you're a tech-head or have a right foot crafted from lead, then there's nothing to see here. But if the thought of saving money at the bowser sets your heart aflutter, then step right this way.

Audi A5 vs Toyota Prius C What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Audi A5 vs Toyota Prius C
What's the difference?