KBB Expert Ratings Countdown: Honda

2013 Honda Insight KBB Expert Rating: 6.5/10

Honda was the first brand to bring a hybrid to the American market, so the fact that the Toyota Prius from the company's arch-rival has come to represent all hybrids in the minds of many American consumers caused no small amount of irritation within the halls of Honda. Now Honda is re-engaging in combat over hybrid supremacy with its all-new 2010 Insight, a vehicle designed to bring the advantages of a hybrid powertrain to a new, less-affluent set of buyers. The new model combines a 1.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with a 10-kilowatt electric motor plus serious computer power to create a reasonably simple but still very effective hybrid drive system. Called Integrated Motor Assist, the hybrid system works well while keeping costs down and it offers the additional advantage of being packaged in the four-door hatchback so efficiently that the Insight offers foldable rear seats.