At a price below $20,000, the Insight costs about $3,000 to $4,000 more than a regular Civic with similar specs. In return, however, the Insight delivers a unique high-tech experience. It also delivers fuel economy that leads to some decent monetary savings over time. Also for those who hate going to the gas station this means quite a lot as it will get up to 700 miles between fill-ups when equipped with the manual transmission. Over one year (12,000 miles) the average person will only use 200 gallons of fuel or about $300 worth. A large SUV getting 12 mpg will go through 1,000 gallons in that amount of time and the owner will spend $1500 on fuel.Bottom line: the Insight is a great car for anyone who cares about the environment. Although it costs a few thousand dollars more to buy than a regular car of this size, it is actually a bargain. Honda may be losing money on each Insight sold considering the cost of the high-tech parts and the all-aluminum body structure, let alone the research and development for such a low-volume car.
Honda's Insight is much more practical than an electric car as the driving range is unlimited. Performance and ride are more than adequate for around town and occasional long trips. Because of this, it makes an ideal commuter car, a great runabout as a second car, and a good car for someone on a budget. It's just the ticket for early adopters of leading-edge technology.