HONDA INSIGHT Hatchback 2012‑2012

After experimenting with petrol / LPG / diesel (admittedly larger engines) to get higher MPG's, now going for a Hybrid. This requires a total change in driving-style to achieve the stated figures - more coasting downhill, dropping speed a (a tad) instead of charging up-hill, planning overtaking, no jack-rabbit starts or on-a-sixpence finishes. Currently have managed 54/51/54/52/54/53 mpg, so not quite 60mpg as per usual 'laboratory conditions' but better for me than the low/med-30's I've been used to. Result :-) Six footer, so legroom a tad cramped in front (unless seat quite back) but steering adjusts rake/reach. Rear headroom useless (nearly concussed trying to check tthe back-seat on test-drive :-) Visibility bad to rear with daft screen-split, but large (heated/folding) side-mirror compensate. Boot space great (recently packed 4x wooden folding-chairs / 2x metal folding-chairs / folding-table / portable BBQ / coal+tools >with rear-seats up and under the tonneau-cover!< Ideal for current solo-commute of c. 100 miles daily, esp. as I get to choose speeds early in morning. Afternoon rush-hour less so - more 'keep up' and engine has to work more when carrying passengers (only 1.3L) with some road-noise (though have pumped-up the tyres to aid in hypermiling ;-) Gadgets a-plenty (auto-wipers/light/stop) great Hi-fi, 2-stage heated seats, cruise, MP3. So far totally reliable(2000miles), low road-tax/insurance. Recommended.

The Honda Insight EX is probably the best car-buying decision we've ever made: practical, quiet, safe, good handling (certainly compared to a Prius), and the amazing eco-drive system that has taught us how to drive economically - skills that we've successfully transferred to our other cars, so our fuel consumption on those has improved too!

Something we really like is the full sized boot with split folding seats. The need to accommodate a battery pack compromises the internal packaging of some hybrids and electric cars, but Honda have cleverly concealed the Insight's battery under the cargo floor, retaining five seats and a large, flat-based cargo space.

Car tax is just £10 per year at the time of writing this, and we're now averaging about 61mpg: so many cars nowadays seem unable to deliver their "official" fuel consumption figures and we weren't really expecting the Honda to do so - but it has! The car is at it's best in mixed highway, suburban and city driving. It takes a few thousand miles to really learn how to get the most from it (our first tankful was only 48mpg), but it's rewarding to do so.

We were initially a bit sceptical about hybrids but are delighted with our Honda Insight: A stylish, sensible and well-equipped car that's good to drive, and cleverly combines five-door-hatchback practicality with ultra-low running costs and the promise of Honda's legendary reliability. So far, we can't fault it.

So far we have done 26000 miles in this car. During a month long trip to Italy and back we averaged 57 mpg. it suits us very well and has proved to be faultless so far. Our normal fuel consumption is around 52 mpg when running locally. We prepaid 5 years servicing which has proved to be good value. In order to get the best fuel consumption a change in driving style is necessary. Although it may not be possible to stay in the green mode constantly, hard acceleration and or braking cannot be avoided however anticipation pays dividends.The boot proved large enough for all our belongings during our trip abroad and the expanding floor has been useful.

Cons are that the door cards are getting grubby, other than that we are content with our purchase. If you take delight in pressing on and cannot change your driving style this car is not for you. Our other car is an MX5 ideal for blowing the cobwebs out of what is left of my hair.

A nice dashboard layout and nice to drive with reliability, it requires a little pushing to get to spped but the battery boost helps when accelerating.

I am a 19 year old lad, a few months ago my parents insured me on their brand new Honda Insight, I was, naturally, extremelly excited. I love cars, and despite loving a good old thrash on track, the idea of something I could pack my mates into and cruise to and from university while pushing 60 mpg was mouth watering.

Inside, everything is where it should be and neatly arranged. Modern, a glowing speedometer telling you how economical your driving is, coupled with a big digital readout and colourful rev counter. A pleasure to sit in. To look at though, one could say it was dreadfully ugly, others would hold back vomit, its not pretty. However considering the function of the car this is not important.

So up to the point of driving the car I was fairly impressed, almost convinced I was onto a winner. However, when it came to going to pick up the boys, I noticed the suspension that almost dislodged parts of my back with the introduction of a speedbump, was also unable of dealing with the cars imbalance, its honestly senseless, the car didn't need to handle, being the exact opposite of a sportscar. But how something built to waft can have such dire cruising ability is beyond my comprehension.

When I eventually got to my friends house, after their initial sneers, I coaxed them into the car. Packing gear for a trip in the shallow boot was a tight squeeze. Attempting to match the quoted mpg figure, the clincher, a joke. I thought that a 1.3 litre engine, with a paltry 10bhp electric motor, would struggle to deal with the weight. It did. I had faith in the cvt gearbox though, surely it would create an environment in which i could cruise at 70 mph and finally reach the much sought after 60 mpg. But no. At no point did the gearbox find a groove. In and out of a sustainable 70mph. With what i promise to be a light right foot.

Its impossible, My father said the same thing, after several weeks of light driving recieving 41 average mpg we became confused and angry.

Too much weight, too much reliance on petrol, and not enough electric power caused what could be a very nice car to be pointless. Now I drive a Seat with a 1.6 diesel. It does over 50mpg. Honda Hybrid technology, coming along.

Is it there yet? Simply not.

Very responsive with very good road holding. I really enjoy driving the car. The automatic gears are really smooth. Very reliable (our family has two of these).

The front of the car looks very 'cool' but the back less so.

Sound System is fantastic, but I see no evidence that the automatic volume control works (when travelling faster, the sound level should automatically increase).

The dashboard is great, giving all the information anyone would every want. The display changes colour dependent on how efficiently you are driving or braking. At first seemed a gimmick, but really can make a difference to the way one drives.

De-misting and air conditioning works really well.

The car is surprisingly quiet when travelling at speed, but the engine is quite noisy (inside) when accelerating hard.

Driver and front passenger seats, leg room and head space are very good, but rear seats not so comfortable and head space very limited. Honda should have increased the headroom at the back by at least 5 inches as this would have made all the difference.

It is a pity than the headrests all lean forwards, making it most uncomfortable to relax because they force the head and neck forwards.

Luggage space is adequate.

When driving, it is very difficult to see some things - windows are very small, so field of view rather limited - needs a passenger to advise on oncoming traffic from the side. Difficult for some to see everything in the rear mirror because of the design.

Interior finish is adequate, but doesn't have a quality feel, particularly when considering the price of the cars, but this is no doubt due to trying to reduce the weight of the car.

Running Costs:

In the Summer, fuel consumption is around 60 mpg in and around town and higher on long runs. In the Winter, around 35 - 40 mpg in town. Although a hybrid, Honda have not been able to explain satisfactorily why the engine doesn't switch off when stationary for more than a minute or so.

Taking out a five year service contract is well worth doing if buying the car from new.

The car tax is only £15 and insurance isn't too high. A real pity the government are removing the Congestion Charging Discount for this type of car in 2013.

this car is as good if not better that i was expecting, i find that every thing seems to be just where you would expect it to be, it is probably one of the easiest cars ive driven, the insight drives like a car with a much bigger engine drives, when you want to drive economically round towns its a great and lazy drive, but when you want to really drive the car it can be driven hard and still feels really smooth on the road, the bonus of having the sport mode with the manual paddle shift gives the car a more sporty feel and makes overtaking so much more easier and safer, the 1.3 IMA ES-T Hybrid 5dr CVT model i have benefits from every extra you could want in a car from solid state satnav / hands free bluetooth, parking sensors, large alloy wheels, privacy glass all as standard, making the insight a very good value for money car, the only down side to this car is that the fuel tank is only 40 litters which for someone like myself that does alot of miles can be a bit of a pain when you need to fill it up more often. the interior of the car is very comfortable in the front and the back, the height in the back can be a little close if you car tall but this is also something that can be forgiven when you look at the stylish exterior of the insight, this is the only hybrid that doesn't actually look like a hybrid, i'm so glad i chose the insight instead of the prius which was my other chose, price and drive put me off the prius.

This car meets all our needs, it handles well, has a CVT transmission, ideal for town use, cruise control, ideal for distances and heated seats, ideal for winter. Most of our journeys are less than 5 or so miles with the occasional trip of more than 50 miles. Over the last 14000 or so miles it has averaged 50 mpg. with a highest single journey consumption of 63mpg. Considering that we live at the bottom of a steep hill which must be tackled when the engine is cold we are well pleased. So far the car has been faultless. The car is versatile, comfortable, easy to enter and exit and can accommodate decent loads without trouble. The downsides; the door cards are flexible above the arm rests, the arm rests are getting grubby and we found it difficult to place in car parks at first. Yes it is different, has a different sound track and requires a different driving technique to get the best from it. Honda have made it easy by providing an ECON button and a colour coded driving aid to help achieve economical driving. If you insist in competing in the traffic lights grand prix this is not for you,change your style, enjoy the savings and pull up behind the hurry up drivers at the next set of traffic lights. We have changed and are enjoying reduced motoring costs helped of course by the £10 pa road tax. Excellent.