Buying guide
Honda Insight Specs and Generations: Full Model Overview (1999–present)
A guide to honda insight generations from the 1999 mini original to the current sedan, with specs, power figures, and advice on which version to buy.
The Honda Insight is a sedan produced from 1999 to the present, with outputs ranging from 68 to 151 hp across its history. Anyone comparing honda insight specs will find a car built around fuel economy: every generation offers a small-displacement engine, front-wheel drive, and — in most versions — a CVT gearbox. It suits drivers who put low fuel consumption above outright performance.
Honda Insight generations
1 generation (1999–2006)
The first Honda Insight was built from 1999 to 2006 as a mini-class car with four modifications, all front-wheel drive and all powered by a 995 cc engine producing 68–76 hp. Buyers could choose between a CVT and a manual gearbox. The Honda Insight 1.0 MT (68 hp) stands out on efficiency, consuming just 3.4 l/100 km while reaching 100 km/h in 12.0 seconds — quicker, notably, than the 76 hp manual version, which needs 14.2 seconds. The Honda Insight 1.0 CVT (76 hp) was the mass-market choice of the range.
2 generation (2009–2011)
The second-generation Honda Insight arrived in 2009 as a 5-door hatchback and ran until 2011 in a single modification. The Honda Insight 1.3 CVT (2nd generation) is a hybrid with a 1339 cc engine producing 88 hp, front-wheel drive, a CVT gearbox, acceleration to 100 km/h in 12.6 seconds, and fuel consumption of 4.4 l/100 km.
2 generation, restyling (2011–2014)
The restyled second generation kept the 5-door hatchback body and expanded the lineup to three modifications, all hybrids with CVT and front-wheel drive, spanning 88–112 hp. The Honda Insight 1.3 CVT (98 hp) was the volume version, matching the pre-restyling car's 12.6-second acceleration and 4.4 l/100 km consumption from its 1339 cc engine. The Honda Insight 1.5 CVT (restyling) topped the range with a 1496 cc engine and 112 hp — the most powerful Insight of its era.
3 generation (2018–present)
The third-generation Honda Insight, produced from 2018 to the present, switched to a sedan body with a single modification. The Honda Insight 1.5 CVT (3rd generation) is a hybrid with a 1498 cc engine, 151 hp — the highest output in the model's history — front-wheel drive, and fuel consumption of 4.5 l/100 km.
Which Honda Insight to buy
- 1.5 CVT (3 generation): the most powerful Insight ever made at 151 hp, while still returning 4.5 l/100 km.
- 1.0 MT (68 hp) (1 generation): the efficiency champion at 3.4 l/100 km, and it accelerates to 100 km/h in 12.0 seconds — faster than the 76 hp manual.
- 1.3 CVT (98 hp) (2 generation, restyling): the mass version of the updated hatchback, combining 98 hp with 4.4 l/100 km.
- 1.5 CVT (2 generation, restyling): the strongest hatchback Insight at 112 hp from its 1496 cc engine.
On the used market, the restyled second generation (2011–2014) is a sensible starting point: it is newer than the original hatchback yet mechanically close to it, with a simple single-gearbox, front-wheel-drive lineup. The first generation ended production in 2006, so even the youngest examples are two decades old — factor their age into any search.
Which Honda Insight to avoid
The numbers point away from the Honda Insight 1.0 MT (76 hp) of the first generation. Despite its 8 hp advantage over the 68 hp manual, it is slower to 100 km/h — 14.2 seconds against 12.0 — while the 68 hp car also posts the model's best recorded consumption at 3.4 l/100 km. The same 995 cc engine, gearbox type, and 1999–2006 production years apply to both, leaving the 76 hp manual with no measured advantage in this data.