2018 Toyota Mirai vs. Its Competition

John Voelcker

If you want a zero-emission vehicle that carries four people, you can have one from Chevy, Honda, or Tesla.

The Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, like the Mirai, is powered entirely by hydrogen, but it’s larger, more comfortable, and has a longer range, even if its design isn’t our favorite.

The Chevy Bolt EV electric car has 238 miles of battery range, seats four comfortably, and is good despite its economy hatchback looks.

But for a true zero-emission sedan that can travel coast to coast, the only choice is the Tesla Model S and that company’s Supercharger network of fast-charging sites.

A Tesla will take you places the Mirai can’t go because there’s no available hydrogen.

Assuming Tesla gets its smaller, less expensive Model 3 into volume production during 2018, that car will likely equal or undercut the Toyota Mirai on price, not to mention style, performance, and of course long-distance travel.

Finally, Toyota’s own Prius Prime plug-in hybrid gives partial zero-emission travel (25 miles of rated electric range) at a price little more than half that of the Mirai.