Production chronology1999–2006
Sourced production or model lifecycle range used by the main catalog timeline.
limited_edition_research ↗8 years
← Honda
Honda / Model record
HondaInsight
Production1999–2006
Recorded originJapan
ClassTwo Seaters
Power73 hp
Built17,020 units
Background
The Honda Insight is a hybrid electric car manufactured and marketed by Honda. Its first generation is a two-door, two-seat liftback (1999–2006) and its second generation is a four-door, five-seat liftback (2009–2014). In its third generation, it is a four-door sedan (2018–2022) and in its fourth generation, it became a four-door crossover SUV (2026–present). It was Honda's first model with Integrated Motor Assist system and the most fuel efficient gasoline-powered car available in the U.S. without plug-in capability for the length of its production run.
Text adapted from “Honda Insight” on Wikipedia ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · retrieved 2026-07
Chronology ledger
Dates with their meaning intact
US EPA model years2000–2022
Model years represented in FuelEconomy.gov; a US-market observation, not a worldwide production range.
EPA FuelEconomy.gov ↗Observed bounds
Canadian NRCan model years2000–2021
Model years in Natural Resources Canada retail fuel-consumption data; Canadian-market evidence, not a worldwide production range.
Natural Resources Canada ↗14 years
Netherlands RDW first-admission observations2000–2015
First-admission years observed in Dutch vehicle registrations; this is market evidence, not a worldwide production range.
Netherlands RDW ↗16 years
Swiss TAS/TARGA approval observations2000–2011
Swiss type-approval years; approval dates are not production chronology.
Swiss ASTRA TAS/TARGA ↗12 years
Research notes
First-generation (ZE1) Insight: Honda's first production hybrid and the first mass-market hybrid sold in the US, launched Nov 1999 to compete with the Toyota Prius. Lightweight aluminum two-seat liftback body; held the record for most fuel-efficient EPA-rated gasoline car in the US until 2015. ~17,020 units sold worldwide before the original ended in 2006 (the nameplate was later reused for unrelated 2nd/3rd-gen hybrids and a 2026 EV).