The Sportage offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Kicks doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sportage’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Kicks doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.
Both the Sportage and the Kicks have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.
The Kia Sportage weighs 561 to 1083 pounds more than the Nissan Kicks. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sportage is safer than the Nissan Kicks:
|
Sportage |
Kicks |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
222 |
326 |
Chest Compression |
.6 inches |
.6 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
42% |
79% |
Neck Stress |
151 lbs. |
392 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
70 lbs. |
138 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
33/16 lbs. |
370/209 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sportage is safer than the Nissan Kicks:
|
Sportage |
Kicks |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
87 |
139 |
Chest Movement |
.7 inches |
.9 inches |
Abdominal Force |
104 G’s |
172 G’s |
Hip Force |
327 lbs. |
347 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
239 |
318 |
Hip Force |
465 lbs. |
517 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sportage the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 119 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Kicks last would have qualified as a “Top Pick” in 2019.