Compare the2022 Kia NiroVS 2021 Nissan Kicks

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics

Safety

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The Niro has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Kicks doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Niro and the Kicks have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Niro is safer than the Nissan Kicks:

	Niro	Kicks
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	138	139
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	342 lbs.	347 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	170	318
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	12 inches
HIC	214	218

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Niro is 3.4% less likely to roll over than the Kicks.

Warranty

The Niro comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Kicks’ 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Niro 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Kicks. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Kicks ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

Engine

The Niro’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 17 more horsepower (139 vs. 122) and 81 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 114) than the Kicks’ 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Niro is faster than the Nissan Kicks:

	Niro	Kicks
Zero to 60 MPH	8.9 sec	10.5 sec
Quarter Mile	16.8 sec	18 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	83 MPH	77.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Niro gets better mileage than the Kicks:

		MPG
Niro
	LX 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/48 hwy
	LXS/EX 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/46 hwy
	Touring 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	46 city/40 hwy
Kicks
	1.6 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/36 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Niro’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Kicks doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Niro’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Kicks doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Niro has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kicks (11.9 vs. 10.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

The Kia Niro has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Rear drums are standard on the Kicks. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Niro stops much shorter than the Kicks:

	Niro	Kicks
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Niro Touring SE’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Kicks (225/45R18 vs. 205/60R16).

The Niro Touring SE’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Kicks SV/SR’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Niro Touring SE has standard 18-inch wheels. The Kicks’ largest wheels are only 17-inches.

The Kia Niro’s wheels have 5 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Nissan Kicks S only has 4 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Kia Niro has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Nissan Kicks has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Niro has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Kicks’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Niro has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Niro flat and controlled during cornering. The Kicks’ suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro’s wheelbase is 3.2 inches longer than on the Kicks (106.3 inches vs. 103.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Niro is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Kicks.

The Niro Touring SE handles at .82 G’s, while the Kicks SR pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Niro Touring SE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the Kicks SR (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 29.2 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

Chassis

The design of the Kia Niro amounts to more than styling. The Niro has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Kicks (.334 to .344) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Niro get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The Niro has 7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kicks (100.9 vs. 93.9).

The Niro has 2.8 inches more front hip room, 3 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 4 inches more rear legroom and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kicks.

Cargo Capacity

The Niro has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kicks with its rear seat folded (54.5 vs. 53.1 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Niro and the Kicks have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Niro is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Kicks prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Niro’s power window, power lock and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Kicks’ power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

When the Niro with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Kicks’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Niro EX Premium keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Kicks doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Kicks doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Niro’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Kicks doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Niro and the Kicks offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Niro Touring SE/EX Premium has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Kicks SV/SR doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To direct the driver from any location to a given street address, a GPS navigation system is standard on the Niro Touring/Touring Special Edition. The Niro’s navigation system also has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Kicks doesn’t offer a navigation system.

With standard voice command, the Niro offers the driver hands free control of the radio and the navigation computer by simply speaking. The Kicks doesn’t offer a voice control system.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Niro Touring SE/EX Premium has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Kicks doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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