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 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Niro is safer than the Nissan Kicks:
|
Niro |
Kicks |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
139 |
191 |
Neck Injury Risk |
27% |
32% |
Neck Stress |
291 lbs. |
374 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
74/269 lbs. |
343/312 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
3 Stars |
3 Stars |
HIC |
224 |
326 |
Chest Compression |
.5 inches |
.6 inches |
Neck Stress |
207 lbs. |
392 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
63 lbs. |
138 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
144/13 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 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.