Compare the2023 Hyundai VenueVS 2023 Nissan Kicks

Both the Venue and the Kicks have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Venue is safer than the Nissan Kicks:

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 Hyundai Venue is safer than the Nissan Kicks:

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 Venue is 1.2% less likely to roll over than the Kicks.

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, its standard 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 Venue the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Kicks last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2019.

The Venue 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.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Venue 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.

The Venue’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Kicks’ (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Venue for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Kicks.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 57 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 20th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 2 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Venue is faster than the Nissan Kicks:

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

The Venue stops much shorter than the Kicks:

The Hyundai Venue’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.

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

The Venue SEL handles at .81 G’s, while the Kicks SR pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Venue SEL executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Kicks SR (28.6 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 29.2 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Venue’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Kicks’ (33.2 feet vs. 34.1 feet).

The Venue is 10 inches shorter than the Kicks, making the Venue easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Hyundai Venue amounts to more than styling. The Venue has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .34 Cd. That is lower than the Kicks (.334 to .344). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Venue get better fuel mileage.

The Venue has 1.2 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kicks.

The power windows standard on both the Venue and the Kicks have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Venue 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 Venue’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.

In addition to a parabolic reflector, optical-grade lenses in the Venue’s standard projector headlights precisely focus the beam, providing more even illumination of the road for better visibility and a sharp cut-off that prevents blinding oncoming drivers. The sharp cutoff allows the use of a stronger light. The Kicks’ standard uses a simple reflector to direct its standard headlights.

The Venue Limited’s standard GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Kicks’ available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

With optional voice command, the Venue SEL/Limited 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 Hyundai Venue Limited has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Kicks doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.