Compare the2023 Honda HR-VVS 2023 Nissan Kicks

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda HR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Nissan Kicks doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The HR-V 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 HR-V’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Kicks doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the HR-V and the Kicks have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 Honda HR-V weighs 408 to 648 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.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the HR-V its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Kicks last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2018.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the HR-V for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Kicks.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the HR-V’s reliability 20 points higher than the Kicks.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 10 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The HR-V’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 36 more horsepower (158 vs. 122) and 24 lbs.-ft. more torque (138 vs. 114) than the Kicks’ 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda HR-V is faster than the Nissan Kicks:

The HR-V has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kicks (14 vs. 10.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The HR-V has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Kicks doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the HR-V’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Kicks:

The Honda HR-V 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 HR-V stops much shorter than the Kicks:

For better traction, the HR-V has larger standard tires than the Kicks (215/60R17 vs. 205/60R16). The HR-V Sport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Kicks (225/55R18 vs. 205/60R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the HR-V has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Kicks S. The HR-V Sport’s 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Kicks SV/SR.

The Honda HR-V’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.

For superior ride and handling, the Honda HR-V 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 HR-V has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the HR-V flat and controlled during cornering. The Kicks’ suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the HR-V’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the Kicks (104.5 inches vs. 103.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the HR-V is 2.8 inches wider in the front and 2.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Kicks.

The HR-V’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (58% to 42%) than the Kicks’ (60.7% to 39.3%). This gives the HR-V more stable handling and braking.

The HR-V EX-L AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Kicks SR pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The HR-V EX-L AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Kicks SR (28.5 seconds @ .56 average G’s vs. 29.2 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

The HR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Kicks doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The HR-V has 6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kicks (98.7 vs. 92.7).

The HR-V has 3.1 inches more front hip room, 3.6 inches more front shoulder room, 4.3 inches more rear legroom and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kicks.

The HR-V has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kicks with its rear seat folded (55.1 vs. 53.1 cubic feet).

The HR-V’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Kicks has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

On a hot day the HR-V’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Kicks can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The HR-V’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Kicks’ standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The HR-V EX-L’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.

With standard voice command, the HR-V offers the driver hands free control of the radio 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 Honda HR-V EX-L has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. The Kicks doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda HR-V and the Nissan Kicks, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Honda HR-V outsold the Nissan Kicks by over two to one during 2022.