Compare the2023 Kia NiroVS 2023 Nissan Kicks

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

Safety

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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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available front and rear parking sensors.

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’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 10th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 60 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 20th.

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.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

		MPG
Niro
	1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/54 hwy
	Touring 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/45 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 stoplights 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.

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.

Tires and Wheels

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

The Niro Touring’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 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro’s wheelbase is 4 inches longer than on the Kicks (107.1 inches vs. 103.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Niro is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Kicks.

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.

The front grille of the Niro uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Kicks doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Niro has .1 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 6.4 inches more rear legroom, 3.9 inches more rear hip room and 2.2 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 (63.7 vs. 53.1 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Niro SX’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Niro’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Kicks doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

Servicing Ease

The Niro uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Kicks uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Niro SX, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Kicks doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Niro SX’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Kicks doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Niro’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.

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.

On a hot day the Niro’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 Niro EX/SX/Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Kicks’ manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Niro’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 Niro’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Kicks SV/SR.

When the Niro SX 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.

The Niro has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Kicks.

The Niro 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 EX/SX/Touring 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.

The Niro EX/SX/Touring’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 Niro offers the driver hands free control of the radio, climate controls 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 EX/SX/Touring has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Kicks doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.