Compare the2023 Nissan VersaVS 2023 Toyota Corolla

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Versa SV/SR are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Corolla doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Versa has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Corolla doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Versa has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Corolla doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Versa and the Corolla 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, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, 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 Nissan Versa is safer than the Toyota Corolla:

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

On the EPA test cycle the Versa gets better mileage than the Corolla:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Versa uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Corolla requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Versa stops shorter than the Corolla:

The Versa has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Corolla doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Versa has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Corolla doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Versa SR handles at .86 G’s, while the Corolla XSE pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Versa’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Corolla’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.6 feet).

The Nissan Versa may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 400 pounds less than the Toyota Corolla.

The Versa is 5.5 inches shorter than the Corolla, making the Versa easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Versa has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 2.5 inches more front legroom and 1.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla.

The Versa has a much larger trunk than the Corolla (14.7 vs. 13.2 cubic feet).

The Versa Manual can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Versa can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Corolla can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Versa SV/SR’s standard wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Corolla’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Versa’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Corolla doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Insurance will cost less for the Versa owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Versa with a number “1” insurance rate while the Corolla is rated higher at a number “3” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Versa is less expensive to operate than the Corolla because typical repairs cost much less on the Versa than the Corolla, including $74 less for a water pump, $42 less for a muffler, $22 less for a starter, $42 less for fuel injection and $689 less for a timing belt/chain.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Versa first among small cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Corolla isn’t in the top three in its category.