Compare the2024 Nissan AltimaVS 2024 Kia K5

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Altima have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia K5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Nissan Altima 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 K5 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Both the Altima and the K5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Altima is safer than the Kia K5:

	Altima	K5
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	171	295
Leg Forces (l/r)	114/342 lbs.	444/276 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 Nissan Altima is safer than the Kia K5:

	Altima	K5
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	185	202
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	75 G’s
Hip Force	544 lbs.	687 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	157	297

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 Altima, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.5% less likely to roll over than the K5, which received a four-star rating.

Warranty

The Altima’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the K5 runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 36 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Altima’s warranty.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Altima 4 cyl. is faster than the K5 1.6T 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Altima	K5
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	7.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.2 MPH	87.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Altima gets better mileage than the K5:

			MPG
Altima
	FWD	S/SV 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/39 hwy
		SL/SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
K5
	FWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
	AWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Altima higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Kia K5 (5). This means the Altima produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the K5 every 15,000 miles.

The EPA certifies the Nissan Altima at emission levels ranging from “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV) to “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV). The Kia K5 is only certified to “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV) standards.

Transmission

The Altima has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The K5 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Altima stops much shorter than the K5:

	Altima	K5
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Altima has larger standard tires than the K5 (215/60R16 vs. 205/65R16).

The Altima S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the K5 LXS’ standard 65 series tires.

The Altima 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 K5 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Altima SR handles at .90 G’s, while the K5 EX pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Altima executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the K5 EX (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Altima uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The K5 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Altima SR VC-Turbo uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The K5 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Altima has .2 inches more front shoulder room and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the K5.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Altima easier. The Altima’s trunk lift-over height is 26.9 inches, while the K5’s liftover is 28.6 inches.

Ergonomics

If the windows are left open on the Altima the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. The driver of the K5 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Altima’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The K5’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Altima and the Kia K5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Nissan Altima outsold the Kia K5 by almost two to one during 2023.