Compare the2024 Nissan AltimaVS 2024 Toyota Camry

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

Safety

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The Altima has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Camry’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Altima has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Toyota charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Alert on the Camry.

The Altima’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Camry doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Altima and the Camry have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, rearview cameras 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 Toyota Camry:

	Altima	Camry
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	114/342 lbs.	432/527 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 Toyota Camry:

	Altima	Camry
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	185	289
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	544 lbs.	752 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	157	164

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

Reliability

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 Altima’s reliability 12 points higher than the Camry.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 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 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

Engine

The Altima has more powerful engines than the Camry:

	Torque
Altima SR 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	273 lbs.-ft.
Camry AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	182 lbs.-ft.
Camry 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	184 lbs.-ft.
Camry XSE AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	185 lbs.-ft.
Camry XSE 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	186 lbs.-ft.
Camry 3.5 DOHC V6	267 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Car and Driver the Altima AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota Camry:

	Altima	Camry AWD	Camry
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	7.6 sec	7.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	90 MPH	90 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			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
Camry
	FWD	Camry XLE 3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/33 hwy
		Camry XSE 3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/32 hwy
		XLE/XSE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/38 hwy
		TRD 3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy

The Altima AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Camry AWD’s standard fuel tank (16 vs. 14.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 Toyota Camry (5 to 7). This means the Altima produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Camry every 15,000 miles.

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 Camry doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Altima stops much shorter than the Camry:

	Altima	Camry
70 to 0 MPH	172 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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 Camry doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Altima 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 Camry doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Altima SR handles at .90 G’s, while the Camry XLE pulls only .80 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 Camry SE (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Altima’s turning circle is tighter than the Camry’s:

	Altima	Camry
Sedan	36.1 feet	37.4 feet
AWDSedan	36.1 feet	38.7 feet

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 Camry 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 Camry doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Altima has .8 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Camry.

Cargo Capacity

The Altima has a larger trunk than the Camry (15.4 vs. 15.1 cubic feet).

The Altima’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Camry TRD doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

Ergonomics

Consumer Reports rated the Altima’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Camry’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Altima 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 Camry TRD doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Altima owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Altima with a number “1” insurance rate while the Camry is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Altima is less expensive to operate than the Camry because typical repairs cost much less on the Altima than the Camry, including $198 less for a water pump, $2 less for front brake pads, $233 less for a starter, $125 less for fuel injection, $77 less for a fuel pump, $86 less for front struts, $870 less for a timing belt/chain and $417 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

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

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2018 issue and they ranked the Nissan Altima SR two places higher than the Toyota Camry XLE.