Compare the2026 Nissan AltimaVS 2025 Chevrolet Malibu

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
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 Chevrolet Malibu doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Altima are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Malibu doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Nissan Altima achieved an “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Chevrolet Malibu has not been tested.

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

The Altima AWD offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Malibu doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Altima SR offers an optional 360-degree Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Malibu only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

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 Malibu’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. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Malibu.

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 Malibu doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Altima and the Malibu 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, 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 and rearview cameras.

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 Chevrolet Malibu:

	Altima	Malibu
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	171	172
Leg Forces (l/r)	114/342 lbs.	252/306 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 Chevrolet Malibu:

	Altima	Malibu
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Front Seat
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Abdominal Force	164 lbs.	232 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	185	365
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	62 G’s
Hip Force	544 lbs.	1117 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	157	279

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 1.1% less likely to roll over than the Malibu, which received a four-star rating.

Warranty

The Altima’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Malibu’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

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 21 points higher than the Malibu.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Altima first among midsize cars in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Malibu isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked fifth.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 4 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The Altima AWD’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 19 more horsepower (182 vs. 163) than the Malibu’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Altima’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 25 more horsepower (188 vs. 163) than the Malibu’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Altima is faster than the Chevrolet Malibu:

	Altima AWD	Altima	Malibu
Zero to 60 MPH	7.6 sec	7.4 sec	8.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.9 sec	15.7 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	89.5 MPH	90.2 MPH	84.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Altima has a standard locking fuel door. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Malibu. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

The Altima stops much shorter than the Malibu:

	Altima	Malibu
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	171 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	149 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Altima has larger standard tires than the Malibu (215/55R17 vs. 205/65R16).

The Altima SV’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Malibu LS’ standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Altima SV has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Malibu LS.

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 Malibu 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 Malibu doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Altima SR handles at .90 G’s, while the Malibu LT pulls only .84 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 Malibu LT (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Altima has 2.3 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front hip room and 1.1 inches more rear hip room than the Malibu.

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 Malibu’s liftover is 30.5 inches.

Ergonomics

The Altima’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Malibu’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. The Malibu LT’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Altima the driver can close all of them at the outside door handle. The driver of the Malibu 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 Malibu’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

Compared to traditional radio, the Nissan Altima’s standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks. Satellite radio is only offered on the Malibu LT.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Nissan Altima retains 52.18% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 50.44% resale value of the 2025 Chevrolet Malibu after five years, which can save the Nissan’s owner.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Altima is less expensive to operate than the Malibu because typical repairs cost much less on the Altima than the Malibu, including $234 less for a water pump, $260 less for a muffler, $73 less for front brake pads, $42 less for a starter, $2 less for fuel injection, $14 less for a fuel pump and $10 less for front struts.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Altima, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Chevrolet Malibu isn't recommended.

The Nissan Altima outsold the Chevrolet Malibu by over 9 to one during 2025.

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