Compare the2026 Nissan RogueVS 2026 Acura RDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Rogue 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 Acura RDX doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Rogue Platinum has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The RDX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

With its standard AEB with Pedestrian Detection, the Nissan Rogue is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Acura RDX, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Rogue	RDX
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-16 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-24 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-31 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	2.4 sec	2.2 sec
37 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.8 sec	No Warning

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Nissan Rogue achieved a “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 Acura RDX has not been tested.

The Rogue’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 RDX doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Rogue and the RDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available all wheel drive and 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 Rogue is safer than the Acura RDX:

	Rogue	RDX
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	261	300
Leg Forces (l/r)	70/234 lbs.	328/464 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	319	353
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	481/312 lbs.	362/441 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 Rogue is safer than the Acura RDX:

	Rogue	RDX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.4 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	99 lbs.	130 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	52 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	162	486
Hip Force	398 lbs.	704 lbs.

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

The Nissan Rogue achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The RDX has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

Warranty

There are almost 4 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rogue’s warranty.

Reliability

The RDX’s redline is at 7000 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The Rogue has a 6000 RPM redline.

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 Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is ranked 15th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Acura With 34 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Acura.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rogue gets better mileage than the RDX:

			MPG
Rogue
	FWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	29 city/36 hwy
	AWD	S/SV/Platinum 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	28 city/35 hwy
		Rock Creek 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	27 city/32 hwy
RDX
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Rogue uses regular unleaded gasoline. The RDX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

The Rogue 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 RDX doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Rogue’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the RDX are solid, not vented.

The Rogue stops much shorter than the RDX:

	Rogue	RDX
70 to 0 MPH	177 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Rogue Platinum handles at .84 G’s, while the RDX pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Rogue’s turning circle is 3.5 feet tighter than the RDX’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.9 feet).

Chassis

The Nissan Rogue may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 550 pounds less than the Acura RDX.

The Rogue is 4.4 inches shorter than the RDX, making the Rogue easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Rogue has 1.5 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more rear headroom, .1 inches more rear legroom and 3.5 inches more rear hip room than the RDX.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Rogue’s rear seats recline. The RDX’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Rogue has a much larger cargo volume than the RDX with its rear seat up (36.5 vs. 31.1 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

Consumer Reports rated the Rogue’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the RDX’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Rogue to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The RDX doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Model Availability

The Rogue is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The RDX doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Rogue and the Acura RDX, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Rogue first among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The RDX isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Nissan Rogue outsold the Acura RDX by almost seven to one during 2025.

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