Compare the2026 Nissan AltimaVS 2026 Toyota Corolla Hybrid

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
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 Toyota Corolla Hybrid 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 help 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 Toyota Corolla Hybrid 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 Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 Corolla Hybrid only offers a rear monitor.

Both the Altima and the Corolla Hybrid 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 and driver alert 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 Corolla Hybrid:

	Altima	Corolla Hybrid
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	171	187
Leg Forces (l/r)	114/342 lbs.	330/310 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 Corolla Hybrid:

	Altima	Corolla Hybrid
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	46 G’s
Hip Force	544 lbs.	635 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	157	254

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 1.3% less likely to roll over than the Corolla Hybrid, which received a four-star rating.

Reliability

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

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

Engine

The Altima AWD’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 44 more horsepower (182 vs. 138) and 73 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 105) than the Corolla Hybrid’s 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Altima’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 50 more horsepower (188 vs. 138) and 75 lbs.-ft. more torque (180 vs. 105) than the Corolla Hybrid’s 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Altima is faster than the Toyota Corolla Hybrid:

	Altima AWD	Altima	Corolla Hybrid
Zero to 60 MPH	7.6 sec	7.4 sec	9.7 sec
Quarter Mile	15.9 sec	15.7 sec	17.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	89.5 MPH	90.2 MPH	77 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Altima AWD’s standard fuel tank has 4.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corolla Hybrid (16 vs. 11.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Altima FWD’s standard fuel tank has 4.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corolla Hybrid (16.2 vs. 11.3 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Nissan Altima as a “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV). The Toyota Corolla Hybrid is only certified to “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV) standards.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Altima’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Corolla Hybrid:

	Altima	Corolla Hybrid
Front Rotors	11.65 inches	10.8 inches
Rear Rotors	11.02 inches	10.2 inches
Opt Rear Rotors	11.5 inches

The Altima stops much shorter than the Corolla Hybrid:

	Altima	Corolla Hybrid
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	148 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Altima has larger standard tires than the Corolla Hybrid (215/55R17 vs. 205/55R16). The Altima SR’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Corolla Hybrid (235/40R19 vs. 225/40R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Altima SV has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Corolla Hybrid LE/XLE. The Altima SR’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Corolla Hybrid SE.

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 Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Altima has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Corolla Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

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 Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Altima’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Corolla Hybrid (111.2 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Altima is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Corolla Hybrid.

The Altima SR handles at .90 G’s, while the Corolla Hybrid LE pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Altima executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.8 seconds quicker than the Corolla Hybrid LE (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 29.1 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

Chassis

The design of the Nissan Altima amounts to more than styling. The Altima has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .26 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Corolla Hybrid (.31) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Altima get better fuel mileage.

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 Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Altima a Mid-size car, while the Corolla Hybrid is rated a Compact.

The Altima has 12 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Hybrid (100.6 vs. 88.6).

The Altima has .8 inches more front headroom, 1.8 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front hip room, 4.2 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear legroom, 3.2 inches more rear hip room and 5.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Hybrid.

Cargo Capacity

The Altima has a much larger trunk than the Corolla Hybrid (15.4 vs. 13.1 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The Altima has a standard Intelligent Key that allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. The Smart Key System costs extra on the Corolla Hybrid.

The Altima’s driver power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Corolla Hybrid’s passenger power window and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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 Corolla Hybrid LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent. The Corolla Hybrid SE/XLE’s manually variable intermittent wipers don’t change delay with speed.

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

The Altima’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 Hybrid doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

On extremely cold winter days, the Altima SR’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Altima’s optional dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Altima and the Corolla Hybrid offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Altima offers optional rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Compared to the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, the Nissan Altima eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Recommendations

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

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