Compare the2027 Nissan Kicks VS 2026 Toyota Rav4

The Nissan Kicks 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 Rav4 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Kicks SR offers an optional 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 Rav4 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Nissan Kicks 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 Toyota Rav4 has not been tested.

Both the Kicks and the Rav4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4189-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Kicks is safer than the Rav4:

	Kicks	Rav4
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.34 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	915 lbs.	1093 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head Injury Criterion	182	542
Head Peak Forces	no contact	104 G’s
Neck Tension	112 lbs.	312 lbs.
Neck Compression	201 lbs.	223 lbs.
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	669 lbs.	692 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

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.

The Kicks has more powerful engines than the Rav4:

	Torque
Kicks 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder	140 lbs.-ft.
Rav4 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid
Rav4 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid
Rav4 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid

The Kicks has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Rav4 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Kicks higher (7 out of 10) than the Toyota Rav4 (6). This means the Kicks produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Rav4 every 15,000 miles.

The Kicks stops shorter than the Rav4:

	Kicks	Rav4
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	182 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	129 feet	Consumer Reports

The Kicks SR’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 XSE’s 50 series tires.

The Kicks 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 Rav4 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Kicks has engine 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 Rav4 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kicks SR AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Rav4 Woodland pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Kicks’ turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Rav4’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.9 feet). The Kicks’ turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Rav4 GR Sport’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Kicks has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Rav4 GR Sport (8.4 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Kicks to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Nissan Kicks may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 1300 pounds less than the Toyota Rav4.

The Kicks is 9.1 inches shorter than the Rav4, making the Kicks easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Kicks has 1.8 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom and .5 inches more rear hip room than the Rav4.

The Kicks’ 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 Rav4 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.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Kicks and the Toyota Rav4, based on reliability, safety and performance.