Compare the2024 Nissan KicksVS 2024 Honda CR-V

The Kicks SR has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The CR-V only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kicks has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Honda charges extra for Cross Traffic Monitor on the CR-V and its not available on the LX.

Both the Kicks and the CR-V have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights and driver alert monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, its standard front crash prevention system, its “Good” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Kicks the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 192 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CR-V has not been fully tested, yet.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Kicks has a standard 510-amp battery. The CR-V’s 410-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 25 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Honda.

On the EPA test cycle the Kicks gets better mileage than the CR-V:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Kicks uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CR-V with the 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

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

The Kicks SV/SR’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the CR-V are solid, not vented.

The Kicks stops much shorter than the CR-V:

The Kicks S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CR-V LX’s standard 65 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 CR-V doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Kicks 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 CR-V doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kicks SR handles at .82 G’s, while the CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Kicks SR executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid (28.7 seconds @ .55 average G’s vs. 29.3 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Kicks’ turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the CR-V’s (34.1 feet vs. 37.3 feet).

The Nissan Kicks may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 1200 pounds less than the Honda CR-V.

The Kicks is 1 foot, 3.2 inches shorter than the CR-V, making the Kicks easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Kicks has .4 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front legroom and .3 inches more rear headroom than the CR-V.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Kicks and the Honda CR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance.