2026 Nissan Kicks vs Honda HR-V

Each lineup runs 3 trims, and the Kicks undercuts the HR-V at every step. The Kicks launched at $22,730 and the HR-V at $26,200, and the gap is about $3,500 at the two lower steps, narrowing to about $3,100 at the top of each lineup. Where the brands really part company is what each step buys you: the Kicks puts its big center touchscreen and its full driver-assistance suite in the entry car, while the HR-V's step-up trims are where the leather, the moonroof and the power driver's seat live.

Prices above are 2026 launch MSRP for both lineups, excluding destination and handling, the charge for shipping the car from the factory.

Check our new Nissan offers for the latest deals before you settle on a trim.

Honda has the bigger horsepower number, Nissan the better mileage. Honda's 2.0-liter makes 158 horsepower against the Nissan's 141, and you feel that merging onto I-69 with a full car. Torque runs the other way by a whisker, 140 lb-ft for the Kicks against 138 for the HR-V, too small a margin to notice. Both use a continuously variable transmission, an automatic with no fixed gear steps, and neither is quick, so the 17-horsepower difference shows up only when you ask for everything the engine has.

The Kicks answers at the pump with a 3 mpg combined advantage, front-wheel drive or all-wheel. All-wheel drive is a factory option on every trim of both, and it is a decision worth settling before a Hamilton County February rather than during one.

The Kicks burns less fuel per mile, but the HR-V carries more of it, 14.0 gallons to the Kicks' 11.81. Multiply each tank by its combined rating and the Honda covers roughly 26 more miles between fill-ups, about 392 to the Kicks' 366. The Kicks costs less to run, and the HR-V needs fewer fuel stops.

The Honda is the longer car, the Kicks the taller and lighter one. Both seat five. The Honda measures 179.8 inches to the Kicks' 171.9, and that extra length sits ahead of the front wheels and behind the rear ones, since the wheelbases are within 0.1 inch of each other. It is length you have to park.

The Kicks sits 8.4 inches off the ground, an inch or more above the HR-V at every trim. That is a number nobody thinks about until a Geist-area driveway is under snow.

The HR-V height and ground clearance figures are ranges because both change with the trim.

Cargo: with the rear seat up, the Kicks holds more, up to 30 cu ft against 24.4 cu ft in the HR-V. Both back seats fold when you need the extra length.

Blind spot coverage is standard on the Kicks S, the least expensive trim in either lineup, and it stays standard all the way up. On the HR-V it begins at the Sport, one full trim above the LX. For anyone cross-shopping the two base cars, that decides whether changing lanes on 116th Street comes with a warning light or without one.

Past that one gap, most of what both suites do is the same work under two brand names. Both brake automatically when a collision ahead looks likely, which Nissan calls Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection and Honda calls the Collision Mitigation Braking System. Both warn you when the car drifts out of its lane, both switch the high beams for you, and both make adaptive cruise standard on every trim, whatever each maker calls it.

The Kicks adds Rear Automatic Braking, and carries blind spot coverage on all 3 trims. Each car also offers a lane system above the drift warning both carry, though not on the same trims: the HR-V has its Lane Keeping Assist System on all 3 trims, while the Kicks reaches Lane Departure Prevention only on the SR. Honda also includes road departure mitigation, traffic jam assist and a driver attention monitor on every trim.

On top of everything in its row above, the Kicks SR carries ProPILOT Assist, which the S and the SV do not.

The screens favor the Kicks too, starting with the one in the middle of the dash. A 12.3-inch center touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard on all 3 Kicks trims, against a 9-inch center screen on all 3 HR-V trims. The instrument display in front of the driver is closer to a tie: 7 inches on every HR-V trim and on the lower two Kicks trims, with only the SR stepping up to 12.3 inches there as well. Honda counters with a standard wireless charging pad on every trim, which the Kicks holds back until the SV.

On crash testing the HR-V is the stronger performer, with NHTSA rating it 5 stars overall against 4 stars for the Kicks as of this writing. Ratings can change as vehicles are retested, so confirm current scores at NHTSA.gov before you decide. For how the Nissan systems actually behave on the road, our Nissan driver-assistance and safety technology page breaks each one down.

Both cars carry 3 years or 36,000 miles of basic coverage, 5 years or 60,000 miles on the powertrain, 3 years of roadside assistance, and 5 years of corrosion coverage. Warranty coverage is a wash between these two, so it is not the difference to buy on.

• Blind spot coverage on the entry trim, where the HR-V starts it a trim higher.
• A 12.3-inch center touchscreen on every trim, against 9 inches on every HR-V.
• Better EPA numbers on both drivetrains, front-wheel and all-wheel alike.
• A lower price at every step, from the base car to the top trim.
• Nearly 8 inches less length overall, which makes it the easier of the two to place in a tight Nickel Plate District parking deck.

• 158 horsepower to the Kicks' 141, out of an engine of the same 2.0-liter size.
• A Lane Keeping Assist System on all 3 trims, where the Kicks offers Lane Departure Prevention only on the SR.
• A higher NHTSA overall crash rating, 5 stars against the Kicks' 4.
• A real equipment step at the EX-L, with leather-trimmed seats, an 8-way power driver's seat, dual-zone climate, a power moonroof, front and rear parking sensors, and 8-speaker audio.
• A wireless charging pad in every HR-V, where the Kicks holds it back until the SV.

Choose the Kicks if: your budget lands near the bottom of the segment and you still want the driver-assistance coverage, since the S is the only base car here with blind spot warning. Same answer if you commute far enough that 3 mpg adds up over a year, or if you want the big screen without a trim climb.

Choose the HR-V if: you want the stronger engine, you plan to buy near the top of the range where the EX-L's leather and moonroof live, or the federal crash rating is the number you weigh above all others.

Where a Kicks shopper should look elsewhere: if you regularly run the car loaded and merge hard, the Kicks gives up 17 horsepower to the HR-V, and no trim in the lineup closes that gap.

Where an HR-V shopper should look elsewhere: if blind spot coverage is non-negotiable and the LX is what fits your budget, the HR-V cannot give you both. The Sport is the entry point for that feature, and by then you are past the Kicks SR on price.

Drive the Kicks with us in Fishers, then drive an HR-V at a Honda store, back to back if you can fit both into one afternoon. Our Fishers showroom hours and directions will tell you when we are open. If a lightly used example suits your budget better than a new one, a Nissan Certified Pre-Owned Kicks has to clear a 167-point inspection, which is a different proposition from an ordinary used car. Start with our certified pre-owned Nissan listings and our used vehicles in Fishers.