SUV Joins Safety Rankings
Thanks to a seat belt redesign, the Nissan Kicks has earned a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The only thing keeping the Kicks from earning the “plus” award is a moderate rating in the vehicle-to-vehicle front crash-prevention evaluation.
Nissan Motor Corp.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its latest round of safety ratings, and the 2026-27 Nissan Kicks earned a Top Safety Pick award.
The small SUV was redesigned in 2025, but it didn’t qualify for the award due to a poor rating in the moderate overlap front test. Models built after this past June qualify, thanks to updates made to the rear seat belts that increased passenger protection and earned the vehicle a good rating in the test.
The only thing keeping the Kicks from earning the “plus” award is a moderate rating in the vehicle-to-vehicle front crash-prevention evaluation that the nonprofit group introduced in 2024. However, it did receive good ratings for seat belt reminders and Latch ease of use, which don’t count toward the awards.
Ratings for five other models were released, but they did not qualify for either award. They include the popular Toyota RAV4 and the Chevrolet Trailblazer.
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