2023 Nissan Kicks

2023 is a carry-over year of the 2021-facelifted first generation; one 1.6L engine across S/SV/SR.

Same 1.6L engine on every 2023 trim, so torque does not vary by configuration.

The powertrain and weight are unchanged from the tested facelifted Kicks, so the instrumented figure carries over to 2023.

Adequate and smooth around town, but the 1.6L gets thrashy and strained when merging onto a highway or climbing grades.

The Xtronic CVT has no manual mode. It is smooth at low speed but flares the engine and drones under full throttle.

Nissan publishes no tow rating for the 2023 Kicks on any trim.

FWD only on every 2023 trim. AWD did not arrive until the 2025 redesign.

Built for pavement: about 7 in. of ground clearance, FWD only, and no skid plates, terrain modes or off-road trim.

One 1.6L gas engine with CVT and FWD for the whole US lineup. The e-Power hybrid was sold only outside the US.

EPA figure for the only 2023 powertrain (1.6L/CVT/FWD), shared by every trim.

EPA city figure for the 1.6L/CVT/FWD powertrain.

EPA highway figure for the 1.6L/CVT/FWD powertrain.

Strong MPG, but the small 10.8-gallon tank caps total range near the low end of the SUV band.

Low annual fuel cost at EPA's standard 15,000 mi/yr, reflecting 33 MPG combined on regular fuel.

Every trim runs on regular unleaded, with no premium recommendation.

NHTSA gives the 2023 Kicks 4 stars overall. Side impact is a strong 5 stars, but frontal is only 4 stars (3 stars for the front passenger) and rollover is 4 stars, so it sits mid-pack.

Every crashworthiness test IIHS publishes for the 2023 Kicks is rated Good. But IIHS never ran its tougher 2023 updated side and moderate-overlap tests on the Kicks, and the car earned no Top Safety Pick. Earlier years also missed the award because of Poor headlights.

Nissan Safety Shield 360 is standard on every trim. It includes AEB with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, rear automatic braking and high beam assist. The volume SV trim adds Intelligent Cruise Control, but the base S does not get it, and no trim offers lane keeping or centering.

The standard AEB with pedestrian detection is the same first-generation system IIHS tested earlier. It scored Moderate-tier for vehicle-to-vehicle and Good for daytime pedestrians, with no nighttime pedestrian result. That is adequate but not top-tier.

Blind Spot Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are standard on all 2023 trims, and Rear Automatic Braking adds some intervention when backing up. Both blind-spot and cross-traffic systems only warn and never steer or brake while driving forward.

Only Lane Departure Warning, an alert, is offered. No trim of the 2023 Kicks has lane keep assist or lane centering.

Radar-based Intelligent Cruise Control is standard on the volume SV trim and on the SR. It is a basic system with limited braking, no stop-and-go and no combined highway assist, and the base S does not have it.

The 2023 Kicks offers no hands-free or ProPILOT Assist system on any trim. ProPILOT reached the Kicks only with later redesigns and facelifts.

The S and volume SV trims use halogen low and high beams. IIHS rated that setup Poor on the first-generation Kicks, and only the SR's LED low beams rate better. High Beam Assist is standard, which helps a little.

Reviewers consistently praise the large windows, upright glasshouse and low cowl for excellent sightlines, with only modest rear-pillar blind zones. The SR also offers the class-exclusive Intelligent Around View Monitor.

IIHS rates the LATCH hardware Good+. In real-world checks, though, the tight rear legroom makes infant and rear-facing seats hard to fit, and one lower anchor is partly blocked by the middle belt buckle.

Two-row, five-passenger subcompact crossover; no larger configuration offered.

Generous front headroom for the class thanks to the tall roofline.

Front legroom is among the roomiest in the subcompact class.

Rear headroom is good for the segment.

Rear legroom is tight for adults, below segment leaders like the HR-V.

No third row on any grade; strictly a five-seat two-row crossover.

Cargo space behind the rear seat is large for a subcompact, but low on the all-SUV band.

Max cargo is competitive in-class but below the SUV band floor.

Basic storage: four cupholders and door bottle holders, a single 12V outlet, and the console armrest bin only on SV/SR; nothing clever beyond that.

Front seats are acceptable, with only 6-way manual driver adjustment, but the rear bench is widely criticized as upright, flat and hard.

Reviewers call the ride compliant and stable at highway speed without float; the short wheelbase and twist-beam rear let sharp impacts through.

Tire roar and engine wail under acceleration are commonly cited; no acoustic glass or active noise cancellation.

Manual A/C on S/SV, automatic climate only on SR; heated seats and heated wheel only in the SR Premium Package; no rear vents, ventilated seats, or remote climate beyond remote start.

The base S sits below the SUV band's floor, which makes it one of the cheapest ways into a new SUV in 2023.

The SV is the Kicks' volume grade, and even it comes in under the SUV band's floor.

Edmunds' year- and trim-specific projection puts the Kicks in the lower-middle of the SUV band. That fits a simple 1.6L/CVT FWD powertrain.

The Kicks holds its value better than the average subcompact SUV (42% depreciation). The value used here is iSeeCars' model figure, which sits in the middle of the source range: Edmunds implies about 55% and CarEdge about 65%.

Nissan's standard bumper-to-bumper coverage is at the floor of the band. Hyundai and Kia rivals offer 5 years.

Powertrain coverage is at the floor of the band, well short of the 10-year/100,000-mile coverage on the Hyundai Kona and Kia Seltos.

There's no complimentary scheduled maintenance. Roadside assistance only runs alongside the 3-year basic warranty, and NissanConnect services with a Wi-Fi hotspot trial come only with the SR Premium Package, not on the volume SV.

$23,635 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (61% retained, or about $14,417) leaves about $9,218 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,515 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $14,733 in total.

The 2023 Kicks carries over the 2021 facelift of the first generation (2018–2024), a mature design. J.D. Power rates its quality and reliability 82/100 ("Great"), and the 2022 car from the same generation was named J.D. Power's Most Dependable Small SUV. It stays below the top band because this generation has documented CVT overheating complaints.

Nissan is a mid-pack brand on dependability. It does well on initial quality and has climbed in Consumer Reports' brand rankings lately, but its three-year dependability in the J.D. Power VDS has trailed the industry average.

The 2023 model year has a single NHTSA recall, and it is narrow: a driver airbag inflator from one batch may absorb moisture. It covered 351 units spread across many Nissan and Infiniti models, and the fix is a free replacement. Elsewhere in the generation there was an EPS torque-sensor recall (2021 only) and a rear-camera recall (2018–2019). Nothing is systemic.

The 2023 Kicks keeps the 122-hp HR16DE 1.6L four-cylinder with the Xtronic CVT. The engine is simple and durable. The CVT, though lightly loaded, has owner reports of overheating and limp mode under sustained highway or hill loads across this generation, and Nissan's broader CVT reputation adds replacement-cost risk once the warranty ends.

The cabin is built to a price. Hard plastics cover much of the dash and door panels, and softer trim and contrast stitching are limited to the SR trim. Reviewers call the materials below average even for the class, though the 2021 facelift added a center armrest and a larger screen.

Assembly is consistent on this mature, long-running design. Reviewers call it solidly put together for the money, and there is no cluster of panel-gap or rattle complaints for this model year. It is generally solid but not a standout.

Nissan has one of the larger mass-market dealer and service networks in the US, and its service satisfaction scores well; J.D. Power rates the 2023 Kicks dealership experience 85/100.

Maintenance is cheap. The V-platform mechanicals are shared with the Versa, so parts for this high-volume nameplate are commodity-priced and widely stocked, and Nissan's average repair spend is below the industry's. The one large exposure is a CVT replacement out of warranty.

The volume SV gets an 8-inch screen, small by current standards.

Simple, easy to use system with physical knobs, but dated graphics and a small screen.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, but wired only on every grade.

No factory navigation on any grade; voice is basic Bluetooth/Siri Eyes Free, so owners rely on phone projection.

Base AM/FM audio is ordinary; the optional Bose Personal system with headrest speakers is class-exclusive but only in the SR Premium Package.

Analog speedometer with a 7-inch Advanced Drive-Assist Display on SV/SR; no full digital cluster.

OTA covers head-unit firmware over Wi-Fi only, and only as part of an SR option package.

NissanConnect Services (app remote lock/start) is available only in the SR Premium Package for 2023 — not standard on SV/SR until 2024; no digital key.

Three USB-A ports (one front, two rear charge-only) standard, one USB-C on higher grades, one 12V outlet; no wireless charging or AC outlet.

Intelligent Key with push-button start is standard; remote engine start on SV/SR; no hands-free liftgate or phone-as-key.

Rear camera and rear sonar standard; Intelligent Around View Monitor on SR.

No head-up display offered.

Tall roof and wide rear door openings make car seats easy to fit, with G+ LATCH, but tight rear legroom (33.4 in) squeezes rear-facing seats.

Safety Shield 360 (AEB with pedestrian detection, blind-spot, rear cross-traffic, rear auto braking) is standard on every trim, but crash results are middling: NHTSA 4 stars overall, and no lane-keeping.

Big cargo hold for the class helps, but a hard rear bench, no rear vents, and noisy highway cruising limit long family trips.

Light controls, good visibility and a smooth CVT make it easy in traffic; the 122-hp engine is sluggish merging.

33 MPG combined on regular fuel is class-leading for a non-hybrid SUV, with a low purchase price and cheap consumables.

Small footprint, 34.1-ft turning circle and good sightlines; around-view camera on SR.

No tow rating in the US and a weak 122-hp engine; only its cargo hold is useful for light errands.

Simple, proven 1.6L and FWD, but the CVT and budget interior aren't built for hard use.

Only roof rails (SV/SR) and a 12V outlet; no hitch, no onboard power, carpeted cargo floor.

Frugal on the highway but has a small 10.8-gal tank (about 356 mi range), lots of road noise, hard rear seats, and only adaptive cruise (SV/SR) with no lane-centering.

FWD only with modest ground clearance and no tow rating; roof rails allow a bike/cargo box but it's pavement-oriented.

Deep cargo hold (25.3/53.1 cu ft) for the class with a 60/40 fold, but seats don't fold flat, there's no underfloor bin or hitch.

Light and agile around town with reasonable body control, but noticeable lean in sharp turns and modest grip.

Responsive enough for an inexpensive car but light and short on feedback.

Adequate stopping power but a soft pedal; S has rear drums, SV/SR rear discs.

The CVT is smooth and avoids rubber-band feel in town, but the 122-hp 1.6L is slow when accelerating hard.

The engine gets loud under throttle, with CVT drone that doesn't match the acceleration.

Very tight turning circle, near the best in the SUV band.

Upright seating with good visibility and simple controls, but only a 6-way manual driver seat and the console armrest missing on the base S.

Nimble but underpowered and noisy — an appliance for getting around town.

Every grade, including the $20,440 S, gets Safety Shield 360: AEB with pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, lane departure warning, blind spot and rear cross-traffic warning, and high beam assist. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard. The volume SV adds Intelligent Cruise Control, remote start, alloys and an 8-inch screen, which is generous for the price.

A class-low price, strong safety content and 33 MPG combined make it a real bargain. But the 122 hp 1.6L/CVT is slow and AWD isn't offered at all, which limits capability per dollar against the Seltos, HR-V and Trailblazer.

There are just three trims (S, SV, SR) plus one SR Premium Package, one engine, one transmission and FWD only. It's a narrow, take-it-or-leave-it lineup next to rivals that offer AWD and a choice of engines.

US sales recovered to about 66,800 in 2023, up from about 54,900 in 2022 as inventory returned. That makes it a steady mid-pack subcompact SUV seller that still trails the HR-V, Trax and Seltos.

Nissan is a mainstream, non-aspirational brand. In this period its reputation was middling and slipping, which is a mild drag on residuals and satisfaction but not a severe one.

As inventory recovered through 2023, Nissan moved back toward real discounts and subsidized financing sooner than Toyota and Honda did, so buyers could commonly get below-sticker deals on the Kicks.

2023 is the sixth year of a generation that launched for MY2018. It's a carry-over from the MY2021 facelift, and an all-new second generation arrived for MY2025, so the car is aging and replacement is near.

Reviewers praise its value, fuel economy and standard safety kit but mark it down for weak acceleration, road noise and a basic interior. It's rarely the pick of subcompact SUV comparisons and won no major awards.