Used car safety, rank #181 of 188
Nissan Kicks Safety Rating (2020-23)
Real IIHS driver death rates for the 2020-23 Nissan Kicks, a small car, compared with its class and with the current model.
IIHS 2026 edition Β· 2021β2024 crashes. Results apply only to the model years and drivetrain shown. Read the new release and its limits Β· Browse the older edition. Prices and reliability from older model years have not been carried forward.
The 2020-23 Nissan Kicks has an IIHS driver death rate of 86 per million registered vehicle years against a small cars average of 79, which is 9% above the class average. That places it #181 of 188 used vehicles with a safety score of 8.4/100.
What the Nissan Kicks death rate means
At 86 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, the Nissan Kicks is 9% worse than the small cars average of 79. The 95% confidence interval is 57 to 114, which overlaps the class average, so some of the gap may be chance.
The other-driver death rate of 42 measures the opposite risk: how many drivers of other vehicles died in crashes with a Nissan Kicks. Its 95% confidence interval is 24β61. It is no higher than the Nissan Kicks's own driver death rate. Remember that death rates describe vehicles and their drivers together: IIHS adjusts for driver age and gender, but not for where or how carefully people drive. Our score weights this model's own rate at 70% and its class at 30%; see how we rank used cars.
Compared with similar used cars
The safest small cars in the IIHS study, by our score, with the Nissan Kicks highlighted. It ranks 9 of the 9 shown; the class leader is the Honda Civic hatchback at a death rate of 28.
| Vehicle | Years | Death rate | Score | Reliability | Used price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Civic hatchback | 2022-23 | 28 (3 to 52) | 36.5 | n/a | n/a |
| Mazda 3 2WD | 2020-23 | 46 (5 to 87) | 19.6 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Corolla hatchback | 2020-23 | 51 (9 to 93) | 17.4 | n/a | n/a |
| Subaru WRX | 2022-23 | 51 (25 to 76) | 17.4 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Corolla hybrid 2WD | 2020-23 | 51 (24 to 79) | 17.4 | n/a | n/a |
| Honda Civic | 2022-23 | 58 (33 to 83) | 14.0 | n/a | n/a |
| Toyota Corolla | 2020-23 | 71 (59 to 84) | 11.4 | n/a | n/a |
| Hyundai Elantra | 2021-23 | 80 (52 to 107) | 10.6 | n/a | n/a |
| Nissan Kicks (this page) | 2020-23 | 86 (57 to 114) | 8.4 | n/a | n/a |
Class average for small cars: 79 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
The new Nissan Kicks
Death rates lag the market by several years. For the current Nissan Kicks we score IIHS crash tests instead; here is how the latest model years rate on our new-car scale.
| Model year | Model | IIHS award | New-car score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Nissan Kicks | No award | 75.7 |
New-car scores use a different scale (crash tests, not death rates) and are not directly comparable with the 8.4 used-car score above.
Safety recalls for the Nissan Kicks
A recall is a defect the manufacturer must repair free of charge, however old the car and whoever owns it now. On a used car this matters more than on a new one: the work is only done if a previous owner took it in.
1 recall campaign on the 2023 model year, covering air bags.
-
Air bags: frontal, driver side, inflator module
Risk: An air bag that deploys improperly may not protect the driver as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front driver's air bag assembly, free of charge.
Recall campaigns from the NHTSA recalls database, retrieved 2026-09-16. A campaign covers a range of build dates, not every car of the model year, and IIHS reports this nameplate across several years while these results are for 2023. Confirm against the VIN. Recalls do not affect the death rate on this page.
Nissan Kicks: Common Questions
Is the Nissan Kicks a safe car?
Not on this measure: its drivers died at a higher rate than its class average. IIHS recorded a driver death rate of 86 per million registered vehicle years for the 2020-23 Nissan Kicks, 9% above the class average (79 for small cars). That earns a used-car safety score of 8.4 out of 100 and rank #181 of 188 used vehicles.
What is the Nissan Kicks driver death rate?
86 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, with a 95% confidence interval of 57 to 114. Drivers of other vehicles that collided with a Nissan Kicks died at a rate of 42 per million. Source: IIHS driver death rates by make and model, covering 2020-23 models.
How does the Nissan Kicks compare with other small cars?
The small cars class averages 79 driver deaths per million; the Nissan Kicks sits at 86. Among the 9 small cars compared above it ranks 9 by safety score; the top of that group is the Honda Civic hatchback with a death rate of 28.