The all-new 2018 Nissan Kicks, a more conventional replacement for the Juke in the US, earned a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
A vehicle must meet certain safety standards and ratings to win the award. The Kicks earned a “Good” rating in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side crash tests, as well as roof strength and head restraint tests. Vehicles must also have an optional front crash prevention system that earns a “Superior” or “Advanced” rating and available headlights that earn a "Good" or "Acceptable" rating.
The Kicks features a “Superior” front crash prevention system as standard. While the entry-level trim earned a "Poor" rating for its headlights, the optional headlights on the SR trim earned an "Acceptable" rating, which ultimately allowed the compact crossover to qualify for the award. However, the Kicks missed out on the Top Safety Pick Plus designation. If the Kicks had better available headlights, it would have qualified for the IIHS' highest award.
The only other compact crossover to receive the Top Safety Pick award for 2018 is the Mazda CX-3, while the Hyundai Kona outperforms the Kicks by earning the Top Safety Pick Plus award. This puts the Kicks in an elite group of compact crossovers with superb safety, besting others like the Toyota C-HR and Honda HR-V.
2018 Kia Rio a Top Safety Pick Plus due to its Headlights
2018 Mazda6 Gets Top Safety Pick Designation
2019 Mini Cooper Earns Top Safety Pick from IIHS
2018 Kia Niro Earns Top Safety Pick Plus Designation
2023 Honda Pilot Earns Highest-Possible Safety Award
