Compare the2025 Nissan KicksVS 2025 Volkswagen Taos

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Kicks have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Volkswagen Taos doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Kicks are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Taos doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Kicks has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Taos doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Kicks SR offers an optional front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Taos doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

With its standard Autonomous Emergency Braking, the Nissan Kicks is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen Taos, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Kicks	Taos
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-9 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-14 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-14 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	-27 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Brights	2.4 sec	No Warning
37 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.3 sec	No Warning

The Kicks SR has a standard Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Taos only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Kicks’ driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Taos doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Kicks and the Taos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available all wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Kicks is safer than the Volkswagen Taos:

	Kicks	Taos
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	371 lbs.	394 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	206	393
Spine Acceleration	56 G’s	69 G’s
Hip Force	669 lbs.	673 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	12 inches
HIC	303	338
Hip Force	797 lbs.	939 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Kicks is safer than the Taos:

	Kicks	Taos
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	158	189
Neck Tension	268 lbs.	379 lbs.
Shoulder Deflection	1.02 in	1.57 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Pelvis Force	915 lbs.	1406 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	182	259
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.5 in	1.65 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.54 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	16 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	669 lbs.	781 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Kicks 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Taos. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Taos ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Kicks’ corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Taos’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 68 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kicks’ warranty.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Kicks’ engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Taos’ camshafts. If the Taos’ belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 75 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 68 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 6 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Kicks is faster than the Volkswagen Taos:

	Kicks	Taos
Zero to 60 MPH	8.7 sec	8.9 sec
Quarter Mile	16.6 sec	16.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85.8 MPH	85.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kicks AWD gets better fuel mileage than the Taos 4Motion® (27 city/34 hwy vs. 25 city/33 hwy).

The Kicks has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Taos doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

The Kicks has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Taos doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Kicks stops shorter than the Taos:

	Kicks	Taos
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	185 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

The Kicks has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Taos doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Kicks has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Kicks flat and controlled during cornering. The Taos 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Kicks SR AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Taos SEL pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Kicks has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Taos (8.4 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Kicks to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Nissan Kicks may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 pounds less than the Volkswagen Taos.

The Kicks is 4 inches shorter than the Taos, making the Kicks easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Kicks has 2.6 inches more front legroom and 4.7 inches more rear hip room than the Taos.

Cargo Capacity

The Kicks has a much larger cargo volume than the Taos with its rear seat up (30 vs. 27.9 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Kicks has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Taos only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Compared to traditional radio, the Nissan Kicks’ standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks. Satellite radio is only offered on the Taos SE/SEL.

Recommendations

The Nissan Kicks outsold the Volkswagen Taos by 18% during 2024.

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