Compare the2025 Nissan Kicks PlayVS 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid

Safety
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Nissan Kicks Play 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 Corolla Cross Hybrid doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Kicks Play has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Corolla Cross Hybrid SE/XSE/Nightshade offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kicks Play has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Automatic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Corolla Cross Hybrid SE/XSE/Nightshade offers Rear Cross-Traffic Alert.

Both the Kicks Play and the Corolla Cross Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Kicks Play is safer than the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid:

	Kicks Play	Corolla Cross Hybrid
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	191	191
Neck Injury Risk	32%	33.6%
Neck Compression	27 lbs.	61 lbs.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Kicks Play is safer than the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid:

	Kicks Play	Corolla Cross Hybrid
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	218	239
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	32 G’s
Hip Force	535 lbs.	623 lbs.

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

Reliability

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

Brakes and Stopping

The Kicks Play SV/SR’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Corolla Cross Hybrid are solid, not vented.

The Kicks Play stops shorter than the Corolla Cross Hybrid:

	Kicks Play	Corolla Cross Hybrid
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Kicks Play’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s standard 65 series tires.

The Kicks Play 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 Corolla Cross Hybrid doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Kicks Play has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Corolla Cross Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The Kicks Play has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Corolla Cross Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kicks Play handles at .83 G’s, while the Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Kicks Play’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s (34.2 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

Chassis

The Nissan Kicks Play may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 pounds less than the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid.

The Kicks Play is 7.7 inches shorter than the Corolla Cross Hybrid, making the Kicks Play easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Kicks Play has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Corolla Cross Hybrid uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Passenger Space

The Kicks Play has 4.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Cross Hybrid (92.6 vs. 88.4).

The Kicks Play has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear legroom, 5.3 inches more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Cross Hybrid.

Cargo Capacity

The Kicks Play has a much larger cargo volume than the Corolla Cross Hybrid with its rear seat up (25.3 vs. 21.5 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The Kicks Play’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Corolla Cross Hybrid S’ standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Consumer Reports rated the Kicks Play’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Corolla Cross Hybrid’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Kicks Play has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Corolla Cross Hybrid has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the LE/XSE/Nightshade.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Kicks Play and the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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