The 2027 Nissan Kicks earned a Top Safety Pick award from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) after completing a fresh series of evaluations. This recognition follows a series of upgrades aimed at boosting back-seat rider protection and enhancing the vehicle’s performance in the moderate-overlap front crash test.
IIHS records indicate that the Kicks initially received a Poor rating in the moderate-overlap front assessment following its 2025 redesign. After Nissan altered the rear seat-belt anchorage, the model’s score rose to Good, meeting the criteria for the Top Safety Pick designation. Only units produced after the June 2026 belt revision are eligible for the award.
Safety Ratings
The institute employs a four-tier scale, Good, Acceptable, Moderate, and Poor, to rate crash-test results. Good represents the highest possible outcome, while Acceptable follows, then Moderate, and finally Poor. A vehicle that achieves Good or Acceptable across all required tests may qualify for the Top Safety Pick+ badge, which signals superior overall protection.
Beyond the moderate-overlap front test, a candidate for the Plus designation must also secure a Good rating in pedestrian front crash prevention. Additionally, the model must earn an Acceptable or Good score in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation. Headlight performance must reach at least an Acceptable level as well.
Read Also: Audi F1 Team Prioritizes Fan Engagement Over Race Wins
Comparison to Other Small SUVs
During the same testing window, several small-SUV competitors failed to attain the Top Safety Pick award. The Toyota RAV4, for instance, posted an Acceptable rating in the moderate-overlap front test, while its plug-in hybrid variant received a Moderate rating. The luxury Audi Q3 also struggled, ending with a Poor rating in that particular assessment.
The 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer recorded Poor results not only in the moderate-overlap front crash test but also in headlight evaluations for certain trim levels and in vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention. Meanwhile, the 2027 Volkswagen Jetta sedan achieved an Acceptable rating in the moderate-overlap test but missed the Top Safety Pick award because its side-impact crash test was limited to an Acceptable score.
Improving the Kicks’ safety rating represents a notable accomplishment, especially given the difficulty of the moderate-overlap front test. That test replicates a head-on collision where only a portion of the vehicle’s front end strikes an obstacle, a scenario that has historically been hard for many models to pass.
