Compare the2026 Nissan KicksVS 2025 Dodge Hornet

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 Dodge Hornet 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 Hornet 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 Hornet doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 Hornet doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Kicks and the Hornet have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Kicks’ reliability 39 points higher than the Hornet.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Dodge is ranked 7th.

On the EPA test cycle the Kicks gets better mileage than the Hornet running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Kicks uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Hornet requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Kicks higher (7 out of 10) than the Dodge Hornet (5 to 6). This means the Kicks produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Hornet every 15,000 miles.

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 Hornet doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Kicks stops shorter than the Hornet:

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 Hornet doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Kicks has engine 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 Hornet doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Kicks’ wheelbase is .8 inches longer than on the Hornet (104.6 inches vs. 103.8 inches). The Kicks AWD’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the Hornet (104.9 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

The Kicks SR AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Hornet GT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Kicks’ turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Hornet R/T’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The Kicks’ turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Hornet GT’s (34.8 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Kicks has a 2.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Hornet R/T (8.4 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the Kicks to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Kicks’ minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the Hornet GT (8.4 vs. 8 inches).

The Nissan Kicks may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 to 900 pounds less than the Dodge Hornet.

The Kicks is 6.1 inches shorter than the Hornet, making the Kicks easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Kicks SR AWD is quieter than the Hornet GT (39 vs. 42 dB).

The Kicks has .9 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom and .3 inches more rear headroom than the Hornet.

The front step up height for the Kicks is 1.4 inches lower than the Hornet (18.4” vs. 19.8”). The Kicks’ rear step up height is .7 inches lower than the Hornet’s (19” vs. 19.7”).

The Kicks has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Hornet with its rear seat up (30 vs. 27 cubic feet). The Kicks has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Hornet with its rear seat folded (60 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Kicks easier. The Kicks’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.9 inches, while the Hornet’s liftover is 31.8 inches.

The Kicks’ cargo area is larger than the Hornet’s in every dimension:

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 Hornet only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Kicks is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Hornet doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Kicks, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Dodge Hornet isn't recommended.

The Nissan Kicks outsold the Dodge Hornet by over 11 to one during 2025.