2026-27 Nissan Kicks earns IIHS Top Safety Pick after Nissan's rear seat belt fix
The 2026-27 Nissan Kicks has won an IIHS Top Safety Pick award, but only vehicles built after June 2026 qualify, when Nissan changed the rear seat belts.
- 5
- 6
- June 2026
- 2024
What Happened
The 2026-27 Nissan Kicks has earned a Top Safety Pick award in the latest round of ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, credited to improved backseat safety. The Kicks was redesigned for the 2025 model year and initially earned a poor rating in the moderate overlap front test, which emphasizes protection for second-row passengers. Only vehicles built after June 2026, when Nissan made changes to the rear seat belts, qualify for Top Safety Pick; those models earn a good rating in the moderate overlap test. IIHS rates vehicles on a four-point scale of Good, Acceptable, Marginal and Poor.
- Good ratings in the moderate overlap front, small overlap front and side crash tests
- Acceptable- or good-rated headlights across all trim levels
- For Top Safety Pick, an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention test
- For Top Safety Pick+, a good rating in the pedestrian test plus an acceptable or good rating in the updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation introduced in 2024
- Qualifying front crash prevention systems must be standard equipment for either award
- Poor
- Good
IIHS introduces its updated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluation
The Nissan Kicks is redesigned
Nissan makes changes to the rear seat belts; vehicles built after this point earn a good moderate overlap front rating
IIHS announces the Kicks has earned Top Safety Pick
Two additional IIHS evaluations, seat belt reminders and LATCH ease of use, are not part of the award criteria but are included in the ratings table. IIHS notes that consumers may wish to factor them into their purchase decisions. The latest round of ratings covers six recently tested vehicles in total: the Kicks plus five other models that do not qualify for either IIHS award.
Previously from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Earlier in 2026, IIHS named four 2026 models — the Audi A6, BMW X1, Mazda CX-5 and Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid — as Top Safety Pick+ winners in its latest crash and safety ratings. Those awards came from the same institute that now rates the Kicks, illustrating how the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ tiers are awarded across models.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's official releases.
Why this matters
The award matters to shoppers because the Kicks was redesigned for the 2025 model year and initially scored poor in the backseat-focused moderate overlap front test. Only Kicks built after June 2026, when Nissan changed the rear seat belts, now earn the good rating needed to qualify. Buyers considering a new or in-stock Kicks should check the build date, since earlier vehicles fall short of the award.
Terms in This Story
- Top Safety Pick
- An annual award the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gives to vehicles that meet specified thresholds in its crash tests and in its ratings for headlights and front crash prevention.
- Moderate overlap front test
- A crash test in which part of a vehicle's front end strikes a barrier, used to measure how well the structure and restraints protect occupants, including those in the second row.
- Front crash prevention
- Systems that can detect a potential collision ahead and automatically brake or warn the driver; IIHS rates them separately for pedestrian and vehicle-to-vehicle scenarios.
- LATCH
- A standardized system of anchors and tethers built into vehicles for attaching child safety seats, which IIHS evaluates for ease of use.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.