Fulfilling the dual role of providing economical transportation and a gateway to a brand, subcompact SUVs offer low operating costs, easy driving manners, and practicality. Moreover, despite their tidy size, they’re still SUVs, making them a popular choice among younger and budget-conscious buyers.
The 2025 Hyundai Venue and 2025 Nissan Kicks are the smallest and least expensive SUVs in each brand’s lineup. They’re both are front-wheel drive (FWD); although, the Kicks does offer all-wheel drive (AWD) as an option. They have small but efficient 4-cylinder engines, and each has a similar continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).
But for all their similarities, the Venue and the Kicks bring unique traits to the table. Let’s compare them.
2025 Hyundai Venue
The Venue is one of the most inexpensive SUVs you can buy and operate. It begins at just $21,395, including the factory-to-dealer destination fee. And thanks to low fuel, maintenance, and insurance costs, the Venue tops our most recent list of Lowest 5-Year Cost to Own SUVs. Hyundai offers the Venue in three trims: SE, SEL, and Limited, all of which use a 121-horsepower 4-cylinder engine powering the front wheels. This power rating won’t take your breath away, but it’s enough to propel the Venue in a sprightly manner. It holds its own both around town and on longer highway treks.
Hyundai Venue Highlights
Warranty: We can’t talk about Hyundai without talking warranty. Every new Hyundai is backed by a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty and powertrain coverage that lasts for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Nissan doesn’t come close.
Surprising amenities: We didn’t expect to find heated seats, a wireless phone charger, blind-spot monitoring, and built-in navigation in the last Venue we tested. But there they were in the top-line Limited model, which still starts below $25,000.
Fun colors: The Venue is an adorable little SUV available in festive colors like Mirage Green or Intense Blue. The Limited trim can wear a two-tone treatment with a black roof/white or gray body, or white roof/Denim body. Bonus: None of the paint options involves an additional charge.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Venue models near you.
2025 Nissan Kicks
Redesigned for 2025, the Nissan Kicks subcompact SUV packs a lot of personality and value in its small footprint. It uses a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and has exactly 20 more horsepower than the Venue for a total of 141 hp. Yet, the Kicks is as efficient, earning an EPA-rated 31 mpg combined. Like the Venue, the Kicks is also available in three trims – S, SV, and SR – with a starting price of $22,220, including the destination fee.
Nissan Kicks Highlights
Driver assistance features: All Kicks models come with both front and rear automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control – not offered at all on the Venue – is standard on the two upper trims. Nissan’s semi-autonomous ProPilot Assist is standard on the top SR trim.
Bose Personal Plus Audio System: This optional 10-speaker audio system is nifty in that it has speakers built into the front-seat headrests, delivering a personal listening experience. We enjoyed it when we first tested it, and remain impressed by it to this day.
Surround-view camera: Another unexpected feature for this price point, and one not offered in the Venue, this feature stitches multiple camera feeds into one simulated overhead view — a very handy feature for parking in tight spaces and other challenging low-speed maneuvers.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Kicks models near you.
Similarities
The Hyundai Venue and Nissan Kicks are powered by 4-cylinder engines and deliver 31 mpg in combined driving. Although the Kicks starts at roughly $1,000 more than the Venue, both boast low starting prices. Moreover, each can be had with two-tone paint schemes.
Conclusion
With all these similarities, it’s little wonder that this is a close match. If rock-bottom pricing, low operating costs, and the assurance of a warranty that lasts up to 10 years for the powertrain is the priority, look no further than the Hyundai Venue. The Nissan Kicks, meanwhile, offers more advanced tech and driver assistance features, plus has a larger cargo area and more rear-seat room. Calculate your budget, consider your needs, and then test-drive them both to see which of these small but mighty contenders is the better fit for you.
2025 Hyundai Venue | 2025 Nissan Kicks | |
Starting Price | $21,295 | $22,220 |
Popular Powertrains | ||
Engine | 1.6-liter 4-cylinder | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder |
Horsepower | 121 hp @ 6,300 rpm | 141 hp @ 6,300 rpm |
Torque | 113 lb-ft @ 4,500 rpm | 140 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm |
Transmission | CVT | CVT |
Fuel economy MPG | 29 city/33 highway/31 combined | 28 city/35 highway/31 combined |
Also Available | N/A | N/A |
Specs | ||
Basic Warranty | 5 years/60,000 miles | 3 years/36,000 miles |
Powertrain Warranty | 10 years/100,000 miles | 5 years/60,000 miles |
NHTSA Overall Safety | 4-Star | Not rated |
Max Seating Capacity | 5 | 5 |
Wheelbase | 99.2 inches | 104.6 inches |
Overall Length | 159.1 inches | 171.9 inches |
Width | 69.7 inches | 70.9 inches |
Height | 61.6 inches | 64.2 inches |
Turning Diameter | 33.4 feet | 34.1 feet |
Headroom, Front | 39.4 inches | 39.7 inches |
Headroom, Rear | 38.6 inches | 38.5 inches |
Legroom, Front | 41.3 inches | 42.7 inches |
Legroom, Rear | 34.3 inches | 34.5 inches |
Shoulder Room, Front | 53.9 inches | 54.7 inches |
Shoulder Room, Rear | 53.7 inches | 54.7 inches |
Cargo Volume | 18.7 cubic feet | 30.3 cubic feet |