Subcompact SUVs act as economical means of transportation and as gateways into a brand. Their low operating costs, easy driving manners, and practicality – they’re still SUVs, after all – make them a draw for many buyers.
The 2024 Hyundai Venue and 2024 Nissan Kicks are the smallest and least expensive SUVs in each brand’s lineup. They’re both front-wheel drive only (all-wheel drive isn’t an option on either). They have small but efficient 1.6-liter 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.
2024 Hyundai Venue
The Venue is one of the most inexpensive SUVs you can buy and operate. It begins at just $21,275, including the destination fee. And thanks to low fuel, maintenance, and insurance costs, the Venue tops our list of Lowest 5-Year Cost to Own SUVs. Hyundai offers the Venue in three trims – SE, SEL, and Limited – and all 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 10 years/100,000 miles. Nissan can’t touch that.
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 at just $24,525.
Fun colors: The Venue is an adorable little SUV available in festive colors like Green Apple or Intense Blue. The Limited trim can wear a two-tone treatment with a black roof/white body or white roof/blue 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.
2024 Nissan Kicks
The Nissan Kicks subcompact SUV packs a lot of personality and value in its small footprint. It also uses a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine and has exactly one more horsepower than the Venue – 122 hp here. But the Kicks is even more efficient, earning an EPA-rated 33 mpg combined, 2 mpg more than the Hyundai. The Kicks is also available in three trims – S, SV, and SR – with a starting price of $22,730, including the destination fee. An all-new 2025 Kicks is just around the corner.
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.
Bose Personal Plus Audio System: This optional audio system is nifty in that it has speakers built into the driver’s headrest, 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 both powered by the same size engine and are within a single horsepower of each other, each boasts impressive fuel economy numbers, low starting prices, and each can even be had with two-tone paint schemes. They are also both front-wheel drive only.
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.
| 2024 Nissan Kicks | 2024 Hyundai Venue | |
| Starting Price | $22,730 | $21,275 |
| Popular Powertrains | ||
| Engine | 1.6-liter 4-cylinder | 1.6-liter 4-cylinder |
| Horsepower | 122 hp @ 6,300 rpm | 121 hp @ 6,300 rpm |
| Torque | 114 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm | 113 lb-ft @ 4,500 rpm |
| Transmission | CVT | CVT |
| Fuel economy MPG | 31 city/36 highway/33 combined | 29 city/33 highway/31 combined |
| Also Available | N/A | N/A |
| Specs | ||
| Basic Warranty | 3 years/36,000 miles | 5 years/60,000 miles |
| Powertrain Warranty | 5 years/60,000 miles | 10 years/100,000 miles |
| NHTSA Overall Safety | 4-Star | 4-Star |
| Max Seating Capacity | 5 | 5 |
| Wheelbase | 103.1 inches | 99.2 inches |
| Overall Length | 169.6 inches | 159.1 inches |
| Width | 69.3 inches | 69.7 inches |
| Height | 63.3 inches | 61.6 inches |
| Turning Diameter | 34.1 feet | 33.4 feet |
| Headroom, Front | 40.4 inches | 39.4 inches |
| Headroom, Rear | 38.5 inches | 38.6 inches |
| Legroom, Front | 43.7 inches | 41.3 inches |
| Legroom, Rear | 33.5 inches | 34.3 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Front | 53.0 inches | 53.9 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Rear | 53.2 inches | 53.7 inches |
| Cargo Volume | 25.3 cubic feet | 18.7 cubic feet |