2025 Chevy Trax vs 2025 Nissan Kicks
In the competitive realm of subcompact SUVs, rivals like the 2025 Chevy Trax vs 2025 Nissan Kicks showcase how automakers are determined to give drivers affordable, practical options. The Trax and Kicks offer modern styling, advanced technologies, and efficient performance, each using its smaller footprint advantageously to showcase its agility and maneuverability in the urban landscape.
Yet, even with the Trax and Kicks sharing the same segment, there’s only room for one in the winner’s circle. Comparing their features and real-world performance reveals how Chevrolet goes above and beyond to provide drivers with more value for their money.
With its peppy turbocharged engine, spacious interior, advanced safety suite, and unbeatable value, the 2025 Trax delivers a well-rounded experience that punches above its price point. It’s value-rich and ensures drivers don’t have to compromise. That said, the 2025 Kicks boasts a fresh redesign, but falls short in areas that matter most—performance, refinement, and value.
As your trusted Chevrolet dealer, we’re here with the details. Let’s break down the differences to see how the 2025 Trax takes the crown as the small but mighty subcompact of choice.
| 2025 Chevy Trax | vs | 2025 Nissan Kicks |
| $20,500[a] | MSRP | $21,830 |
| 162 lb-ft | Torque | 140 lb-ft |
| 8 in | Screen Size | 7 in |
| 5 | Trims | 3 |
Trim Levels
One of the first things buyers notice, and rightly so, is sticker price. The 2025 Chevy Trax instantly takes the lead as the more affordable option, with the 2025 Trax LS starting at $20,500.[a] Nissan forces drivers to spend more, with the 2025 Trax S priced at $21,830. But does that higher price tag mean you’re getting more for your money?
Starting Outfits
The 2025 Kicks S has a higher starting price, but that doesn’t translate to more features or a better deal. Why? Comparing the entry-level trims paints a better picture of how the Chevrolet Trax offers tangible value without requiring you to spend more of your hard-earned money.
The 2025 Kick S is a front-wheel-drive SUV with a 2.0L four-cylinder engine under its hood. Nissan pairs the four-cylinder engine with a continuously variable transmission and adds Intelligent Cruise Control and Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection to its driver assistance suite. Beyond this, the base trim is sparsely equipped with a modest seven-inch touchscreen.
Chevrolet exceeds expectations by proving that everything is essential with the entry-level 2025 Trax LS. Despite being a base trim, the Trax LS exceeds expectations in every way imaginable.
Sitting on 17-inch steel wheels, the Trax LS doesn’t look like an entry-level trim. Chevrolet guarantees as much inside, incorporating Active Noise Cancellation throughout the LS’s interior for an impeccably quiet ride. The entry-level trim also features the full Chevy Safety Assist suite of driver assistance technologies and an expansive eight-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Overall Lineups
The 2025 Kicks has a higher starting price than the 2025 Trax, and that theme continues across its three-trim lineup. Nissan doesn’t offer drivers many choices with the Kicks’s trims, each marginally different from the other despite significant price increases.
The 2025 Kicks SV is a mid-tier trim differentiated by the addition of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—a standard feature on the entry-level Trax LS. The top-tier Kicks SR adds LED headlights and running lights, ProPILOT Assist, and 19-inch machine-finished aluminum alloy wheels. However, these upgrades don’t account for its significantly higher price tag, at least not when compared to the more affordable Trax.
The 2025 Trax has a five-trim lineup, all more affordable than its Nissan rival. More importantly, each trim is styled to offer distinct appeal. For example, the 2025 Trax 1RS and 2RS are sporty with their unique grilles, red interior accents, and black bowtie emblems. The Trax LT blends capability and comfort with its expansive digital landscape, automatic climate control, and remote start. These features make their way to the top-tier ACTIV, instantly recognizable by its blacked-out grille and exclusive interior accents that leave no question about its adventurous spirit.
Performance
As subcompact SUVs, the 2025 Trax and 2025 Kicks are agile and efficient. Their smaller footprints make them perfect for navigating urban landscapes, whether maneuvering into a parallel parking space downtown or through a congested parking lot. Yet, Chevrolet’s engineering expertise shines in the 2025 Trax, which delivers power and performance where it matters most.
Powertrain Options
The 2025 Kicks rolls off Nissan’s production line with a 2.0L four-cylinder engine that produces 141 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque. The output is enough to make the Kicks agile, leaving its continuously variable transmission to prioritize efficiency. This approach seems advantageous until you compare it with the 2025 Trax.
The 2025 Trax has a turbocharged edge, thanks to the 1.2L EcoTec turbocharged inline-three under its hood. The engine produces 137 hp and an impressive 162 lb-ft of torque, offering more low-end power than the Kicks at a much more affordable and value-rich price point. Yet, the advantages don’t end there.
Continuously variable transmissions are well-known for being efficient, but they’re also more complex, more prone to issues, and costly to repair. Chevrolet’s commitment to performance shines, considering the Trax’s turbocharged inline-three is paired with a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic transmission. The difference is noticeable, especially with the Trax’s higher torque output, making it more responsive and engaging at any speed.
Fuel Efficiency
Subcompact SUVs are remarkably efficient and agile, but some are more so than others. Nissan’s reliance on a continuously variable transmission for the 2025 Kicks implies that the SUV is more efficient than its Chevrolet rival. But what do the EPA ratings show?
The 2025 Kicks with front-wheel drive averages an EPA-estimated 28 MPG in the city and 35 MPG on the highway. The 2025 Trax with the more reliable automatic transmission has the same in-city average, of an EPA-estimated 28 MPG, while averaging an EPA-estimated 32 MPG on the highway. The difference is slight, but the expense associated with repairing a CVT gives the Trax the overall advantage.
Accommodations
The 2025 Chevy Trax and 2025 Nissan Kicks are expertly designed to offer plenty of comfort as you navigate the road. With surprisingly spacious cabins, the Trax and Kicks are versatile and adaptable to your needs. Whether you’re navigating your weekday commute, running errands around town, or venturing beyond the city limits, the Trax and Kicks are functional and feature-rich.
Interior Design
The 2025 Kicks is sporty, and its interior reflects as much. However, drivers have often complained that the Kicks feels cramped inside, which Nissan attempted to resolve in 2025. Despite the Kicks boasting more headroom and legroom across its two-row layout, it’s still not as spacious or accommodating as the 2025 Trax. Chevrolet doesn’t treat the Trax’s backseat like an afterthought, with the subcompact offering more legroom than its Nissan rival.
Chevrolet’s keen attention to drivers’ needs is also apparent throughout the 2025 Trax’s cabin, especially with its larger standard touchscreen and more intuitive technologies. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the lineup, with the option to add a wireless charging pad and a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot that transforms the Trax into a mobile office or entertainment venue. The Trax expertly blends connectivity and entertainment features with premium design details that maximize your comfort and improve your experience on the road.
Nissan attempts the same with the 2025 Kicks, but at your expense. For example, you’ll have to spend more on a mid- or top-tier Kicks trim if you want seamless connectivity and premium seating materials. That expense skyrockets the Kicks’s already higher price tag.
Driver Assistance
Chevrolet and Nissan prioritize driver safety, and it shows in the 2025 Trax and 2025 Kicks. Both subcompact SUVs are equipped with a standard suite of driver assistance tech that enhances your situational awareness and mitigates the potential for collisions. The Kicks has Nissan Safety Shield 360, and the Trax has Chevy Safety Assist.
Nissan Safety Shield 360 equips the 2025 Kicks with Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Rear Automatic Braking, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, High Beam Assist, and Lane Departure Warning. Chevy Safety Assist is comparable, equipping the 2025 Trax with Forward Collision Alert and Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, a Following Distance Indicator, and IntelliBeam high beams.
The 2025 Trax gains the advantage due to its more affordable price tag and extended lineup of standard tech. In addition to Chevy Safety Assist, the 2025 Trax also features a Rear Vision Camera, Rear Seat Reminder, and Chevrolet’s exclusive Teen Driver tool. Depending on trim and package, drivers also benefit from enhanced visibility via Rear Park Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, advanced cruising with Adaptive Cruise Control, and peace of mind with OnStar Safety & Security.
Visit Us for a Trax of Your Own
How much do you value your hard-earned money? Chevrolet set out to build automobiles for every purse and purpose when it opened its doors in the early 1900s. Today, models like the 2025 Trax continue that legacy, outshining rivals like the 2025 Nissan Kicks by offering far more for your money.
McCluskey Chevrolet is excited to share that legacy with you as your trusted Chevy dealer. Our inventory is home to the latest from Chevrolet, including the entire 2025 Trax lineup. You’re also guaranteed a world-class dealership experience that’s worthy of your time and trust. It’s how buying a new Chevrolet should be: exciting, rewarding, transparent, and hassle-free.
So, which 2025 Trax will you add to your garage? The opportunity is exciting because it means joining an automotive legacy that’s shaped the American landscape for over a century. It also means working with a team dedicated to handling all your automotive needs, from our showroom floor to our state-of-the-art service center.
