Nissan Kicks

Looking for an affordable ride for your teenage driver or college kid—without skipping on the newest safety tech? Nissan’s Kicks might be your answer: The base model starts at just under $18,000 yet includes automatic emergency braking—the single safety feature we think every buyer should demand. Our $20,290 test car had a suite of niceties, too, from a 360-degree camera view to Bose speakers in the headrests. On paper, the Kicks lags behind its competitors in power: The four-cylinder makes a paltry 125 horsepower, but coming off a stop, it feels sprightlier. That’s because the Kicks weighs nearly

300 pounds less than similar vehicles—a factor that helped us get 33 miles a gallon despite driving like a Monster Energy–swilling 17-year-old. Punch up the look by tweaking the colors for any of the 12 interior and exterior details.