Why buy the new Nissan Kicks…when you can buy the old one?
As new cars get more and more expensive across the board, the subcompact crossover class is one of the areas where you can still find an objectively affordable car. Take the 2025 Nissan Kicks, which is a major update from the model we first saw back in 2018 — and you can get it with all-wheel drive. But if you don’t want that, for some reason, or you just want a (slightly) more affordable version, Nissan announced it would continue to sell the old Kicks as well.
Confused? Well, this isn’t an entirely unprecedented move. Nissan sold the original Rogue crossover as the “Rogue Select”, even as it rolled out a new one, and you could still buy the Rogue Sport (sold as the “Qashqai” overseas), even as the automaker launched the third-generation Rogue in 2020. The best example, of course, is Ram’s decision to sell the “Ram 1500 Classic” truck, rooted way back in 2009, for five years alongside the current-generation truck, with the old truck finally meeting its end this year. Now, we have this: the 2025 Nissan Kicks Play.
Why call it the Kicks “Play”? That’s a mystery, as Nissan’s explanation for this model is strictly that it “offers customers an additional entry to the CUV market that suits their needs.” Mind you, this is eventually going to sit at a Nissan dealer, right next to the brand-new one..which you can buy or order in a base S trim, with front-wheel drive…just like this Kicks Play.
But you have to be saving a ton of cash, right?
When the 2025 Nissan Kicks — which apart from the name, is an identical carryover from the 2024 model — you’ll spend $22,910 including destination fees. In other words, you’re saving exactly $310 from the new 2025 Nissan Kicks S FWD.
The 2025 Nissan Kicks Play does bring a decent amount of standard equipment to the table, even though it is based on the entry-level S model. You do get a 7-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, which the new Kicks crucially does not have in its base trim. The Kicks Play also offers up three USB ports, Nissan Safety Shield 360 and a 60/40 split-fold rear seat. You also get better fuel economy compared to the new (and larger, more powerful) Kicks, as this new-but-old model manages 31/36/33 City/Highway/Combined mpg.
The new front-wheel drive Kicks, by comparison, manages 28/35/31 City/Highway/Combined mpg. However, you get a more potent 141-horsepower engine (versus 122 hp for the Kicks Play) and a larger 11.9-gallon fuel tank. Regardless of which car you pick, Nissan also throws in three free oil changes in the first two years or 24,000 miles after you buy it.
Would you save the money and buy the 2025 Nissan Kicks Play?
On the whole, more choice in any new car segment is a good thing, since there are a wide range of buyers with different needs out there. And I do want to be clear that some people absolutely need to stick to as low a budget as possible, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. If the Kicks Play fits the bill for what you want and can afford and you like the fuel mileage, then the option is here for you.
At that small a price gap, though…is it worth it to go for the “old” car? Maybe not, unless Nissan dealers offer some money on the hood to really make this car cheaper than the new Kicks. At $310 lower — or 1.3%, roughly one month’s car payment — it’s not as enticing as, say, picking one up for a cool $21,000 or even $22,000. Still, this car does technically give Nissan a lower entry-level price point to tout in its marketing, as it’s around the same price as a Chevrolet Trax and way cheaper than a Toyota Corolla Cross or Honda HR-V.
