How is it in 2026? We revisit the Nissan Kicks e-POWER after more than 3 years on the market

Electrified vehicles are now the norm. From simple and barely electrified mild-hybrids, to the mainstream hybrids, fairly popular plug-in hybrids, and of course battery electric vehicles (BEV), nearly every automotive brand has their fighter, and the number of options is expanding faster than ever.

Nissan Philippines (NPI) was one of the first in our market to introduce such a type of vehicle in the form of the Kicks e-Power back in 2022. In fact, I was one of the first motoring journalists in the Philippines to experience it, camouflage and all, together with our now Associate Editor Sam Surla who was then working as managing editor of another publication. 

The subcompact crossover has had some ups and downs in our market, from its initial high sales numbers which made it a bestseller, to aircon problems that I myself experienced in one of Nissan’s media testers, and some examples receiving some rather serious battery issues.

Most recently, it was reclassified as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) from a battery electric vehicle (BEV), by the Department of Energy (DOE). Its previous classification was rather controversial given that the Kicks e-Power still has a fuel tank that requires to be filled-up in a gas station regularly.

But let’s get to why we’re talking about this, shall we?

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to test out the Kicks e-Power for a whole week once again, and having tested out multiple hybrid and full electric vehicles from other automakers, we were curious how the Kicks e-Power still stacks up against them.

Now, do note that everything with this subcompact crossover remains exactly the same as when it first came out in our market, whether we’re talking about design, features, and its powertrain.

Let’s start with the design.

If you ask me, the Kicks e-Power has aged quite well, at least on the outside. It still wears Nissan’s signature V-Motion front grille and wraparound multi-reflector headlights that give it a sleek appearance up front. 

Its side profile still looks a bit blob-like, but that’s lessened by the black roof on this VL which also contrasts nicely from the Pearl White paint job. It still rides on the same 17-inch two-tone alloy wheels from the pre-facelift Leaf, and the taillights still feature the same arrow light signature, looking like this: >—<. 

Where it didn’t age so well is inside. Sure, we still have those very comfortable Zero Gravity seats which provide plenty of support even on longer drives, and still look fairly modern, plus the leather upholstery which I really like, but it’s the dashboard that’s not keeping up.

The very simple dash layout could be liked by some, and the infotainment screen is integrated into the center stack instead of the usual tablet-like designs these days, but then the overall look just screams old. Thankfully, materials are good with soft touch leather surfaces, and hard touch plastic surfaces don’t feel cheap.

And speaking of that infotainment system, it’s an eight-inch touchscreen unit that uses the NissanConnect user interface. This is in dire need of an update as despite it being easy to use, it’s slow and has a huge amount of lag. At least using the wired-only Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will fix that problem.

We all know the Kicks e-Power is smaller than its rivals, but space still won’t be an issue here especially if you’re like me who stands at 5 feet and 7 inches of height. There’s decent room in the backseats, very comfortable for two people. It’ll be a squeeze for three, but having a smaller person on the middle seat won’t hurt. Cargo space is also decent, enough to fit a large piece of luggage and two small ones all together as I tested way back.

As for toys, the driver gets a half-digital instrument cluster, combining an analog speedometer and a seven-inch digital display. This is also getting old, but still remains a good implementation of combined displays. I also appreciate the presence of the old school analog speedometer as modern fully digital screens are starting to get boring, at least for me.

Front occupants get USB Type A and Type C charging ports, while those at the back get two of the former. No wireless charger, rear climate vents, and rear center armrest here. 

And again like other features, its powertrain remains the same. It still gets a 1.2-liter three-cylinder naturally-aspirated engine (HR12DE) that on its own produces 79 horsepower and 103Nm of torque. That doesn’t really matter as it purely acts as a generator to the electric motor (EM47) and 2.13kWh lithium-ion battery. Combined, the entire system produces 136 horsepower and a healthy 280Nm of torque, mated to a single-speed transmission. 

I still wouldn’t call it a pure BEV as Nissan’s local marketing team put it before as a 41L fuel tank still exists and requires to be filled up at a gas station. There’s no option to replenish its charge through home charging or public charging stations either. That’s also why it’s no surprise that it received the aforementioned reclassification from the DOE.

But let’s not fret as the driving experience is actually where the Kicks e-Power continues to shine.

It won’t wow you with lots of power and torque (leave that to BEVs), but it’s really all you need in a small crossover designed for the city. Power comes in smoothly, and will all be there for you. Push it harder and you get treated to the engine going for the higher RPMs and sounding like a larger V6 engine.

In addition, we got to sit down with Hiroshi Tamura, known as the father of the modern NIssan GT-R, at the Nissan Fest in February. He gave this interesting anecdote about how the engineers have essentially tuned the acceleration curve of the e-Power system to mimic that of the Nissan GT-R—a build-up and a peak that peters off similar to the power curve of the GT-R’s engine, allowing the driving experience to feel more engaging and familiar compared to having all the torque at the moment you press the accelerator. This won’t matter for most buyers, but it will prove useful to those who want a little more zing.

Switching the drive mode to either Eco or Sport will give you Nissan’s e-Pedal Step functionality. This allows for an almost completely one pedal driving experience, mostly requiring use of the brake pedal only when coming to a stop. Steering feel? It’s light but does have a bit of heft in it, giving you the impression of feedback. 

Handling is also aided by the battery placement below the floor, bringing its center of gravity down and providing a more planted feel. Further helping out is its firm suspension which is still able to nicely smoothen out most road imperfections. It’s none of those soft bouncy nauseating experiences that you get from other newer offerings on the market.

Advanced driver-assist systems under the Nissan Intelligent Mobility (NIM) suite are almost non-existent here, only featuring autonomous emergency braking and forward collision warning. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. Many buyers will not want to have these at all, so it’s actually fine that this is still not fully specced in that regard, but to fully catch up, perhaps it’s time to offer a little bit more.

So we’ve talked about how the exterior has aged well, and the interior not so well, and how it still shines when it comes to how it drives. But how exactly is this particular media tester holding up after more than 40,000km (high for media units) and more than three years of heavy media abuse testing?

Pretty good actually. The interior is holding up really well with not much wear on the leather seats, and there are no unnecessary rattles in the cabin. The driver’s side mirror was noticeably shaking while going at highway speeds, and the horn now sounds more tinny than a motorcycle’s horn, probably needing a replacement already. Other than that, this example shows that buyers will not need to worry much about how their Nissan Kicks e-Power will be holding up after a few years of ownership.

As for fuel economy, we’re still able to achieve 20km/l in mixed driving. This could still be better as I did notice that the engine was running more than needed, pointing at the possibility of battery degradation, something you can expect from hybrids and BEVs after a few years.

Now, I’ve told you how much the Nissan Kicks e-Power has generally remained the same since its launch, but there is something different—the price. The top-spec VL variant now goes for Php 1,479,000, Php 30,000 lower than its initial launch price of Php 1,509,000 in 2022, and Php 60,000 lower than its 2024 retail price of Php 1,539,000, all thanks to the reduction of import duties for electrified vehicles.

At that price, is it still worth choosing over other newer and more modern options on the market? Yes and no. If you’re looking for the most technologically advanced, fastest, and most modern hybrid vehicle on the market, the Nissan Kicks e-Power may no longer be for you.

If you’re looking for a hybrid crossover that just works, can take you between point A and B efficiently and with style, and features the basic creature comforts that you’ll need for everyday driving, then it’s not a bad choice at all. Yes, there are many other choices out there, but new does not always equate to being better.

And anyway, there are hints of a big update coming to the current generation Nissan Kicks soon, said to be based on the Nissan Kait from the Brazilian market at the upcoming 2026 Bangkok International Motor Show (BIMS). Will that solve this model’s big need for an update? Hopefully.

_{Photos by Julian Panlilio}