Nissan KICKS: Everything We Know About Nissan's New Sunderland-Built SUV

Nissan KICKS: Everything We Know About Nissan's New Sunderland-Built SUV

The Nissan KICKS is a compact hybrid SUV that Nissan will build at its Sunderland plant for the UK and Europe. Nissan announced it on 16 September 2026, backed by a £170 million investment. It uses Nissan's e-POWER hybrid system. UK prices and an on-sale date have not been confirmed yet.

What has Nissan confirmed, and what is still expected?

What is the Nissan KICKS?

The Nissan KICKS is a compact crossover that has sold more than 1.8 million units in over 70 countries since it launched in 2016. It has never been sold in Britain before. The current, second-generation KICKS is built in Japan, Mexico and Brazil, and Sunderland will become its fourth factory.

For Europe, the KICKS will come only with e-POWER, Nissan's hybrid system. That makes it a different proposition from the KICKS sold in America, which uses a conventional 2.0-litre petrol engine.

"Electrification with choice is what European customers want," said Massimiliano Messina, Chairperson of Nissan's AMIEO region, which covers Europe, when the car was announced.

When is the Nissan KICKS coming to the UK?

Nissan has not confirmed a UK on-sale date or a production start date for the KICKS. Auto Express expects it to reach UK showrooms around summer 2027, based on the timing of the new LEAF and the next JUKE at Sunderland. Treat that as an informed estimate until Nissan confirms it.

We will update this page as soon as Nissan announces dates, prices and grades. If you would like us to tell you first, register your interest at the end of this article.

How does the KICKS e-POWER hybrid work?

In an e-POWER car, the petrol engine never drives the wheels. It only generates electricity, and an electric motor always does the driving. The battery is charged by the engine and by energy recovered when you slow down, so it never needs plugging in.

In practice, that means:

1. It drives like an electric car. Smooth, quiet pull-away, and instant response, because the motor is always in charge.
2. There is no charging to plan. You fill it with petrol like any other car.
3. The engine runs where it is most efficient, because it is never asked to drive the wheels directly.

This is different from a full hybrid, where the petrol engine can drive the wheels itself, and from a plug-in hybrid, which you charge from the mains.

The KICKS will use the third generation of e-POWER, which Nissan says was re-engineered for better fuel efficiency, lower emissions and more refinement. Nissan has sold more than 1.9 million e-POWER cars worldwide since 2016, including more than 200,000 Qashqai e-POWER models built in the UK. If you want to feel how it drives today, the Nissan Qashqai e-POWER uses the same idea.

Expected figures. Carscoops expects the European KICKS to match or closely follow the Japanese version, which pairs a 1.4-litre three-cylinder petrol generator (98PS) with a 143PS front electric motor. In Japan, an optional rear motor adds e-4ORCE all-wheel drive. Nissan has not confirmed UK specifications.

How big is the Nissan KICKS?

The European KICKS is reported to be about 4,365mm long, which puts it between the JUKE and the Qashqai. Carscoops describes it as one of the biggest cars in its class.

Boot space, width and height for the European car have not been published.

Where will the KICKS fit in the Nissan range?

The KICKS gives Nissan a hybrid small SUV to sit alongside the fully electric third-generation JUKE. Nissan says the next JUKE will be 100% electric and built at Sunderland from 2027, and it describes the KICKS as a hybrid alternative to it. Both sit below the Qashqai and the seven-seat X-Trail.

For buyers, that means a choice between an electric small SUV (the next JUKE) and a hybrid one (the KICKS), both built in Sunderland. Carscoops lists the KICKS's rivals as the Toyota C-HR, Hyundai Kona and Volkswagen T-Roc.

What equipment will the KICKS have?

Nissan has not published UK equipment or grades. Auto Express expects the UK car to draw on the American KICKS and the current JUKE, including a touchscreen of at least 12.3 inches with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, LED lights and alloy wheels as standard, with features such as heated seats, wireless phone charging, a 360-degree camera and ProPILOT driver assistance on higher grades. Treat these as expectations, not confirmed specifications.

A global SUV comes home to Sunderland: the KICKS story so far

The KICKS took an unusual route to Britain. It started life as a car for emerging markets and became a global success before Europe ever saw one.

There is a neat twist in that 2018 entry. In North America, the KICKS took over from the JUKE. In Britain, the two will sit side by side, one hybrid and one electric, both built on Wearside.

The tenth model for Sunderland, in its 40th year

The KICKS is the tenth model allocated to Nissan's Sunderland plant since it opened in 1986, following the Bluebird, Primera, MICRA, Almera, Note, Infiniti Q30, JUKE, Qashqai and LEAF. The announcement came in the plant's 40th anniversary year. Sunderland has built 12 million vehicles in that time and employs around 6,000 people directly, with around 30,000 more jobs supported in the UK supply chain.

"It's the perfect way to celebrate our 40th year as a world-class manufacturing site," said Adam Pennick, Vice President of Manufacturing at Nissan's Sunderland plant.

Read more about the plant and the Nissans made there in Built in Britain: 40 years of Nissan in Sunderland.