Top Safety Pick +

2023 Nissan Altima

midsize car / 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteria	Rating
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Moderate overlap front: updated test
Side: original test
Side: updated test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Headlights
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Standard system	Superior
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Standard system	Advanced
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (night)
Standard system	No Credit

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Seat belt reminders
LATCH ease of use	+

Other available safety features

Standard blind spot detection
Standard lane departure warning
Optional lane departure prevention
Standard rear automatic braking

Key

G
Good
A
Acceptable
M
Marginal
P
Poor

Superior
Advanced
Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2019-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-door

The Nissan Altima was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Driver-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Nissan.

Evaluation criteria	Rating

Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTN1816
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	15
Footrest (cm)	7
Left toepan (cm)	3
Brake pedal (cm)	1
Parking brake (cm)	19
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	5
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	4
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	8
Upper dash (cm)	8
Lower instrument panel (cm)	8

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTN1816
Head
HIC-15	59
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm)	9
Maximum Nij	0.16
Chest maximum compression (mm)	19
Femur (kN)
Left	0.4
Right	0.5
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1
Right	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.53
Right	0.45
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.9
Right	0.4
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	43
Right	35

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2019-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-door

The Nissan Altima was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Nissan.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1833
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	12
Footrest (cm)	9
Right toepan (cm)	3
Center toepan (cm)	4
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	2
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm)	2
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	5
Upper dash (cm)	5
Right lower dash (cm)	5

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1833
Head
HIC-15	52
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.7
Extension bending moment (Nm)	14
Maximum Nij	0.19
Chest maximum compression (mm)	19
Femur (kN)
Left	1.4
Right	1.5
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	2
Right	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.37
Right	0.32
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.9
Right	1.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	29
Right	38

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1833
Head
HIC-15	37
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.7
Extension bending moment (Nm)	11
Maximum Nij	0.13
Chest maximum compression (mm)	23
Femur (kN)
Left	0.3
Right	0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	0
Right	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.19
Right	0.32
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.7
Right	0.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	23
Right	31

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2019-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-door

The Nissan Altima was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Nissan.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1827
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	7
Left (cm)	10
Center (cm)	10
Right (cm)	6
Brake pedal (cm)	4
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	0
Right (cm)	0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	1
Rearward (cm)	-5
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	0

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1827
Head
HIC-15	155
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm)	25
Maximum Nij	0.30
Chest maximum compression (mm)	27
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.4
Femur force - right (kN)	0.7
Knee displacement - left (mm)	1
Knee displacement - right (mm)	3
Maximum tibia index - left	0.29
Maximum tibia index - right	0.42
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.7
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	1.5
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	47
Right	56

About the original moderate overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: updated test

Rating applies to 2023 models

Tested vehicle: 2023 Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-door

The Nissan Altima was redesigned for the 2019 model year.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Thigh/hip
Leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Thigh
Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics

View of the vehicle after the crash showing the airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

The rear passenger dummy's head remained a safe distance from the front seatback.

Rear passenger dummy injury values indicate a moderate risk of injury to the head or neck and chest. During the crash, the shoulder belt remained in an ideal position on the dummy’s chest.

The rear passenger dummy's lap belt moved from the ideal position on the pelvis onto the abdomen, increasing the risk of abdominal injuries.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEF2308
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	8
Left (cm)	11
Center (cm)	12
Right (cm)	9
Brake pedal (cm)	4
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	2
Right (cm)	2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	2
Rearward (cm)	-1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	1

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEF2308
Head
HIC-15	127
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.1
Extension bending moment (Nm)	18
Maximum Nij	0.24
Chest maximum compression (mm)	28
Femur (kN)
Left	0.7
Right	1.0
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	2
Right	2
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.32
Right	0.51
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	2.3
Right	2.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	49
Right	65

Test ID	CEF2308
Head
HIC-15 for head contact during forward excursion	no contact
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	2.1
Compression (kN)	0.7
Maximum Nij for head contact during forward excursion	no contact
Chest
Chest index	40
Shoulder belt tension (kN)	4.1
Thigh (kN)
Left femur compression	0.3
Right femur compression	0.3

About the moderate overlap front test

February 2024 adjustment to rating criteria

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2022-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2022 Nissan Altima 2.5 SV 4-door

The Nissan Altima was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Beginning with 2022 models, side curtain airbags were enlarged and door sill and pillar reinforcements were implemented to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2022 Altima conducted by Nissan.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

Technical measurements for this test

Test ID	VTS2112
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-25.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS2112
Head HIC-15	175
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.0
Compression (kN)	0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	36
Lateral force (kN)	1.7
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	37
Average deflection (mm)	33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	2.85
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.44
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	1.4
Acetabulum force (kN)	1.2
Combined force (kN)	2.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	1.0
L-M moment (Nm)	162
A-P moment (Nm)	36

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS2112
Head HIC-15	107
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.2
Compression (kN)	0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	26
Lateral force (kN)	1.2
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	17
Average deflection (mm)	16
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	2.92
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.20
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.5
Acetabulum force (kN)	1.8
Combined force (kN)	2.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.4
L-M moment (Nm)	105
A-P moment (Nm)	-32

About the original side crash test

Side: updated test

Rating applies to 2022-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2022 Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-door

The Nissan Altima was redesigned for the 2019 model year. Beginning with 2022 models, side curtain airbags were enlarged and door sill and pillar reinforcements were implemented to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes. Two side impact 2.0 tests were conducted because rear dummy injury data was not recorded in the first test. Rear passenger injury measures are from the second test. Driver injury measures and structure ratings are based on both tests.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis
Driver head protection The dummy's head moved downward past the side curtain airbag and struck the window sill of the driver door hard. The head protection is inadequate.
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows that the driver dummy's head moved downward, past the side curtain airbag, and contacted the window sill.

Smeared greasepaint shown is on the upper/outboard seatback. The rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbags.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES2223	CES2216
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-7.5	-9.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES2223	CES2216
Head
HIC-15	562	667
Peak gs at hard contact	109	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	2.8	2.5
Compression (kN)	0.1	0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	53	51
Lateral force (kN)	1.8	2.0
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	56	52
Average deflection (mm)	51	49
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	4.74	4.81
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	1.36	1.35
Pelvis
Combined force (kN)	6.0	6.2

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES2223
Head
HIC-15	122
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Compression (kN)	0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	27
Lateral force (kN)	1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	26
Average deflection (mm)	21
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	3.33
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.28
Pelvis
Combined force (kN)	4.0

About the side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2019-24 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight	3,203 lbs
Peak force	14,235 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio	4.44

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power cloth seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	Power cloth seat
Geometry
Backset (mm)	18
Distance below top of head (mm)	20
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g)	10.4
Head contact time (ms)	58
Force rating	1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	0
Max neck tension (N)	288

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Trim level(s)

All trims

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was fair on the sharp left and both right curves and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was fair on the gradual left curve and inadequate on the sharp left and both right curves.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and on both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	All trims
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2019-25 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	123.5 m	None
Straightaway left edge	50.6 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	63.2 m	None
250m radius left curve, right edge	46.8 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	50.2 m	None
150m radius left curve, right edge	48.4 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	159.7 m
Straightaway left edge	149.3 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	63.2 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	65.5 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	49.9 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	50.2 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

Standard Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection
Standard Intelligent Forward Collision Warning (I-FCW)

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2021-23 models

Superior

This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

About the original front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

System details

standard Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to all 2019-25 models

Advanced

Crossing child

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 11 mph.

Crossing adult

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Parallel adult

In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 18 mph.
In the 37 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision. A warning was issued 1.8 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (night)

Night

System details

standard Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection

Overall evaluation

Includes high-beam assist credit

This rating applies to all 2023-25 models

No Credit

Crossing adult

In the 12 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 5 mph when using its high beams. When using its low beams, impact speed was reduced by 1 mph.
In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 7 mph when using its high beams. When using its low beams, impact speed was reduced by 5 mph.

Parallel adult

In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 11 mph when using its high beams. When using its low beams, impact speed was reduced by 5 mph.
In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 9 mph when using its high beams and a warning was issued 1.3 seconds before impact. When using its low beams, this vehicle failed to slow and a warning was issued 0 seconds before impact.

About pedestrian front crash prevention test

Seat belt reminders

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Front row
Unbelted occupant alert (audible & visual)
Initiation time
Duration	Long enough (90+ seconds)
Volume
Audio frequency
Second row
Startup status alert (visual)
Initiation time
Duration at least 60 seconds
Belt disengaged alert (audible & visual)
Initiation time
Duration at least 30 seconds
Volume
Audio frequency

Technical measurements for this test

About the seat belt reminder evaluation

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2021-25 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation	+ extra LATCH positions
Vehicle trim	2.5S
Seat type	cloth

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor and the ability to borrow lower anchors from the other seating positions.

Note: When anchors are borrowed, they aren't available to use in their designated positions.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation	+ extra LATCH positions
Vehicle trim	2.5S
Seat type	cloth

Rating icon	Rating
G	Good
A	Acceptable
M	Marginal
P	Poor
	Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol	Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol	Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol	Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
	No hardware available

Details by seating position

Position	Rating
1
1	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	not too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors
2
2	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	Can be borrowed from 1 and 3
3
3	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	not too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors

Technical measurements for this test

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	0-2
Force (lbs)	7
Clearance angle (degrees)	92
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	0-2
Force (lbs)	12
Clearance angle (degrees)	93
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Lower latch is shared for this seat position
Lower anchor B
Lower latch is shared for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	0-2
Force (lbs)	9
Clearance angle (degrees)	85
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	0-2
Force (lbs)	8
Clearance angle (degrees)	89
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation

Background cabin sound pressure level at 24 km/h	51 dB
Audible signal sound pressure level at 24 km/h	64 dB
Difference between background and signal	12.4 dB
Background cabin sound pressure level at 40 km/h	55 dB
Audible signal sound pressure level at 40 km/h	68 dB
Difference between background and signal	12.2 dB
Dominant audio frequency	2000 Hz