It might be impossible to topple a giant like Toyota, but it’s not impossible to put yourself in the running. Toyota is a massive, nearly untouchable car manufacturer with a wide variety of some of the most reliable models on sale today — there’s a reason why the brand is so popular. The good thing is that it’s not alone. Competition breeds quality, so brands like Nissan try their best (most of the time) to show up to the races. Some of you may be wondering which is better, Nissan or Toyota? Well, in this Nissan vs. Toyota head-to-head, we explore each brand’s origins, popular models, sales figures and reliability.
Nissan
Founded
26 December 1933
Founder
Yoshisuke Aikawa
Headquarters
Nishi-ku, Yokohama
Owned By
Publicly Traded
Current CEO
Ivan Espinosa (as of 1 April, 2025)
Toyota
Founded
August 28, 1937
Founder
Kiichiro Toyoda
Headquarters
Aichi, Japan
Owned By
Publicly Traded
Current CEO
Koji Sato
This comparison between Toyota and Nissan includes a brand overview, a discussion of each brand’s reliability, and respective sales figures. Prices are correct at the time of writing, and exclude destination, taxes, options, and other fees. Manufacturers reserve the right to change prices at any time without notice.
Nissan Versus Toyota: A Basic Overview
Before we get into whether Toyota or Nissan is better, it would be good to know where they started, and where they stand today. Both manufacturers have been around for a while, with ups and downs aplenty throughout their time selling cars in the United States. Nissan has been feeling some pressure from shareholders and consumers over its sales numbers and quality lately, though. So, how does Nissan compare to Toyota historically?
Nissan Brand Overview
2024 Nissan GT-R rear 3/4 angle in green while parked
Nissan
Nissan is living on borrowed time at the moment. As of now, the brand has a relatively new CEO with a new plan to bounce back after failed talks about a merger with Honda. In short, Honda wanted to fully acquire Nissan, but Nissan didn’t want to go that route. With that being said, it wasn’t always that way. Nissan started life in 1933 in Japan, then came to America in 1958 under the Datsun brand name. While under the Datsun name, Nissan produced some enthusiasts’ favorite sports cars, like the 240z, which changed the automotive scene in the United States. The R35 GT-R kept enthusiasts interested for some time, but with its recent discontinuation, we can only wait and see what the automaker has in store for the future.
Toyota Brand Overview
2020 – 2025 Toyota GR Supra front 3/4 angle in blue while driving
Toyota
Toyota’s life is far steadier, to say the least. While its competition struggles to stay afloat, Toyota is crushing it in sales and development of new hybrid powertrains, capable truck and SUV models, and plenty of affordable options in nearly every mainstream segment. The brand got its start in the United States at almost the same time as Nissan, with sales starting at its first location in Hollywood, California in 1958. Its first cars to be sold in the U.S. included the Toyopet Crown sedan and the Land Cruiser. The Toyopet didn’t last too long, since consumers felt it was overpriced and under-powered. By 1963, Toyota had 125 dealerships in the United States, and sold the Land Cruiser as its only model for a brief time.
Toyota Vs Nissan Models
Nissan might be in rough waters for now, but it still offers a decent range of models for now. Plus, the manufacturer is promising a range of new models in the near future, including a new all-electric Leaf that we had the chance to drive recently. Toyota’s lineup is more diverse and expansive with more capable trucks and more SUV models to choose from.
2025 Toyota Models
2026 Toyota Corolla XSE Sedan – front angle in white while driving
Toyota
Toyota has a diverse range of cars in nearly every segment, many of which start under $30,000. The least-expensive of them all, though, is the humble 2025 Corolla sedan. This small sedan starts at $22,325 before destination, or you can get an even more practical hatchback variant for a minimum of $23,780. The sedan variant is a respectable car for any buyer who covets fuel economy, range, and a sprinkle of comfort features that won’t leave you feeling like you missed out. It gets an estimated 32/41/35 city/highway/combined MPG, and comes with standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. More basic Corolla SE specs are in the table below.
2025 Toyota Corolla LE Specs Overview
Base Price
$22,325
Powertrain
2.0L Inline-Four
Transmission
Dynamic-Shift CVT
Horsepower | Torque
169 hp | 151 lb-ft
Unlike Nissan’s most expensive model, which we’ll get to next, Toyota’s priciest model in its lineup is not a sports car. The full-size Sequoia SUV takes first place in this lineup with a starting price of $62,425 for the 2025 model year. Under the hood is a variant of Toyota’s iForceMAX hybrid powertrain: a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 hybrid that makes 437 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque. It can tow up to 9,520 pounds, and fit up to 86.9 cubic feet of cargo behind the front seats. Its most expensive trim is the Capstone, which starts at $83,915 before destination, options, and other fees.
2025 Nissan Models
2023 Nissan Versa front overhead angle in red while parked
Nissan
After breaking down the models each brand has to offer, you might ask “which is more expensive, Nissan or Toyota?” While Toyota has plenty of affordable options for cars under $30k, Nissan is one of the few remaining automakers to offer a model under twenty-thousand dollars. The Nissan Versa is one of the last hopes for cheap cars, and the dying manual transmission. It starts at just $17,190 for the 2025 model year, has a weak 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, and somehow still starts with a standard five-speed manual transmission in the Versa S base trim. Despite its surface-level shortfalls, it’s nice to see a cheap car on sale this year.
2025 Nissan Versa S Specs Overview
Base Price
$17,190
Powertrain
1.6L Inline-four
Transmission
5-speed Manual
Horsepower | Torque
122 hp | 114 lb-ft
The most expensive car you can still buy at Nissan dealers today is the R35 GT-R. It feels out of place among the rest of Nissan’s lineup, especially since it starts at $121,090 before destination, options, and other fees. Driving all four wheels is a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine that makes 565 horsepower and 467 lb-ft of torque. If that’s too much to handle, the Nissan Z is a great deal with a starting price of $42,970. Powering this competitive sports car is a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that makes 400 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque in the standard trims, and 420 hp and 384 lb-ft in the Nismo variant.
Toyota Vs Nissan Reliability
Not A Close Competition
Side shot of a 2025 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro driving through water
Toyota
Most people have probably heard of how reliable Toyota models are. The brand has a reputation for making some of the longest-lasting engines with the fewest problems, especially many of its engines from the ’90s and early 2000s. That reputation hasn’t been let down yet, either. Nissan, on the other hand, is near the middle of the pack in terms of reliability. Their CVT transmissions have been the subject of scrutiny for some time now, and the brand is otherwise regarded as average overall.
J.D. Power conducts a Dependability Study annually to judge car manufacturers in the United States’ overall reliability across their entire lineup. They compiled data from 34,175 original owners of 2022 model year vehicles after three years of ownership. That’s a decent sample size to calculate the number of problems per 100 vehicles, or PP100, for short. As a reference, the study’s average landed on 202 PP100. It’s no surprise that Toyota is near the top of the most reliable brands on sale with 162 PP100, but Nissan falls below the average at 215 PP100.
Nissan And Toyota Sales Figures
2025 Nissan Armada Pro-4X front angle while driving off-road
Nicole Wakelin/CarBuzz/Valnet
At the end of the day, sales are all that matter to most corporations. Toyota is doing well, to say the least. According to the brand’s most recent end-of-year sales report, Toyota sold 1,928,228 units in 2024, which doesn’t include their luxury brand, Lexus, with 320,249 Lexus vehicles sold last year. We won’t talk about Nissan’s shortcomings anymore, but context is important: Nissan sold 865,938 units in 2024 while its luxury division, Infiniti, only sold 58,070 units.
Both brands seem to target the same ever-growing audience of midsize SUVs, because Toyota’s best-selling model is the RAV4 with 475,193 sold last year, and Nissan’s top seller is the Rogue, which sold 245,724 units. Saying the RAV4 is the brand’s best-selling model is selling it short, though, as the RAV4 was the best-selling car in the country last year, beating the Ford F-Series pickup trucks after its 43-year reign.
Base Trim Engine
2.5L Dynamic Force I4 ICE
Base Trim Transmission
8-speed automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Front-Wheel Drive
Infotainment & Features
9 /10
Base Trim Engine
1.5-liter 3-cylinder
Base Trim Transmission
CVT
Base Trim Horsepower
201 hp
Base Trim Torque
225 lb-ft
Summary: Toyota Is Too Big To Fail
Nissan’s Fate Is In The Air
So, is Nissan as good as Toyota? The short answer is no, but don’t count Nissan out just yet. It’s having a rough time right now, but promises a brighter future (like every company that wants your money). Toyota makes such good cars in terms of price and reliability that it’s hard not to automatically choose one over any other brand. It knows what people want, and it delivers. It’s only a matter of time before Nissan either catches the wave or sinks even further.
FAQs
Are Nissan cars better than Toyota?
Saying whether one brand’s cars are better than another is mostly subjective, but we can confirm that Toyota’s cars are more reliable and sell more units.
What lasts longer, Toyota or Nissan?
Toyota’s cars have a great reputation for extended longevity — more so than Nissan’s models, which are about average.
Which company is better than Toyota?
One could argue that Toyota is a “better” company simply because it’s selling so many reliable cars, and is more certain of its future in continuing to do so.
Is Nissan as reliable as Toyota or Honda?
No, Nissan is not as reliable as Toyota or Honda. According to J.D. Power’s dependability study, Nissan is below average while Toyota and Honda have above-average reliability.
Sources: Toyota, Nissan, J.D. Power, GoodCarBadCar
AloJapan.com