Compare the2026 Lexus ESVS 2026 Nissan Altima

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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The Lexus ES’ rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Nissan Altima does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the ES and Altima have rear cross-traffic warning, but the ES offers optional Rear Cross-Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Altima’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the ES and the Altima have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

The Lexus ES weighs 595 to 1569 pounds more than the Nissan Altima. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The ES comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Altima’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Lexus’ powertrain warranty covers the ES 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Altima. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Altima ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The ES’ corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Altima’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked second.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in reliability, above the industry average. With 75 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 23rd.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus third in overall reliability. Nissan is ranked 6th.

Engine

The ES has more powerful engines than the Altima:

	Horsepower
ES 350e electric motor	221 HP
ES 350h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	244 HP
ES 500e electric motors	338 HP
Altima AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	182 HP
Altima 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	188 HP

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the ES running on electricity gets better mileage than the Altima:

			MPGe
ES
	FWD	19" Wheels Electric Motor	135 city/118 hwy
		21" Wheels Electric Motor	129 city/112 hwy
	AWD	500e 19" Wheels Electric Motors	119 city/108 hwy
		500e 21" Wheels Electric Motors	118 city/105 hwy
Altima
			MPG
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy

The ES can travel with zero emissions for 272 to 307 miles (dependent on model). The Altima can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the ES’ fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Altima doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the ES 350h’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Altima doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Environmental Friendliness

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Lexus ES at emission levels ranging from “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV) to “Zero Emissions Vehicle” (ZEV). The Nissan Altima is only certified to “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV) standards.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the ES’ brake rotors are larger than those on the Altima:

	ES	Altima
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11.65 inches
Rear Rotors	13.3 inches	11.02 inches
Opt Rear Rotors		11.5 inches

The ES’ standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Altima are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the ES has larger tires than the Altima (235/55R19 vs. 215/55R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the ES has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Altima SV. The ES’ optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Altima SR.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the ES’ wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Altima (116.1 inches vs. 111.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the ES is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 3.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Altima.

The ES’ front to rear weight distribution is more even (54.8% to 45.2%) than the Altima’s (58.9% to 41.1%). This gives the ES more stable handling and braking.

Chassis

The ES uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Altima doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The ES has 2.1 inches more front hip room, .7 inches more rear headroom and 5.5 inches more rear legroom than the Altima.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the ES 350e Luxury’s available rear seats recline. The Altima’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The ES has a much larger trunk than the Altima (17.4 vs. 15.4 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the ES has a standard power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or on the ES 350e Luxury, by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Altima doesn’t offer a power trunk.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Nissan. J.D. Power ranks Lexus second in service department satisfaction. With a 24% lower rating, Nissan is ranked 10th.

Ergonomics

When three different drivers share the ES, the memory system makes it convenient for all three. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver and front passenger’s seat positions, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle. The Altima doesn’t offer a memory system.

The ES Luxury/Premium+ has a standard heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Altima doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The ES’ power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Altima’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the ES and the Altima have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the ES is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Altima prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The ES’ front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Altima’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

On a hot day the ES’ driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Lexus service department.) The driver of the Altima can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The ES’ standard Smart Access allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the trunk, and start the car, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Intelligent Key standard on the Altima doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The ES’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Altima’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The ES offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Altima doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the ES Luxury has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Altima doesn’t offer cornering lights.

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are standard in the ES Luxury to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Altima doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

When the ES is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Altima’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Lexus ES and Nissan Altima offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The ES features standard power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Altima’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The ES has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Altima. The ES 350e Luxury also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Altima.

The ES has standard front air conditioned seats and the ES 350e Luxury offers them optionally in the rear. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Altima doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The ES has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Altima.

Both the ES and the Altima offer available massaging front seats. The ES 350e Luxury also offers optional massaging rear seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging rear seats aren’t available in the Altima.

The ES has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Altima.

Both the ES and the Altima offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the ES has available rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Altima doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Lexus ES has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Nissan charges extra for Homelink® on the Altima.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Lexus ES has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat for up to two separate devices. Only the Altima SR offers wireless charging, and only charges one device.

The ES Luxury/Premium+’s Advanced Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Altima doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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