Research-based shortlist, not a verified-fit list. Confirm your model year, body style, trim and seat layout before buying.
This guide builds on our general guide to choosing the best kennel for your vehicle. Start there for the overall approach, or change vehicles with the selector below.
Start with your Nissan Kicks’s layout
The Kicks is a small crossover, and a kennel purchase should begin with the seating arrangement you actually use. Measure with the rear seats upright if passengers need them. A specification measured with the seats folded can make the car sound far more generous than the space available on a normal family trip.
Identify the exact year and whether the vehicle is the newer Kicks or the older-shape Kicks Play. Those names should not share a fit result. At the hatch, check the opening, the floor between the wheel-arch trim and the space at the kennel's upper corners. A rectangular footprint alone misses the effect of the closing hatch.
We would compare a correctly sized RuffLand single-door kennel first when the dog can enter directly from the rear. A Gunner G1 is another candidate when its full shell and specified installation can be accommodated. These are options to measure, not promises that a particular size will work behind the Kicks' rear seats.
For a very small dog, a manufacturer-approved rear-seat carrier arrangement may preserve more luggage room than a cargo kennel. Keep shopping bags away from ventilation panels and test whether the kennel door opens with the items you normally carry. If the dog needs more room than the usable space provides, a different travel arrangement is the better answer.
The checks that matter here
- Kicks versus Kicks Play and model year
- Closed-hatch upper-corner clearance
- Floor width with rear seats in their usual position
Kennels we would compare for the Nissan Kicks
Compare one compact, rear-facing kennel before planning a two-kennel setup. A small-dog seat carrier is a useful alternative when the cargo layout cannot support a suitable kennel.
Gunner G1
Compare the full G1 exterior in the correct Kicks or Kicks Play body, with rear passengers and the ordinary grocery load included.
When we would pass: Kicks Play and the newer Kicks need separate floor and hatch trials.
Check this option and its instructions →
RuffLand single-door configuration
A rear-facing RuffLand is a candidate if the Kicks retains enough working room to operate its door after the bags are packed.
When we would pass: Keep grocery bags out of the kennel’s working entrance; compact cargo volume can hide that practical loss.
Check this option and its instructions →
These are candidates to investigate, not confirmed fits. Match the exact size and installation instructions to your dog and vehicle before ordering.
Before you order
Use the main guide’s dog-sizing and loading-route checklist to test your chosen layout. Review how to check crash-test evidence for the exact product and installation; a successful physical fit does not establish crash protection.
Bring your dog’s measurements, your model year and trim, and photos of the intended installation area to the kennel seller. Ask for the exterior envelope and usable interior measurements of the exact size and door configuration. Confirm the return terms before a trial fit.
Sources and related guides
- Nissan Kicks manufacturer information
- Gunner G1 manufacturer information
- RuffLand single-door configuration manufacturer information
- Compare our kennel product reviews
- All 106 vehicle guides
Reviewed October 26, 2026. Recommendations are editorial judgments from published information; no vehicle-specific fit or crash result is implied.