Compare the2026 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2026 Nissan Armada

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Palisade are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Nissan Armada doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

Both the Palisade and Armada have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Palisade has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Armada’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Palisade achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Nissan Armada has not been tested.

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

Both the Palisade and Armada have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Palisade has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Armada’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Palisade uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Armada uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Palisade and the Armada have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Palisade comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Armada’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Armada. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Armada ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Palisade’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Armada’s (7 vs. 5 years).

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Palisade has a standard 800-amp battery. The Armada’s 760-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 2 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

On the EPA test cycle the Palisade gets better mileage than the Armada:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Palisade uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Armada NISMO requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Palisade has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Armada. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Palisade higher (6 out of 10) than the Nissan Armada (5). This means the Palisade produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Armada every 15,000 miles.

The Palisade stops shorter than the Armada:

The Palisade’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Armada SV’s standard 70 series tires. The Palisade Calligraphy’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Armada Platinum Reserve/NISMO’s 50 series tires.

The Palisade’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Armada doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC handles at .83 G’s, while the Armada PRO-4X pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Armada PRO-4X (27.2 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Palisade XRT PRO’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Armada’s (39 feet vs. 40.8 feet). The Palisade’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Armada’s (39.2 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

The Hyundai Palisade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1250 pounds less than the Nissan Armada.

The Palisade is 10.4 inches shorter than the Armada, making the Palisade easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Palisade is 5.3 inches narrower than the Armada, making the Palisade easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Palisade is 7 inches shorter in height than the Armada, making the Palisade much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Palisade’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Armada doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Palisade uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Armada doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Palisade has .4 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more rear headroom, 3.8 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more third row headroom than the Armada.

The front step up height for the Palisade is 4.9 inches lower than the Armada (19.1” vs. 24”). The Palisade’s rear step up height is 5.2 inches lower than the Armada’s (19.3” vs. 24.5”).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Palisade easier. The Palisade’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 32.8 inches, while the Armada’s liftover is 36.2 inches.

The Palisade’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Armada’s power window and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Palisade’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Armada’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Palisade to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Armada doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Palisade’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Armada SL/Platinum/PRO-4X/NISMO.

The Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard heated front seats and second and third row heated seats also available, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Nissan doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Armada.

The Palisade SEL Premium/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard front air conditioned seats and the Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Armada doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Palisade Calligraphy’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Armada doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2026 issue and they ranked the Hyundai Palisade XRT PRO higher than the Nissan Armada PRO-4X.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Palisade as the 2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Armada has never been chosen.

The Hyundai Palisade outsold the Nissan Armada by over seven to one during 2024.