For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Avalon have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Nissan Maxima doesn't offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Avalon has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Maxima doesn't offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Avalon and the Maxima 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, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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 and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Avalon is safer than the Nissan Maxima:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight's “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Avalon its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 103 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Maxima is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Avalon for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Nissan doesn't pay scheduled maintenance for the Maxima.

There are over 15 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Nissan dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Avalon's warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports' January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Nissan is ranked 13th.

The Avalon's 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 1 more horsepower (301 vs. 300) and 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (267 vs. 261) than the Maxima's 3.5 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Avalon gets better mileage than the Maxima:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Avalon uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Maxima requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Avalon higher (5 out of 10) than the Nissan Maxima (3). This means the Avalon produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Maxima every 15,000 miles.

The Avalon stops shorter than the Maxima:

The Avalon offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Maxima's suspension doesn't offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Avalon's wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer than on the Maxima (113 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Avalon is .4 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Maxima.

The Avalon Touring handles at .82 G's, while the Maxima Platinum pulls only .81 G's of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The design of the Toyota Avalon amounts to more than styling. The Avalon has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .27 Cd. That is lower than the Maxima (.29 to .3) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Avalon get better fuel mileage.

The Avalon has 5.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Maxima (104.3 vs. 98.5).

The Avalon has 1.6 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 6.1 inches more rear legroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Maxima.

The Avalon has a much larger trunk than the Maxima (16.1 vs. 14.3 cubic feet).

The Avalon Limited/Touring has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver's line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Maxima doesn't offer a heads-up display.

The Avalon's power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Maxima's parking brake has to released manually.

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

The Avalon's 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 Maxima's rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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 Avalon's available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Maxima's headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Avalon Limited/Touring has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Maxima doesn't offer cornering lights.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Avalon offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Maxima doesn't offer wireless personal charging.

Insurance will cost less for the Avalon owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Avalon will cost $3545 to $8475 less than the Maxima over a five-year period.

The Avalon will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Avalon will retain 41.63% to 42.3% of its original price after five years, while the Maxima only retains 37.88% to 39.3%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Avalon is less expensive to operate than the Maxima because typical repairs cost much less on the Avalon than the Maxima, including $9 less for a water pump, $287 less for a muffler and $306 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota Avalon will be $9193 to $12408 less than for the Nissan Maxima.

The Toyota Avalon has won recognition from these important consumer publications: