- The Nissan Sentra is all-new for 2026 with a fresh design but a repeat drivetrain
- The ProPilot Assist traffic jam system makes its debut at this low price point
The Nissan Sentra has always comfortably stayed in the middle of the mainstream compact sedan class, with reasonable pricing, a competitive set of features, and long-earned name recognition.
Nissan has reinvented the Sentra for 2026, but not its approach to value. The 2026 Sentra gets a fastback look, a convenient trunk with one of the lowest liftover heights in its class, and a new suite of driver assistance tools.
It’s not a wildly new approach — we’re talking about trunk liftover height among the highlights here — but it should offer the steady value Nissan fans expect.
Nissan has not announced pricing for the 2026 Sentra. The 2025 model it replaced starts at $22,835, and value has always been part of the Sentra sales pitch, so we’d be surprised to see a significant change in that.
Fastback Look, Big Screens
- The 2026 Sentra has a pronounced fastback and a version of Nissan’s “V Motion” grille so large it visually shrinks the car
- A pair of 12.3-inch screens are unusually large for a small car
Nissan designers leaned into what they usually do with the new Sentra. That means a sedan with a fastback look that works particularly well in two-tone color schemes and the brand’s signature “V Motion” grille.
This interpretation of the grille sits so wide that it almost makes a compact car look subcompact. Thin daytime running lights above and a narrow lip spoiler beneath frame the big, jutting grille.
Inside, Nissan designers emphasized screen size. All models include a 12.3-inch touchscreen, and all but the base trim come with an accompanying 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster (base models have a 7-inch unit). The new Sentra’s pair of 12.3-inch screens sit side-by-side in a single housing, so they look almost like one wide screen surface. That’s a screen size we’re accustomed to seeing in midsize cars, creating a tech-heavy vibe for the cabin.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and wireless on all but the base trim.
The Usual 4-Cylinder Returns
- A 149-horsepower 4-cylinder engine and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) are the only powertrain option
- But Nissan’s ProPilot Assist system makes its way down to a lower price point with the 2026 Sentra
Designers took no chances with the powertrain. The new Sentra returns with the same 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine as the 2025 model, still making 149 horsepower. That keeps it near the low-end of its competitive set for power, but few shoppers buy a Sentra for performance reasons.
A continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) sends power to the front wheels.
Nissan says the new model is 6% more rigid than last year’s, which should slightly tighten up handling. The new suspension includes shock absorbers with a unique valve system meant to “mute impact harshness from bumps.”
But the most significant change to the driving experience comes from the help you’ll get.
Nissan’s ProPilot Assist system can help steer, accelerate, and brake to keep pace with stop-and-go traffic. The driver must still keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, but in more expensive Nissan vehicles, we’ve found that the system helps reduce driver fatigue. In the 2026 Sentra, it’s optional in the SR trim and standard in the top-line SL.
Nissan says the 2026 Sentra will go on sale “later this year.”
