2025 Nissan Sentra

Despite an SUV-heavy world, compact sedans still command a sizable portion of the car market. Shoppers – especially young and savvy ones – realize not everyone needs a jacked-up rig that looks ready to go off the grid, with prices and gas bills to match. And that’s where a Nissan Sentra can look like a hero.

No, this Nissan isn’t flashy, fast, or even all that fun. Rivals in the compact car arena offer all those things, but that’s not the point of the Sentra. Its mission is to serve its drivers with easy manners, good fuel economy, and no fuss. If you haven’t bought a car in a while (or have never bought one) and see that the average transaction price for a vehicle is hurtling toward the $50,000 mark, the Nissan Sentra looks like a return to saner times.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of compact cars, including the Nissan Sentra. The test model seen here is a 2024 Sentra SR with the Premium package, Electric Blue Metallic two-tone paint, and a sticker price of $28,150. 

After some nipping and tucking last year, the Nissan Sentra sees minimal changes for 2025. The midgrade SV trim can now be had with the NissanConnect Services with Wi-Fi hotspot. All models get up to three free oil changes within the first two years or 24,000 miles.

The 2025 Nissan Sentra’s starting price is similar to those of the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra, Volkswagen Jetta, and Kia K4. The venerable Honda Civic, sporty and more powerful Mazda3, and all-wheel-drive Subaru Impreza are all priced higher than the Sentra.

We recommend skipping the base S model and sliding into the SV at the very least. It’s just $700 more, and it gets you adaptive cruise control, 16-inch alloy wheels, SiriusXM Radio, and two extra USB ports — and who couldn’t use a couple more of those?

Before buying a new Nissan Sentra sedan, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should be paying. The Sentra’s resale values are on the low side of the segment. Remember, recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

Every Sentra employs a 149-horsepower 4-cylinder engine, one of the weaker units in its class. Nissan doesn’t quote acceleration times, but we know that going from a standstill to 60 mph is not exactly a sprint — more of a trot. Last year, Nissan did upgrade the automatic transmission to improve fuel efficiency as opposed to enhancing the fun factor. Remember: It’s a Sentra, not a supercar.

That said, a few standard features contribute to the Sentra’s mostly enjoyable driving experience. Active Ride Control compensates for washboard road surfaces and the up/down pitching they can create. It does this with imperceptible braking and power attenuation.

Intelligent Trace Control helps the Sentra hold its cornering line with efficiency and stability by slowing an inside wheel if necessary. We’ll also give props to the Sentra’s multilink rear suspension, which is a more sophisticated setup than the cheaper torsion-beam alternative found in some rivals.

In an ideal world, even the base S version of the Sentra would have disc brakes at the rear instead of drums. That’s one more reason to skip the base model and step up to the SV, which has discs fitted at each corner. At least the S has blind-spot monitoring as standard, so those wide rear pillars become less of an issue.

Fuel economy

The Nissan Sentra earns an EPA-estimated 34 mpg in combined city/highway driving. Subtract one mpg for the SR trim. Those are good numbers, but they can’t match even a standard Honda Civic. If top fuel economy is a priority for you, know that the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Elantra can all be had as hybrids that achieve around 50 mpg.

Depending on which trim you go for, the Sentra’s cabin is an acceptable or nice place to be. Acceptable is reserved for the base S trim, in which you’ll be sitting on cloth seats, holding – all the time – a urethane steering wheel, and looking at a 7-inch touchscreen display. Here again, we think the $700 step up to the SV is perhaps the best money you can spend if you’re buying a Sentra. It gets you a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an 8-inch touchscreen, a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, better cloth upholstery, and six speakers instead of four.

Interestingly, if you want leather seats, they are optional on the midgrade SV trim; the top SR comes with “Sport cloth seat trim,” with leatherette optional. If you want a moonroof, it’s available on the two higher trims.

Rear legroom measures 34.9 inches. That expanse compares well with the Toyota Corolla, but the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra have more, if that matters. Trunk space is 14.3 cubic feet—perfectly adequate for this class. The rear seats split and fold in a 60/40 fashion for added versatility. We also like the trunk’s wide aperture.

Our eyes think the Sentra looks perfectly sensible, with a hint of style – especially if you go for the two-tone roof treatment available on the top SR model. Looks are always subjective, but we’d bet most people would agree that the Sentra is neither the flashiest nor most offensive compact sedan. Vanilla ice cream remains popular for a reason.

The base model – the least popular version and the one we keep advising you to skip – rolls on 16-inch steel wheels with covers. The SV has prettier aluminum alloys, while the SR nets 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels. That ostensibly sporty model also gets a little trunk lip.

Front seats
Nissan calls them Zero Gravity seats. We’d call them road-trip comfortable and among the best that we’ve found in any compact sedan. Even better, they’re standard across the Sentra range. The rear seats are comfy as well.

Infotainment system
It is easy to use and comes with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration. The S has a 7-inch touchscreen, and the two higher trims gain an 8-inch counterpart. There are also another couple of speakers (up to six), an extra USB-C port, and satellite radio.

Advanced Drive Assist Display
This 7-inch information display rests between the speedometer and the rev counter. It’s standard in the SV and SR, adding a little more tech to their cabins.

Adaptive cruise control
Here is another reason to skip the base S and check out the SV or SR, where adaptive cruise control is standard.

Nissan Safety Shield 360
This standard set of driver assistance features includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and — unusual for the class — rear automatic braking.

SV Premium package
It’s worth investigating, we think. This options bundle brings a 6-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, leather-wrapped shift knob, powered moonroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, and quilted leather seating surfaces.

Regardless of trim, the engine in every Sentra is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder unit making 149 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. This power goes through a continuously variable automatic transmission to drive just the front wheels.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

Nissan’s new-vehicle warranty lasts three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. The powertrain is covered for five years or 60,000 miles, which is typical among mainstream manufacturers.

Safety Ratings

This generation of Sentra earned a maximum 5-Star overall score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with a strong showing in side impact protection. Ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are mixed, taking the top score of Good in most main crash-test categories, with an Acceptable for the updated side crash test and Poor for headlights.