The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Comfortable cabin
- Good ride
- Lots of safety features
- Good overall value
Dislikes
- Frustrating CVT
- No rapid version
- Not particularly fun, either
- A hybrid would be nice
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Nissan Sentra is a reminder that inexpensive cars needn’t be penalty boxes.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Nissan Sentra? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Nissan Sentra is an affordable compact sedan. Shop it against the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Elantra.
Is the 2025 Nissan Sentra a good car?
The Sentra is a good overall choice for shoppers after a spacious small car with lots of features for the money. While it’s light on driving verve and its crash-test scores could be better, it earns a decent 5.8 out of 10 on the TCC scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Nissan Sentra?
The Sentra carries into 2025 unchanged after last year’s mild styling update. Its clean styling channels big brother Altima with a broad grille that spills into the headlights and a complex side profile. There’s even a two-tone option for drivers after some extra verve.
Inside, the Sentra has a convenient, well-organized layout with hints of brightwork that give it the hint of an upscale look. It’s not a bad-looking small car.
The 149-hp 4-cylinder engine is no powerhouse, and it’s bolted to a CVT that causes it to drone on incessantly in situations like highway passing. Most versions can hit 40 mpg on the highway, though some rivals are marginally thriftier. There’s also no Sentra hybrid.
The Sentra rides softly and is nimble, though not sporty. Its chassis offers decent poise, though; with some sticky rubber, it might almost be entertaining.
Decent front seats and a fairly spacious back seat help the Sentra stand out against cramped compact rivals. Even its trunk is fairly roomy. Interior materials are class-typical, though the available quilted leather upholstery provides a surprisingly upscale ambience in the so-equipped Sentra SV.
Nissan includes a good amount of crash-avoidance technology, including automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitors, and the Sentra has a fairly good overall record when it comes to crash testing. A surround-view camera system and adaptive cruise control are reasonably priced extras.
How much does the 2025 Nissan Sentra cost?
Figure about $22,500 to start for the base S trim level with its 7.0-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cloth seats, and 17-inch steel wheels. We’d budget at least another $1,000 for the mid-level SV trim thanks to its standard adaptive cruise control and alloy wheels.
Where is the 2025 Nissan Sentra made?
In Mexico.
2025 Nissan Sentra Styling
Think of the Sentra as a scaled-down Nissan Altima.
Is the Nissan Sentra a good-looking car?
It’s pleasant enough. We give the 2025 Sentra a 6 here, thanks to a combination of its distinctive exterior and pleasant cabin. It’s not a stunner, but it’s far from offensive or bland.
The Sentra has a wide, low grille with horizontal elements that make the car look bigger than it is. Its complex roofline features a floating-style rearmost roof pillar. Add two-tone paint where available and this small car can look downright dressy. The base version’s steel wheels wear cheap hubcaps, though other versions have snazzy alloy wheels.
Inside, the cabin has some nice details like round air vents with subtle brightwork. The standard 7.0-inch touchscreen looks a little lost in its big bezel, but the 8.0-incher on all but the base S trim level isn’t out of place. The available quilted leather on the Sentra SV gives this cabin a decidedly high-zoot atmosphere, too.
2025 Nissan Sentra Performance
The 2025 Nissan Sentra is a perfectly adequate performer.
Neither quick nor unpleasant, the 2025 Nissan Sentra is decidedly average, earning it a 5 out of 10 here on the TCC scale.
Is the Nissan Sentra 4WD?
No, this is a front-wheel-drive sedan.
How fast is the Nissan Sentra?
It’s not quick, but with 149 hp from its 2.0-liter inline-4, our expectations are admittedly low. The engine is smooth enough around town and there’s decent power in reserve for moderate highway passing, but the CVT-only setup means lots of droning at higher speeds. The gearbox doesn’t have the overly slushy feel we’ve come to expect from some CVTs, but it’s not very engaging either.
The Sentra has a fairly soft ride and its wheelbase is somewhat long for a compact car, which gives it nice stability at highway speeds and a comfortable feel on pockmarked roads. Even the top SR trim level with its 18-inch alloy wheels is just fine. Quick, light steering helps these cars feel nimble around town, while the standard active lane control lets it settle in nicely at higher speeds on longer treks.
2025 Nissan Sentra Comfort & Quality
The 2025 Nissan Sentra has a comfy cabin by compact car standards.
We rate the 2025 Nissan Sentra a 6 out of 10 for interior comfort thanks to its surprisingly plush and supportive front seats. They’re far better than we’ve come to expect from a car this inexpensive. Base models have manual adjustments for the driver, while a six-way power-adjustable seat with power lumbar is on the options list. Available quilted leather really dresses the place up, too.
The rear seat has reasonable legroom, but it’s not quite wide enough to handle three full-size adults. The 14.3 cubic-foot trunk is a bit above class average, though it’s nowhere near as practical as Nissan’s own, similarly priced Kicks.
Interior materials are low-buck in base S versions, but higher-end models swap in more soft-touch plastics and nicer upholstery for an overall atmosphere definitely in line with pricing.
2025 Nissan Sentra Safety
The 2025 Nissan Sentra has good crash-test scores.
How safe is the Nissan Sentra?
It’s a pretty good overall choice, even if it isn’t rated a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS. It gets points here for its five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and for its standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. We call it a 7 on the TCC scale.
The Sentra has done alright in IIHS crash tests, as the 2024 model earned mostly top Good scores, but received an Acceptable rating for the updated side impact test and a Poor rating for its standard headlights.
Lane-departure warnings, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, and rear parking sensors also come standard. Adaptive cruise control and a surround-view camera system are available.
2025 Nissan Sentra Features
The 2025 Nissan Sentra can be a good value if you’re careful with options.
The 2025 Nissan Versa starts at about $22,500, placing it among the cheapest new cars available today. It’s no slouch when it comes to equipment, though. At that price point you get a standard a 7.0-inch touchscreen, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cloth seats, a 6-way manually adjustable driver seat, a urethane steering wheel, power windows and locks, pushbutton start, and 16-inch steel wheels.
Overall, the Sentra range earns a 7 for features thanks to its simple infotainment system and its overall value. The 3-year/36,000-mile warranty is nothing special, though.
Which Nissan Sentra should I buy?
We’d bypass the S in favor of the step-up SV, which is only about $1,000 more but buys alloy wheels, a proximity key, more USB ports, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen. You can also add two options packages to it. One has heated front seats, a heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel, automatic climate control, and remote start, while the other ups the ante considerably with quilted leather upholstery, a power-adjustable driver seat, 17-inch alloy wheels, a surround-view camera system, a sunroof, and Bose audio.
How much is a fully loaded Nissan Sentra?
The Sentra SR has 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, and most of the features in the SV’s first option package for about $25,500. Add its premium package—with a surround-view camera system, a sunroof, Bose audio, a power driver seat, Bose audio, and synthetic leather—and it’s still priced under $29,000.
2025 Nissan Sentra Fuel Economy
The 2025 Nissan Sentra is fairly miserly.
Is the Nissan Sentra good on gas?
It’s decent. We rate it at 4 out of 10 based on last year’s posted estimates in the EPA’s test cycle. We’ll update this space if those figures change for 2025.
Most trim levels check in at 30 mpg city, 40 highway, 34 combined, while the heavier SR trim level at the top of the range is estimated at 30/38/33 mpg.
There’s no hybrid here.
