2024 Nissan Sentra

One engine across the 2024 range: the 2.0L naturally aspirated four at 149 hp, near the bottom of the sedan band.

146 lb-ft from the same 2.0L, unchanged for the 2024 refresh.

Slow for the segment; the 149-hp CVT car needs roughly 9 seconds to 60 mph.

Smooth and quiet at cruise, but the 2.0L feels strained and buzzy when pushed, with little midrange punch.

Xtronic CVT is smooth and simulates steps, but drones and flares under heavy throttle.

Front-wheel drive only on every 2024 trim; no AWD offered.

A single powertrain — 2.0L/CVT/FWD — with no turbo, hybrid or electrified option, while Civic, Corolla and Elantra offer hybrids.

Competitive non-hybrid compact-sedan economy.

30 MPG city for the volume S/SV, matched by the SR.

Strong highway figure for a gas compact.

Small 12.4-gal tank limits range despite good economy.

Low running cost on regular fuel, per EPA's current price basis.

Runs on regular unleaded across every trim.

NHTSA rates the 2024 Sentra 5 stars overall. The weak spot is frontal impact at 4 stars, pulled down by a 4-star passenger-side result.

No 2024 IIHS award. The small-overlap and original moderate-overlap tests are Good, and the Good small-overlap results reflect a new driver frontal airbag added for 2024. The updated side test is only Acceptable because the driver's head struck the window sill, Poor headlights on every trim rule out an award, and the updated moderate-overlap (rear passenger) test has not been rated.

Safety Shield 360 is standard on every trim: AEB with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, high-beam assist and rear automatic braking. That is broad standard content for the class. The main gap is adaptive cruise, which the base S lacks and which comes with steering assist (ProPILOT Assist) only as an upper-trim option.

IIHS rates the standard pedestrian AEB only Marginal. It avoided the 12 mph crossing-child and nighttime-adult targets but cut only 8 mph off the 25 mph child impact. The standard rear automatic braking partly makes up for this.

Blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert are standard on the base S rather than locked to upper trims, and rear automatic braking adds real intervention when reversing. The blind-spot system only warns — it never steers or brakes — and there is no safe-exit alert.

Every trim gets lane departure warning, but active steering assist comes only with the optional ProPILOT Assist on upper trims, so the volume car mostly warns. Reviewers find ProPILOT's centering competent on well-marked highways.

Intelligent Cruise Control and the stop-and-go ProPILOT Assist are offered and are smooth mainstream systems. The base S keeps conventional cruise, and full ProPILOT is an upper-trim option rather than standard, which drops this into the mid band.

No trim offers hands-free driving. ProPILOT Assist requires hands on the wheel, and ProPILOT Assist 2.0 was never offered on the Sentra.

IIHS rates both headlight variants Poor: the LED reflectors on the SR and the halogen reflectors on the S and SV. Low-beam visibility was inadequate on the straightaway and on all four curves. High-beam assist is standard, but no curve-adaptive lights are offered.

The low cowl gives a clear view forward, but the high beltline, sharply raked rear window and thick C-pillars limit the over-the-shoulder view. A rear camera and blind-spot warning are standard, and the Intelligent Around View Monitor is limited to the top trim.

IIHS rates LATCH Good+. There are two full LATCH positions, and the center seat has a tether and can borrow lower anchors. The outboard anchors are not buried in the seat and are easy to attach and maneuver around. Compact-sedan rear space still makes three seats across impractical.

Five-seat compact sedan, the top of the sedan band.

The volume SV comes without a moonroof, so it scores on 38.9 in, which is generous for a compact.

44.0 in of front legroom is at the top of the sedan band.

Rear headroom is middling for a compact sedan with a sloping roofline.

34.9 in of rear legroom trails the Civic and Corolla-class leaders, and reviewers call the back seat tight for larger adults.

14.3 cu ft is an average-sized compact trunk, and the 60/40 fold is standard.

It has competitive everyday storage (front and rear door pockets, a sliding console armrest, and a rear armrest with cupholders on SR and with the SV Premium Package) but nothing clever.

Nissan's Zero Gravity front seats are a class strength on long drives, but the rear bench is tight, and the SV has a 6-way manual driver's seat unless you add the Premium Package.

The multi-link rear suspension with Intelligent Ride Control gives a smooth, composed ride that reviewers praise, though it isn't class-leading plushness.

Wind and road noise are well controlled for the price, but the CVT and the 2.0L drone under hard acceleration.

Dual-zone auto climate, heated seats and a heated wheel are standard on SR but cost extra on the volume SV (All-Weather Package). No ventilated seats or rear vents on any trim.

The refreshed 2024 Sentra S opens at $20,630 plus $1,095 destination, one of the lowest entry prices of any new compact sedan and below both the Corolla and Civic.

The SV is the volume trim, and even with destination it lands under $23,000 before options. That undercuts the volume trims of the Corolla and Civic by a couple of thousand dollars.

The 2.0L four needs only routine service, but Edmunds' 5-year maintenance projection sits in the mid-$5,000s, and the Xtronic CVT is a known risk once the powertrain warranty ends. This is middling for the class, above the Corolla's projection.

This is the Sentra's weakest cost metric. Heavy fleet and rental volume, large incentives and doubts about the CVT hold residuals well below the Corolla and Civic, so part of the low sticker price comes back out at trade-in.

Nissan's New Vehicle Limited Warranty covers 3 years or 36,000 miles, the lowest term in the segment. It matches Toyota and Honda and is half of Hyundai's and Kia's.

Powertrain coverage lasts 5 years or 60,000 miles, again the segment minimum. It matters more here because the CVT, the part owners most want covered, leaves warranty at 60,000 miles.

The 2024 Sentra comes with no complimentary scheduled maintenance, with nothing like ToyotaCare's 2 years / 25,000 miles. The only extras are 3-year/36,000-mile roadside assistance and a NissanConnect Services trial on equipped trims, which puts it at the bottom of the guidance's roadside-only band.

$22,655 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (44% retained, or about $9,968) leaves about $12,687 in depreciation. Add the projected $6,000 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $18,687 in total.

The 2024 Sentra is a fifth-year car in the B18 generation (on sale since MY2020), past the launch-year risk, and its model-level quality signals are solidly average-to-good: a runner-up finish in its J.D. Power Initial Quality segment and 'Good'-band aggregate reliability scores. It still trails the Corolla/Civic benchmarks because the CVT remains the dominant long-term risk.

Nissan is a mid-pack brand whose standing was improving around the 2024 model year — up to 6th overall in J.D. Power's 2024 IQS — but its multi-year dependability and Consumer Reports brand ranking sit in the middle of the table, still weighed down by the 2013-2018 CVT legacy.

The 2024 model year drew three to four NHTSA campaigns — typical in count, but one is a powertrain loss-of-drive-power defect and another a driver airbag inflator, which is more serious than the windshield and component-level campaigns alone would suggest. Nissan CVT judder/reflash bulletins remain a recurring TSB theme.

The 2.0L MR20DD four is a low-stress, long-serving unit with no significant durability flag, but it drives through Nissan's Xtronic CVT, the transmission family with the weakest longevity reputation among mainstream compacts. Current units are materially improved over the 2013-2018 population, keeping this in the mixed-history band rather than below it.

The B18 cabin is a relative strength for the price: reviewers credit its design, available quilted leatherette on SR/SV Premium and Zero Gravity seats, ahead of the plastic-heavy Corolla and Elantra, though base trims show expected hard plastics in low-touch zones.

Initial quality is a real bright spot for this model year — a segment runner-up finish in J.D. Power's IQS — tempered by the plant retrofit error that left driveshafts unseated on thousands of cars, an assembly-process lapse.

Nissan runs one of the larger US franchised networks, comparable in count to Honda, so access is not a concern; service satisfaction is mid-pack and the network has been contracting amid Nissan's US restructuring.

A long-running, high-volume US compact with deep parts commonality across Nissan's MR-engine/Xtronic lineup, so parts are cheap and universally stocked and independent shops service it readily. A CVT replacement is the four-figure outlier that keeps it out of the top band.

The SV has an 8-inch touchscreen, which is small against rivals' 9–10-inch screens, and no larger screen is offered.

The 8-inch system is quick and simple, and it keeps physical knobs and climate controls, but the graphics and screen size are dated.

CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every trim but wired only, and there is no wireless option on the 2024. Wireless arrived with the 2026 redesign.

No native navigation on any 2024 trim, and voice is basic Bluetooth/hands-free text. Owners rely on phone projection.

The SV's 6-speaker base system is ordinary, and an 8-speaker Bose system is available only in the SV/SR Premium packages.

Analog gauges flank a 7-inch Advanced Drive-Assist Display on SV/SR. It's partly digital, and no full-digital cluster is offered.

No meaningful over-the-air update capability on the 2024 system. Software updates are dealer or USB.

NissanConnect Services (remote start and lock by app) comes only with the SR Premium Package, so the volume SV has no connected-app functions. There is no digital key.

The SV has one USB-A and one USB-C up front plus a rear USB-A charge port. Wireless charging is limited to the SR, and there are no AC outlets.

The SV has Intelligent Key proximity entry with push-button start, and remote start comes with the All-Weather Package. No phone-as-key.

A rear camera, Rear Automatic Braking and RCTA are standard. Intelligent Around View Monitor is optional (SV and SR Premium packages); there are no front parking sensors or park assist.

No head-up display is offered on any 2024 Sentra trim.

IIHS rates the LATCH setup G+, but rear legroom of 34.9 in and the sedan trunk make car seats and strollers a squeeze compared with the Civic or a small crossover.

NHTSA gives it 5 stars overall, and Safety Shield 360 (AEB with pedestrian detection, BSW, RCTA, rear auto braking) plus Rear Door Alert is standard on every trim. Poor-rated headlights on every trim hold it back.

The Zero Gravity front seats are comfortable, but the rear is tight, has no rear vents, one rear USB-A and a mid-size trunk. It works for medium trips with four people.

It's smooth and easy in traffic: the retuned CVT is less rubbery, the ride is soft and visibility good, and intelligent cruise is standard on SV. There's no stop-and-go steering assist.

34 mpg combined on regular fuel and cheap consumables (16-inch tires on the SV) make it inexpensive to commute in, though below hybrid rivals.

Its 182.9-in length is easy to place, but a 38.1-ft turning circle is wide for a compact. Around View is optional.

Not a work vehicle: there's no tow rating, 149 hp, and a 14.3-cu-ft trunk.

It's a simple, proven 2.0L chassis common in fleets, but the Nissan CVT's reliability reputation and the budget cabin don't suit hard use.

There are no work provisions: no onboard power beyond a 12V outlet, no hitch, and no rack ecosystem.

It's comfortable on the highway with Zero Gravity seats and standard intelligent cruise, but range is only about 420 miles from a 12.4-gal tank, the CVT drones on grades, and full ProPILOT Assist isn't offered.

It's front-drive only with 4.7 in of ground clearance and no tow rating, so it stays on pavement.

The 60/40 split-fold rear seat and 14.3-cu-ft trunk handle normal luggage, but there are no roof rails, no hitch, and bulky gear doesn't fit through the sedan opening.

The independent multi-link rear suspension gives secure, balanced cornering with little understeer, though there's noticeable body lean and it isn't Civic- or Mazda3-sharp.

The dual-pinion electric rack is accurate and quick (2.53 turns lock to lock) but light and numb.

MotorWeek measured a 110-ft 60–0 stop, which is good for the class, although the S uses rear drums and pedal feel is ordinary.

The 2024 CVT update brought smoother simulated shifts, but 149 hp gives slow response (0–60 in 8.8–10.4 s), and stop/start is standard.

It's quiet cruising, but the 2.0L gets coarse and the CVT drones under hard throttle.

The 38.1-ft turning diameter is wide for a compact sedan.

It has a good seating position with a tilt/telescoping D-shaped wheel, simple physical controls and good sightlines. The SV's driver's seat is manual (6-way) unless you add the Premium Package.

Competent but uninspiring: reviewers call it slow and 'not even a little bit interesting to drive'.

Every 2024 trim, including the $20,630 S, comes with Nissan Safety Shield 360: automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning and rear automatic braking. The refreshed SV Premium Package now includes Bose audio and the Around View Monitor. The base S still makes do with a small 7-inch screen and steel wheels.

It undercuts the Civic and Corolla by roughly $2,000 at like-for-like trims while matching their safety content and offering a roomy, comfortable cabin. The 149-hp CVT powertrain and the lack of a hybrid limit its performance per dollar.

There are three sensibly spaced trims (S, SV, SR) plus SV and SR premium packages. Every trim shares one engine, one transmission and front-wheel drive, and there is no hybrid or performance variant, so the lineup has clear gaps.

The refresh year was a strong one: Sentra sales rose about 40% in calendar 2024 to roughly 153,000 units, one of the biggest gains among compact sedans. That volume was helped by fleet sales and incentives, but it made the Sentra a fast riser behind the Civic, Corolla and Elantra.

Nissan's badge has a neutral-to-weak image in this segment. Its reputation for CVT durability and a rental-fleet image weigh on how buyers see the Sentra and on its resale, especially next to Toyota and Honda.

Nissan backed the 2024 Sentra with cash allowances, subsidized APR and lease support throughout the model year, and leftover 2024 units kept carrying offers into 2025. That gives buyers plenty of room to negotiate below MSRP.

The 2024 model got the mid-cycle refresh of the B18 generation that launched for 2020, with a new fascia, a new CVT with idle stop-start, and cabin updates. The platform is five years old, though, and a full redesign arrived for 2026, two model years later.

Reviewers praise its low price, comfortable ride, spacious cabin and standard safety content. They consistently place it behind the Civic, Mazda3 and Corolla for driving, powertrain refinement and hybrid choice. It is well reviewed but seldom the pick of the class.