2025 Nissan Sentra

The 2025 Sentra, a late-run year of the eighth generation (B18, launched for 2020), has one engine: a 149-hp naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four. So the volume SV and the top of the range are the same figure, near the bottom of the compact-sedan field.

146 lb-ft of peak torque arrives high in the rev range, as is typical for a naturally aspirated four. It is a little more than the Civic's and Elantra's base engines make, but far less than turbocharged compact rivals.

About 3,050–3,150 lb carried by 149 hp makes the Sentra one of the slowest compact sedans. Instrumented tests of this powertrain cluster at 8.4–8.8 s, and the representative SV is placed at the slow end of that cluster.

The 2.0L is smooth and has no lag in easy town driving, but it gets buzzy and sounds strained on highway merges and grades, where the CVT holds it near peak revs. No hybrid version exists to smooth out low-speed response, so it rates below the Corolla (58), Elantra (62) and Civic (70).

The Xtronic CVT uses stepped-shift logic under throttle and is smooth in everyday driving, but it drones under sustained load more than Honda's and Toyota's calibrations do. It is also the only transmission offered: there is no manual and no geared automatic.

Every 2025 Sentra trim is front-wheel drive, and no AWD option is offered anywhere in the range. That matches the FWD-only Civic and Elantra (both 15) and trails the Corolla, which offers AWD on its hybrid trims.

One engine, one CVT and front-wheel drive on every trim: no turbo, no hybrid, no plug-in and no manual. This is the narrowest lineup among mainstream compact sedans and sits in the framework's single-powertrain band.

EPA rates the volume S/SV at 34 MPG combined on regular fuel. That is competitive with non-hybrid compact rivals, just short of the Corolla and Civic, and well behind hybrid versions.

30 MPG in the city is solid for a gas-only compact, helped by standard idle stop/start. It is a couple of MPG below the Corolla and Civic.

40 MPG on the highway is the Sentra's strongest efficiency figure. The SR loses two MPG on its larger wheels.

The small 12.4-gallon tank caps combined range at about 420 miles despite good mileage. That trails the Corolla's 13.2-gallon tank and larger-tanked sedans.

EPA estimates $1,900 a year in fuel for the volume trim on regular gas. That is low for a non-hybrid, though hybrid compacts cost several hundred dollars less.

Every trim runs on regular 87-octane unleaded, with no premium recommendation, which matches the Corolla, Civic and Elantra.

The 2025 Sentra (B18 generation, final model year before the 2026 redesign) carries a 5-star NHTSA overall rating; frontal impact is the weaker leg at 4 stars.

Good in both small-overlap tests, but Marginal in the updated moderate-overlap test (rear passenger protection) and only Acceptable in the updated side test, so no 2025 award. It sits well below Civic/Camry-class rivals that earn TSP/TSP+.

Nissan Safety Shield 360 is standard on every trim: forward AEB with pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning and high-beam assist. Adaptive cruise is not on the base S (Intelligent Cruise Control arrives at SV, ProPILOT Assist only via packages), which keeps it out of the top band.

Standard AEB exists, but it tests badly under IIHS's current protocols: Poor in the higher-speed vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 test and only Marginal for pedestrian detection. Standard rear automatic braking is a small offset.

Blind Spot Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are standard on every trim, backed by standard rear automatic braking. It is alert-only, with no active blind-spot intervention or safe-exit alert.

Lane departure warning (with Intelligent Lane Intervention on upper trims) is widespread, but true lane centering needs ProPILOT Assist, which is package-gated rather than standard on the volume SV. Reviewers call ProPILOT centering competent on well-marked highways.

The volume SV gets Intelligent Cruise Control, and ProPILOT Assist adds stop-and-go ACC with lane centering in packaged configurations. It is well regarded when fitted, but it is absent on the base S and not standard on the volume trim, so it trails rivals that make it standard.

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

IIHS rates every 2025 Sentra headlight Poor, both the halogen units on S/SV and the LEDs on SR. Standard High Beam Assist only partly compensates.

Typical compact-sedan sightlines, with reasonably slim A-pillars and a fastback-ish rear that narrows the rear view. Standard rearview camera and blind-spot warning help, and Intelligent Around View Monitor is limited to upper-trim packages.

IIHS rates the LATCH hardware Good+ (extra positions), and the rear seat is roomy for the class. Three-across is still tight in a compact sedan.

Five-passenger compact sedan on every 2025 trim.

Generous front headroom for a compact sedan on the volume SV without moonroof.

Front legroom is a class-leading Sentra strength.

Rear headroom is mid-pack for compact sedans; the fastback roofline trims it.

Rear legroom trails Civic, Corolla and Elantra; reviewers call the back seat tight for adults.

Trunk is average for the class, with a usable opening and 60/40 folding rear seat.

Conventional compact-sedan storage — console bin, door pockets, two cupholders and a phone tray (wireless pad on premium packages); nothing innovative.

Zero Gravity front seats are a consistent review positive; rear seat is serviceable but tight for adults on long trips.

Reviewers split: a quiet, controlled highway ride with decent damping, but a suspension several testers call oddly firm over broken pavement.

Wind noise is reasonable, but CVT engine drone under acceleration and moderate road noise are recurring complaints.

Heated seats, heated steering wheel and remote start are package options on SV (standard remote start on SR); base S lacks them entirely.

The 2025 S opens at $21,590 before destination, one of the lowest entry prices among compact sedans and well under a Civic LX or Corolla LE. It is the base of a three-trim ladder, with SV and SR above it.

The SV is the trim reviewers recommend and the one most buyers take. It adds alloys, ProPILOT Assist-ready driver assists and more comfort features over the bare S, and it still lands around $24,000 delivered, under most rivals' base trims.

The naturally aspirated 2.0L MR20DD runs on regular fuel with simple service needs, and new for 2025 are three free oil changes over 2 years/24,000 miles, which trims early costs. The Xtronic CVT is still the out-of-warranty repair risk once the 60,000-mile powertrain term runs out, so it doesn't beat the Corolla.

Sources disagree widely, but the forward residual projection, which is the one relevant to a new-car buyer, puts the Sentra among the weaker compact sedans. Heavy fleet and rental volume and wariness about the CVT hold its used values below the Corolla and Civic. The retrospective data is lifted by the 2021–23 used-car price spike.

Nissan's New Vehicle Limited Warranty runs 36 months or 36,000 miles, the industry floor. It matches Toyota and Honda but is two years short of Hyundai and Kia.

Powertrain coverage is 60 months or 60,000 miles, the floor of the band. That matters here because the Xtronic CVT, the component buyers worry about most, loses coverage at 60,000 miles, versus 100,000 miles on an Elantra or K4.

New for 2025, Nissan Maintenance Care includes three complimentary oil changes within 2 years or 24,000 miles, along with 3-year/36,000-mile roadside assistance and a NissanConnect trial including the newly added Wi-Fi hotspot. It covers oil only, which is short of ToyotaCare's full scheduled maintenance and Hyundai's 3-year plan.

$24,050 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (47% retained, or about $11,304) leaves about $12,747 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,400 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $17,147 in total.

2025 is the sixth and final model year of the B18 generation (the B19 was revealed September 2025 as a 2026 model), so this is a mature, fully debugged car, and both major sources are favorable for it. Consumer Reports expects it to be more reliable than the average new car and named it a 2025 Top 10 Pick, and J.D. Power ranked the Sentra highest in the Compact Car segment of the 2025 Initial Quality Study, which surveys owners of 2025 model-year vehicles. Two things keep it below the Corolla/Civic tier: CR's prediction is derived from the Nissan brand score rather than a deep model-specific history, and IQS measures only the first 90 days, not long-term dependability.

Nissan's record depends on the time horizon, and this item has to price both. On initial quality the brand is currently the best of the mass-market makes, but on multi-year dependability it is not a leader, and the 2013-2018 Xtronic CVT failure population and its class-action settlements still weigh on its long-term data. The result sits in the upper half of the mid-pack band. It is held level with the researched 2025 Altima scorecard for brand consistency.

Four NHTSA campaigns for one model year is above-typical activity for a sixth-year carry-over car. All four are manufacturing or supplier defects rather than design faults. What drags the score down is repetition: two of the 2025 campaigns repeat defects already recalled on the 2024 Sentra (windshield air bubbles, and a front-left driveshaft not fully seated in the CVT). That points to a process-control problem at the plant that went uncorrected, not isolated one-offs. The door-striker campaign is a real safety defect (FMVSS 206 noncompliance). The small driveshaft population and the absence of any engine or fire campaign keep this above the sub-50 band.

The engine and the transmission pull in opposite directions, which is the mixed-history band. The MR20DD 2.0L four is a low-stress, long-serving Nissan unit with no significant high-mileage red flag. The Jatco Xtronic CVT is materially improved over the 2013-2018 units that damaged Nissan's reputation, but it still depends on fluid service to reach high mileage and lacks a Toyota- or Honda-grade longevity record. The 2025 driveshaft-seating recall is an assembly defect, not a CVT design fault, and is not scored against the powertrain family here.

Reviewers consistently rate the B18 cabin above what its price suggests for a mainstream compact: soft-touch trim across the dash and doors on SV and up, available quilted leatherette on the SR, and Zero Gravity seats. Base trims still carry the expected hard plastics in low-touch zones. It is ahead of the plastic-heavy Corolla and Elantra but short of the Civic's cabin.

Strong initial quality scores are what defines this item's top band, and the 2025 Sentra has the best available: it won the Compact Car segment of J.D. Power's 2025 IQS outright. The recall record is the counterweight. Windshield glass defects and a driveshaft not fully seated at assembly both recurred from 2024, which shows real process-consistency lapses at the plant, so the score stops short of the 80s.

This is a brand-level item. Nissan runs one of the larger US franchised networks, comparable in dealer count to Honda, so access is not the constraint. What caps the score is service satisfaction that runs mid-pack rather than class-leading, and a network that is contracting under Nissan's US restructuring. The score is held level with the 2025 Altima for brand consistency.

This is the category's clearest strength, and it is backed by measured ownership-cost data. The Sentra is a decades-old, high-volume US compact with deep parts commonality across Nissan's lineup. Annual repair cost is below the compact average and unscheduled shop visits are below the segment rate. A CVT replacement is the four-figure outlier in the long-term cost tail and keeps it out of the upper 80s.

Small screen by 2025 standards; the 12.3-in display arrived only with the 2026 redesign.

Simple, quick-responding system with physical climate and volume controls, but small and visibly dated next to rivals.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every trim but require a USB cable; wireless projection came with the 2026 redesign.

Basic voice recognition; no meaningful native navigation on the volume trim, so owners rely on phone projection.

Base four/six-speaker systems are ordinary, but the available 8-speaker Bose system is praised.

A 7-inch configurable display sits between analog gauges on SV/SR — partial digital only.

No whole-vehicle OTA capability on the B18 Sentra; infotainment updates are dealer or USB based.

MyNISSAN app with NissanConnect Services (remote start, lock/unlock, Wi-Fi) on SV and SR, subscription-based after trial; no phone-as-key.

USB-A and USB-C up front on SV/SR with wireless charging on premium packages; no AC outlet.

Push-button start is standard, proximity entry comes on SV/SR, remote start is optional on SV; no digital key.

Rear camera standard; Intelligent Around View Monitor 360° camera is optional on SV/SR Premium packages and has good resolution.

No head-up display is offered on any 2025 Sentra trim.

IIHS rates LATCH Good+, but 34.9 in rear legroom makes rear-facing seats and teen passengers tight; trunk fits a stroller.

Safety Shield 360 AEB and blind-spot warning are standard and NHTSA gives 5 stars, but IIHS updated moderate-overlap (Marginal), front crash prevention 2.0 (Poor) and Poor headlights undercut it.

Fine for two adults up front on Zero Gravity seats, but the tight rear, no rear vents on most trims, CVT drone and an average trunk limit family trips.

Easy, predictable city car with smooth low-speed CVT behavior and comfortable seats; merging and passing need planning.

34 MPG combined on regular fuel and cheap consumables keep per-mile costs low, though hybrid rivals are cheaper still.

Compact footprint and available 360° camera help, but the 38.1 ft turning circle is wide for the class.

No published tow rating, FWD-only 149 hp powertrain and a sedan trunk — not a work vehicle.

Simple, cheap-to-maintain drivetrain popular in fleets, but the CVT's long-term reputation and light-duty build argue against hard use.

No AC outlet, hitch, roof rails or upfit ecosystem; only USB power.

~420-mile range and good front seats, but CVT drone at speed, firm ride and hands-on ProPILOT only on upper packages limit it as a tourer.

FWD only, low sedan ground clearance and no tow rating or roof rails — pavement-bound.

14.3 cu ft trunk with 60/40 folding seats handles normal luggage; bulky gear, roof boxes or hitch racks are not supported from the factory.

Balanced, secure chassis with independent rear suspension that corners tidily, but limited grip and little engagement.

Steering is repeatedly described as numb and mushy — light, with little feedback.

Smooth, predictable brakes in reviews; no standout instrumented stopping data for 2025.

The revised CVT behaves more naturally with simulated shifts, but the 149 hp engine is slow to respond at highway speeds.

Engine gets loud and droning under acceleration, enough to interrupt conversation.

Wide turning circle for a compact sedan.

Zero Gravity seats, class-leading front legroom and physical controls make a comfortable position; power seat only on premium packages.

Appliance-like: no manual, turbo or performance variant, and reviewers describe a car tuned not to be fun.

Every trim gets Nissan Safety Shield 360: AEB with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, rear automatic braking and high-beam assist. For 2025 a Wi-Fi hotspot is added, along with free oil changes. The base S is sparse, though, with 16-inch steel wheels, a 7-inch touchscreen and four speakers, and reviewers call it too stripped-down. Base Civic, Corolla and Elantra trims match its safety content.

At about $24,000 for a well-equipped SV, the Sentra undercuts nearly every compact rival while offering a quiet, roomy cabin and a full safety suite. Several things hold it at fair value: the 149-hp 2.0L/CVT is the slowest powertrain in the class, no hybrid is offered, and weak residuals give back part of the price advantage.

There are three sensibly spaced trims, S, SV and SR, plus an SR Midnight Edition and SR premium packages, so most budgets find a slot. Mechanically there is no choice at all: one 2.0L engine, one CVT, FWD only, and no hybrid, manual or performance model. The Civic and Elantra ranges are far wider.

About 152,600 US sales in calendar 2025, flat year on year, make the Sentra Nissan's second-best seller and a firm top-four compact sedan. It is a strong, steady seller rather than a class leader, and part of that volume is fleet and incentive-supported.

Nissan is at the low end of neutral. Its CVT durability reputation falls squarely on a CVT-only car, its dependability rankings are mid-pack, it has a history of discount-led selling, and its residuals are weak. The brand keeps broad familiarity and a large dealer network, but it trails Toyota, Honda and Hyundai in the same cross-shop.

This is the final year of the B18 generation, and the redesigned 2026 car arrived in fall 2025, so outgoing 2025 inventory carries cash allowances, low-APR financing and lease support on top of Nissan's usual volume-first incentives. Dealers negotiate far more freely than Toyota or Honda stores do.

2025 is the sixth and final model year of the B18 generation that launched for 2020, refreshed for 2024 with new styling, more tech and a new CVT. Its replacement was revealed in September 2025, so a 2025 buyer gets an outgoing design with immediate redesign risk. The 2024 refresh keeps it out of the bottom of the band.

The 2025 Sentra was named to Consumer Reports' 2025 10 Top Picks in the Small Car category, a notable recognition for value, safety and comfort. Enthusiast outlets are cooler: Edmunds rates it 5.4/10, and it routinely trails the Civic, Mazda3, Elantra and K4 in comparisons because of slow acceleration, CVT drone and inert handling.