2025 Nissan Sentra Pricing Tops Out Where Honda Civic's Begins
The compact Sentra sedan remains a strong value in a world of ever-escalating prices.
New vehicles are still more expensive than in past years, even as the rate of that shift has slowed somewhat. But there is one thing that's stayed the same—if you want the most affordable new vehicle, you have to skip an SUV and stick with a good ol' fashioned, low-slung car. Nissan's one of the few automakers with several cars left to choose from (Ford, for example, has one, the Mustang, Chevy will be down to zero after the Malibu goes away, and so on), including its affordable Sentra compact sedan, which enters 2025 with few changes (after an update last year) but with a continued focus on attainability and value.
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To wit, the four-door 2025 Nissan Sentra's pricing moves northward by between $180 and $410, depending on which of the three trim levels you choose from: S, SV, or SR. The least-expensive Sentra S starts at just $22,730, while the top-of-the-line Sentra SR starts at $25,730—barely $385 more than the cheapest 2025 Honda Civic you can buy. Granted, the Civic is priced on the high end of the segment, especially considering what you get in the lower trim levels, but it's also the segment benchmark.
The Sentra also undercuts the 2025 Toyota Corolla ($23,270), Hyundai Elantra ($22,775), and new Kia K4 ($23,145). The Volkswagen Jetta is priced slightly lower in its least-expensive guise ($22,660), but that's because it comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission; every other primary competitor (the Sentra included) gets an automatic transmission standard; a VW Jetta equipped with an automatic starts higher at $23,460.
Every 2025 Nissan Sentra comes well equipped, with the entry-level Sentra S including a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (SV and SR models get 8.0-inch units), a 60/40 split-folding rear seatback, and Nissan Safety Shield 360 (blind-spot monitoring, automated emergency braking, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-departure warning. Sentra SV models upgrade to adaptive cruise control, proximity key entry, a six-speaker audio system, 16-inch aluminum wheels, two extra USB ports, and SiriusXM radio. A Premium package adds an eight-speaker Bose audio system, 17-inch wheels, 360-degree parking cameras, a power driver's seat, and a moonroof for $2,620. An SV All-Weather package ($670) adds heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and heated door mirrors. Finally, the SR variant comes with 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, heated front seats, and the option for two-tone paint jobs, with the $2,590 Premium package adding a heated steering wheel, moonroof, Bose audio, and 360-degree parking cameras.
No matter which Sentra you choose, power comes from a 149-hp 2.0-liter I-4 engine paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission—a setup shared by the entry-level Honda Civic, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, and Toyota Corolla. Fuel economy figures are strong, with the base Sentra delivering 30 mpg city, 40 mpg highway, and 34 mpg combined; the top-level SR drops those figures to 30/38/33 mpg. Unlike with the Corolla, Elantra, and Civic, there is no hybrid powertrain option for the Sentra offering greater efficiency, nor is there a higher-output option like the turbo in the K4 or Jetta GLI model. The Sentra delivers just-right features and value, and little more—and that's no bad thing in today's world of sustained high prices and automakers focusing on higher-profit SUVs and trucks.
2025 Nissan Sentra Pricing
A lifelong car enthusiast, I stumbled into this line of work essentially by accident after discovering a job posting for an intern position at Car and Driver while at college. My start may have been a compelling alternative to working in a University of Michigan dining hall, but a decade and a half later, here I am reviewing cars; judging our Car, Truck, and Performance Vehicle of the Year contests; and shaping MotorTrend’s daily coverage of the automotive industry.
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