Compared: 2024 Honda Civic Sedan vs. 2024 Nissan Sentra
Honda gives buyers a few more options, but Nissan makes a value play.
Honda | Nissan
QuickTakes:
The 2024 Honda Civic and the 2024 Nissan Sentra are two solid options in the compact-sedan segment. The Civic has impressed journalists and car buyers for decades with its sporty driving behavior, good looks, and roomy interior. The Sentra is less spirited but still a good value, with many of the same features at a low price.
Honda
The Sentra Is the Bargain Buy
The Nissan Sentra starts around $22,000, which is about $3,000 less than the base Honda Civic. The lineup consists of three trims — S, SV, and SR — all of which come exclusively with a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine making 149 horsepower and front-wheel drive.
Nissan
The $25,000 entry-level Civic employs a similar but more powerful powertrain, producing 158 ponies. Honda also offers a 180-hp turbocharged engine in the top two trims, the lower of which opens at $28,000. All-wheel drive is not available on either sedan.
Honda
Only the Civic Offers Wireless CarPlay
Nissan equips every Sentra with automatic high-beams, lane-departure warning, front and rear automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot monitoring. Buyers of the mid-level or top trim gain adaptive cruise control and the option to spec a 360-degree camera system.
Nissan
Honda bundles things a bit differently, making the 360-degree camera and adaptive cruise standard across the lineup but reserving blind-spot monitoring for the top two Civic trims. Rear automatic emergency braking, however, isn't available on any Civic.
As for the tech setups, the base Sentra has a 7.0-inch touchscreen while the other two trims get an 8.0-inch display. Both support wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, as does the 7.0-inch unit in the bottom three Civic trims (LX, Sport, and EX). Honda's top offering, the Touring, has a 9.0-inch screen with wireless smartphone-mirroring tech. That model also receives heated front seats trimmed in leather (optional on the Sentra) and a wireless phone-charging pad (unavailable on the Sentra).
Honda
Honda Has the Edge in Fuel Economy
The most efficient Civic is the EX trim, with EPA ratings of 33/42/36 mpg city/highway/combined. It bests the other turbo trim in fuel economy because it rolls on slightly smaller wheels. The non-turbo models aren't too far off the mark, returning up to 21/43/35 mpg.
Nissan
The Sentra trails slightly behind that, with a rating of up to 30/40/34 mpg.
All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.
