Compared: 2024 Honda Civic Sedan vs. 2024 Nissan Sentra
Honda gives buyers a few more options, but Nissan makes a value play.
Honda | Nissan
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.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
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Sara Lacey has been writing about cars since 2005, and has written for leading newspapers and automotive websites. Sara grew up with a variety of Audis, Porsches, and even an International Harvester Scout II. Her favorite back in the day may have been her mom’s 1984 Audi Quattro turbo. Since she started automotive writing, her ability to pick a favorite has diminished because there are too many cool cars to choose from.
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