Compare the2023 Nissan SentraVS 2023 Honda Civic

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Sentra SR offers an optional Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Civic only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sentra has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Civic Touring/Sport Touring offers Cross Traffic Monitor.

The Sentra SR offers optional NissanConnect Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Sentra and the Civic have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available daytime running lights.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Sentra is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Sentra	Civic
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	292	325
Neck Injury Risk	29%	30%

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Sentra is safer than the Honda Civic:

	Sentra	Civic
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	162	195
Abdominal Force	196 lbs.	286 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	160	268
Spine Acceleration	45 G’s	79 G’s
Hip Force	444 lbs.	516 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	160	260
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	660 lbs.	805 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Sentra is safer than the Civic Sedan:

	Sentra	Civic
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	1.26 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	268 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.65 in	1.85 in
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1071 lbs.	1138 lbs.
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.87 in	1.61 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sentra third among compact cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Civic isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 25 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Honda.

Engine

The Sentra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (146 vs. 138) than the Civic Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Sentra is faster than the Civic Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Sentra	Civic
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	9.2 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	17 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.8 MPH	86.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sentra S/SV gets better fuel mileage than the Civic Sport 2.0 4-cylinder Auto (29 city/39 hwy vs. 30 city/37 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the Sentra gets better mileage than the Civic Hatchback:

			MPG
Sentra
	Auto	S/SV 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/39 hwy
Civic Hatchback
	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/37 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	Sport Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Sentra uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Sentra higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic (6 to 7). This means the Sentra produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Civic every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Sentra stops much shorter than the Civic:

	Sentra	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Sentra has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Civic doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sentra is 1.5 inches wider in the front and .3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Civic.

The Sentra SR handles at .89 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sentra SR executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (27 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Sentra uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Civic doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Sentra SR is quieter than the Civic Sport Sedan:

	Sentra	Civic
At idle	38 dB	40 dB
Full-Throttle	76 dB	84 dB
70 MPH Cruising	70 dB	72 dB

Passenger Space

The Sentra has 1.7 inches more front legroom and 4.4 inches more rear hip room than the Civic.

Cargo Capacity

The Sentra’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Civic Sport Sedan’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

Ergonomics

The Sentra’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Civic Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

On extremely cold winter days, the Sentra SV/SR’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Civic doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sentra third among compact cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Civic isn’t in the top three.