Compare the2023 Honda CivicVS 2023 Nissan Sentra

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Sentra’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Civic and the Sentra 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, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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

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 Honda Civic is safer than the Nissan Sentra:

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Civic the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sentra last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Civic for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Sentra.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Civic’s reliability 59 points higher than the Sentra.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 10 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The Civic Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (158 vs. 149) than the Sentra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 31 more horsepower (180 vs. 149) and 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (177 vs. 146) than the Sentra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Civic is faster than the Nissan Sentra:

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

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

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Civic’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Sentra doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Civic has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Sentra doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Honda Civic has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Rear drums are standard on the Sentra. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Civic stops shorter than the Sentra:

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Sentra (215/50R17 vs. 205/55R16). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sentra (235/40R18 vs. 215/45R18).

The Civic EX/EX-L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sentra S/SV’s standard 55 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Sentra SR’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic EX/EX-L has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Sentra S/SV.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the Sentra (107.7 inches vs. 106.6 inches).

The Civic Touring Sedan handles at .88 G’s, while the Sentra SR pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Civic Touring Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Sentra SR (26.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Civic EX/EX-L’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Sentra’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

The Civic Sedan is 3.7 inches shorter than the Sentra, making the Civic easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

The Civic has 3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sentra (99 vs. 96).

The Civic has .4 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sentra.

The Civic Sedan has a larger trunk than the Sentra (14.8 vs. 14.3 cubic feet).

The Civic’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Sentra’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Civic’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Sentra’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

On a hot day the Civic’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Sentra can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Civic Touring/Sport Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Sentra’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Civic’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Sentra’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Consumer Reports rated the Civic’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Sentra’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Civic’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Sentra’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Civic’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Sentra S doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

The Civic Touring/Sport Touring’s standard GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Sentra’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Civic Touring/Sport Touring has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Sentra doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Honda Civic comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Nissan Sentra isn’t available as a four door hatchback.

Insurance will cost less for the Civic owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Civic will cost $20 to $1710 less than the Sentra over a five-year period.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Civic, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Nissan Sentra isn't recommended.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its October 2021 issue and they ranked the Honda Civic Touring Sedan first. They ranked the Nissan Sentra SR fifth.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2022 North American Car of the Year. The Sentra has never been chosen.

The Honda Civic outsold the Nissan Sentra by 74% during 2022.