Compare the2025 Nissan SentraVS 2025 Honda Civic

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

Safety

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The Sentra SV/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. Rear cross-path warning is not offered on the CivicLX.

The Sentra SV/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.

Warranty

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance (up to 3 visits) on the Sentra for 1 year and 12000 miles longer than Honda pays for maintenance for the Civic (2/24,000 vs. 1/12000).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sentra second among compact cars in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Civic isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 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 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 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 7 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 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (146 vs. 133) than the Civic’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Sentra is faster than the Honda Civic 4 cyl.:

	Sentra	Civic
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	17.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.8 MPH	84.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sentra gets better fuel mileage than the Civic Hatchback with its standard engine (30 city/40 hwy vs. 30 city/38 hwy).

Both the Sentra and the Civic have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Sentras have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Civic Hybrid doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The Sentra has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (12.4 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

The Sentra stops much shorter than the Civic:

	Sentra	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	122 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 Sport Sedan pulls only .83 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 while under full throttle, the interior of the Sentra SR is quieter than the Civic Sport Sedan (76 vs. 78 dB).

Passenger Space

The Sentra has 1.5 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 LX 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 LX/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

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Nissan Sentra as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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