Compare the2025 Nissan SentraVS 2024 Audi A3

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sentra are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The A3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sentra has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The A3 doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

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 A3 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.

The Sentra has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the A3’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sentra has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Audi charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Assist on the A3.

The Sentra’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The A3 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sentra and the A3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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 and available daytime running lights.

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Sentra 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A3 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Sentra for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Nissan will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A3.

There are almost 4 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sentra’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sentra second among compact cars in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The A3 isn’t in the top three in its category.

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 Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 76 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

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 Audi With 76 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Audi.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 2 places higher in reliability than Audi.

On the EPA test cycle the Sentra gets better mileage than the A3:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Sentra uses regular unleaded gasoline. The A3 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Sentra has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The A3 doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Sentra stops much shorter than the A3:

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 A3 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sentra’s wheelbase is 3.1 inches longer than on the A3 (106.6 inches vs. 103.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sentra is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the A3.

The Nissan Sentra may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 400 pounds less than the Audi A3.

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 A3 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Sentra a Mid-size car, while the A3 is rated a Subcompact.

The Sentra has 9.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A3 (96.1 vs. 87).

The Sentra has 2.1 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the A3.

The Sentra has a much larger trunk than the A3 (14.3 vs. 10.9 cubic feet).

The Sentra (except S) offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The A3 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Sentra’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The A3’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

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 A3 doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Sentra and the Audi A3, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Nissan Sentra outsold the Audi A3/S3/RS 3 by over 8 to one during 2023.