Compare the2025 Honda CivicVS 2025 Nissan Sentra

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

Safety

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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.

With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Civic is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Nissan Sentra, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Civic	Sentra
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-8 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	-22 MPH	-8 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	-21 MPH	-1 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-24 MPH
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-22 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	2 sec	1.9 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-18 MPH	-4 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.1 sec	.6 sec

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:

	Civic	Sentra
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	241 lbs.	351 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	87 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	189/372 lbs.	330/261 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	444	495
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	53%
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	296 lbs.
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	93 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	275/164 lbs.	318/391 lbs.

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:

	Civic	Sentra
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.1 inches
Hip Force	286 lbs.	422 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	12 inches

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 Honda Civic Sedan is safer than the Sentra:

	Civic	Sentra
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	238	387
Head Peak Forces	no contact	84 G’s
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.38 in	1.65 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	13 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	1049 lbs.	1071 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	825 lbs.	848 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Honda Civic has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned an “Acceptable” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Sentra is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Reliability

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 18 points higher than the Sentra.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 12 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

Engine

The Civic Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 51 more horsepower (200 vs. 149) and 86 lbs.-ft. more torque (232 vs. 146) than the Sentra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Civic Hybrid 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Nissan Sentra:

	Civic	Sentra
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	9.2 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	18 sec	26.3 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.2 sec	9.4 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	17 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	83 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

		MPG
Civic Sedan
	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/47 hwy
	LX 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	32 city/41 hwy
	Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/39 hwy
Sentra
	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/40 hwy
	SR 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy

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

		MPG
Civic Hatchback
	2.0 4-cyl. Hybrid	50 city/45 hwy
Sentra
	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/40 hwy
	SR 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Civic Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Sentra doesn’t offer a regenerative braking 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.

Brakes and Stopping

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:

	Civic	Sentra
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	123 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Sentra (215/55R16 vs. 205/60R16). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sentra (235/40R18 vs. 215/45R18).

The Civic LX Sedan’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sentra S/SV’s standard 60 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Sentra SR’s 45 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

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 Sport Touring Hybrid Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Sentra SR (27.1 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Civic LX/Sport Hybrid’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Sentra’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

Chassis

The Civic Sedan is 3.9 inches shorter than the Sentra, making the Civic easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Civic Hybrid uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sentra doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Civic has 2.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sentra (99 vs. 96.1).

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, 2.5 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sentra.

Cargo Capacity

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

Ergonomics

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 Sport Hybrid 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 “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.

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

Model Availability

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

Recommendations

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

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 9 more times in the last 40 years. The Sentra has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Honda Civic outsold the Nissan Sentra by 84% during 2023.