2026 Nissan Sentra Road Test and Review

2026 Nissan Sentra SL ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Chevrolet gave up. Ford gave up. Dodge, Subaru, Buick, and Mitsubishi gave up. All of these brands sold a compact sedan in the U.S. a decade ago. Today, none of them do. 

This is a tough market. A successful economy sedan needs to be appealing, yet also inexpensive. You can’t throw infinite resources into making a world-beating economy car, at least for value-conscious U.S. customers. The trick is to find low-cost ways to make a small car appealing. 

Nissan isn’t giving up. The redesigned 2026 Nissan Sentra is the car’s ninth generation. It advances the car’s appeal with fresh styling and technological advances. And by retaining many of its predecessor’s mechanical components, it remains one of the least expensive cars in America. To see how it all came together, we just spent the morning driving two new Sentras near Nissan’s Michigan offices. Keep reading as we explore this compact Nissan’s pros and cons to see if it’s the right cheap new car for you. 

Choose Your Flavor

When the new Sentra goes on sale next month, it will be available in a choice of four trim levels. Rather than just reflecting a choice of “fewer amenities” versus “more amenities,” these different Sentras let you choose among three different flavors of the car. 

The base S and the next-up SV focus on value for the money. Priced at $22,400 and $23,170, respectively, they’re up about $900 from the outgoing 2025 Sentra. Yet they’re packing more standard features than before, including adaptive cruise control and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. The SV is the natural upgrade, providing a bigger digital gauge cluster, push-button starting, automatic climate control, alloy wheels, and a broader choice of colors.  

You can also get the sport-themed SR ($25,000). It’s no different mechanically from the other Sentras, but it stands apart visually for its dramatic new black fascia, choice of two black 18-inch wheel designs, and sportier-looking side sills and rear bumper. It also introduces a wireless smartphone charger and a GPS-based garage-door opener. And its optional Premium Package has leatherette upholstery, a Bose premium stereo, and a surround-view parking camera. 

Finally, there’s the luxuriously equipped SL ($27,990). The SL replaces the oddly positioned SV Premium Package, which fitted high-end interior finishes into last year’s mid-grade trim level without all the SR's options. Now, you can get all the Sentra’s best features even without the SR’s aggressive styling cues. The SL comes standard with all the SR’s optional equipment, which includes the Premium Package, a sunroof, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. If you want all that kit, the SL does cost a little less than the equivalent SR.  

2026 Nissan Sentra SL and SR ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Crisp New Lines

When Nissan last redesigned the Sentra in 2020, it worked hard to give the car more upscale proportions. It became lower and wider than the seventh-generation Sentra that preceded it. But the rounded styling details left the old Sentra with less design presence than sharper-edged competitors. The new generation fixes that. 

Without meaningfully changing the Sentra’s dimensions, the 2026 model brings an all-new body that looks bigger and plays up the old car’s sporty proportions. The headlights and taillights are crisply shaped LEDs. The new headlights in particular are perfectly fitted to the hood and grille. The 2026 Sentra’s greenhouse also flows more smoothly toward the rear of the car. The new design is also a better fit for the SR’s available two-tone black roof/painted body. 

The rearmost “window” behind the back passenger door is actually chrome-edged black plastic, not glass. But as we said, savings have to come from somewhere. The 2026 Sentra looks freshly modern without resorting to looking straight-up weird like some rivals. And you can opt for either a sporty or luxurious design flavor – or just stick to the basics. 

2026 Nissan Sentra SL ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Upscale New Dashboard for Everyone

The outgoing Sentra turned heads by debuting quilted leather upholstery that looked straight out of a Mercedes-Benz. But few people were actually buying it. And beyond this optional upholstery, the Sentra had an ordinary dashboard dominated by a trio of round climate vents and topped with a modest 8-inch touchscreen. 

For 2026, Nissan has democratized a high-end interior. Every Sentra now has a 12.3-inch central touchscreen, which blends smoothly into the overall style of the interior. On all but the base S model, the screen shares a single panel with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster (the S gets a 7-inch cluster instead). The squared-off dashboard vents are more subtle and upscale than the old round ones. And one of the rectangles also hides a few buttons. You can also dress up the interior with one of 64 colors of LED backlighting. 

We miss the extra simplicity of the old Sentra’s buttons and knobs. This year’s strip of touch-sensitive climate controls takes some extra concentration, and some icons on the big new screen are inconveniently tiny. But overall, the new cabin looks and feels fresher than before, albeit at the expense of some functionality. 

2026 Nissan Sentra SL ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Respectably Roomy

The Sentra’s interior remains functional for passengers, too. It didn’t get any larger during its redesign, but it can still fit adults in both the front and rear seats – just without a lot of extra knee space in the back. Nissan also redesigned the seats to be more supportive, and we appreciated that heated front seats are optional or standard on all trim levels. All but the S is even available with a heated steering wheel, and the SL has beautiful quilted leatherette upholstery. Nissan also replaced last year’s clunky foot-operated parking brake with an electronic switch. 

The Sentra’s trunk is also roomy for a compact sedan at 14.3 cubic feet. Nissan is also proud of this trunk’s larger opening than competing four-doors. However, unlike a few rivals, you can’t get a five-door hatchback version of the Sentra for even more cargo space and functionality. For that, you’d have to upgrade to the Nissan Kicks crossover, which costs about the same as the Sentra but burns more fuel and doesn’t drive as well. 

2026 Nissan Sentra SR ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Improved Driving Manners

Every Sentra has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 149 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission, or CVT. This is the same engine that powered the last-generation Sentra. Nissan tweaked it for 2026, and we’re pleasantly surprised by the changes. The engine is much quieter in routine driving; it used to rev high, sounding thrashy and overworked, as soon as you pushed on the gas. Between additional sound suppression and a reprogrammed transmission, it’s a much more pleasant car to drive. 

When you really need to get moving in a hurry, the engine can’t overcome its modest size. It’s loud and not especially quick when you’ve floored the gas pedal. But if you're not in a rush, the Sentra has become downright agreeable.  

Similarly, the Sentra’s ride and handling feel steadier and more composed in routine driving. The firm steering and low center of gravity let you confidently maintain speed around a cloverleaf interchange. But you won’t get the same extra-precise steering of a Honda Civic or Mazda3. This year brings a new choice of Eco, Standard, and Sport modes, which adjust the throttle, transmission, and steering sensitivity. But even the SR doesn’t have a sport-tuned suspension or extra power. Also prepare for plenty of road noise on the highway. 

2026 Nissan Sentra SR ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Gas Mileage Is Just OK

The Sentra prioritizes gas mileage over speed. In EPA testing, the S and SV models get 30 mpg in the city, 38 mpg on the highway, and 33 mpg combined. The SR and SL – which are heavier and have bigger wheels – drop to 29 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 32 mpg combined. In a couple hours of mostly suburban and rural driving, we averaged about 31 mpg in both the SR and SL.

By many standards, that’s pretty good mileage. But the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, and Toyota Corolla do even better – and that’s before you consider their optional gas-electric hybrid powertrains. The Sentra isn’t available with either an extra-powered turbo engine or an extra-economical hybrid. 

2026 Nissan Sentra SR ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Small But Safe

Every Sentra comes packed with advanced safety features at no extra cost. Forward automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic alert, and a lane-departure warning are all standard features. And it's one of the few cars under $35,000 with an available surround-view parking camera. While we’d save the latter for experienced drivers, the other systems are all a boon for rookie drivers – the perfect fit for an affordable and economical small sedan. 

Better still, even last year’s Sentra got acceptable crash-test scores. And Nissan is optimistic that the reengineered 2026 model will improve further, targeting a five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a Top Safety Pick score from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 

2026 Nissan Sentra SR ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Sentra vs. the Competition

The 2026 Sentra’s closest competitors are the Hyundai Elantra and its cousin, the Kia K4. Like the Sentra, these are affordable, feature-packed compact sedans with flashy styling inside and out. The Sentra’s interior is more richly finished than theirs, especially on the SL, and it rides more smoothly. On the other hand, they’re more economical – especially the Elantra Hybrid – and both are available with more powerful turbo engines. And the K4 has a few optional features that the Sentra is missing: notably, ventilated front seats, a blind-spot camera, and a panoramic moonroof. 

All three of these cars cost less than the best-selling Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. The Corolla is a lot like the old Sentra – generally competent, relatively affordable (though still a bit more than the Nissan), and easy to use without much pizzazz. The new Sentra blows past the Corolla for technology and a high-end flavor, though the Corolla is more economical. If you’re more attached to simple controls than bigger screens, the Corolla picks up another advantage. The Civic, meanwhile, is also plainly styled but more meticulously finished, roomier, and sharper to drive. It’s also the most expensive of these economy sedans, even as it reserves some popular features for even costlier upper-trim models. 

2025 Kia K4 GT-Line Turbo ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Loud Value

In its presentation on the new Sentra, Nissan discussed how some people want “quiet luxury.” To us, that’s the Civic’s role in the economy-car world. The Civic excels without calling attention to itself, yet you pay a premium for the experience. By contrast, Nissan says the Sentra was designed around “loud value.” The premise is that Nissan invested heavily in what you can see – the new body, big-screen interior, quilted upholstery, and new amenities – while keeping prices through subtle sacrifices in other areas. 

Now, the Sentra isn’t the only affordable economy car. Its rivals’ superior gas mileage will help save money over the long run, too. And people who’d prefer “quiet value” might still pick the Corolla's easier-to-use controls over the Sentra's bigger, better-arrayed touchscreen. But the new Sentra brings fresh looks, high-end tech features and other amenities, and an improved driving experience – all for not much more money than before. 

When you’re looking for a cheap car that’s more than basic transportation, and you're more attached to in-car technology than maximum horsepower, the 2026 Nissan Sentra is a greatly improved contender. 

2026 Nissan Sentra SL ・ Photo by Brady Holt