2021 Nissan Sentra Review

Name: 2021 Nissan Sentra Review
Brand: Nissan

Price Range: $13,299 - $24,480

The 2021 Sentra delivers on the most important aspects for a small sedan. It's stylish, comfortable and well stocked with features. Its performance is unremarkable, but otherwise the Sentra is a pretty solid choice, especially if safety and value are top priorities for you.

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Price & Payment

284 cars

$17,478 avg. price

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2021 Nissan Sentra Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard on all trims
Wi-Fi hotspot and remote services/control are offered on the top trim
Part of the eighth Sentra generation introduced for 2020

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Nissan Sentra S 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $2.91 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Virginia

$109/mo

$153/mo

Avg. Midsize Car

Calculate my fuel costs

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

4/5Excellent

#16 out of 46 among Compact Cars

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Nissan Sentra from 2008-2022.}

$401/yr

vs. $416/yr
for Average Compact Car

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

0.94x/yr

vs. 1.01x/yr
for Average Compact Car

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

11.2%

vs. 10.4%
for Average Compact Car

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Nissan Sentra Owner Reviews

3.5

51 reviews

5(41%)

4(17%)

3(10%)

2(15%)

1(17%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Wonderful car.

Wonderful car., 07/31/2020

2020 Nissan Sentra SV 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl CVT)

Nice ride and quiet cabin. Beautiful dashboard and instrument cluster at night. Sound system is stunning and the wind noise in the highway at 80 mph. Is Barely noticeable. I love it!

2020 Sentra, the best yet in its class

D.Winters, 04/27/2020

2020 Nissan Sentra SR 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl CVT)

I traded a late model honda civic, for the new sentra, i found after two months owning it, that it handles better is much quieter on the highway, has a much more updated saftey package that is standard on all trim levels A step ahead of my Civic.

Elegand and Sleek Sedan

Esteban, 04/27/2021

2021 Nissan Sentra SR 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl CVT)

I was looking for a practical car for my long commute (76 miles RT) The Corolla SE and Nissan Kicks SV were at the top of my list. I test drive the corolla first and didn't like it, the car was just ok. I continued to Honda and test drive a Civic (Sport) in red, the driving dynamics were by far superior to the Corolla. The Civic is sporty and sexy on the outside and well appointed and … comfortable inside. I almost bought this car, but my wife didn't want the Civic. The following day, I went to Nissan to try the kicks and told my reluctant wife that the Mazda CX-30 was next on our list. Upon arrival at Nissan, we spotted a beautiful two-toned dark red kicks SV with a black roof, the car was really nice, had plenty of room on the second row and trunk, but the engine was severely under powered. Then we spotted an electric blue Sentra SV (which was never on my list or my wife's), it came with a premium package (ivory leather seats, power seats, sun roof, Michelin tires) we test drive this car and got blown away by the experience (peppy engine), the Sentra cornered sharp curves like nothing, since it is a new model (been on the market for few months now) as opposed to the 4-year old Civic, the interior was superior to the Civic as well. It is very elegant, everything is in the right position and visibility is superb, you definitely get more car for the money. We were so impressed with the test drive that decided on the spot that the Sentra was the car we were buying. In the showroom, they had a metalic orange Sentra SR with a black roof, LED lights, lower suspension, spoiler and other add ons to make it look very sporty. We bought this car and got a great deal from Nissan ($21.5k, 0%, 60 months) After few hundred miles, I like this car even better, it is really elegant, the interior is comfortable, roomy (my 12 and 14 year old daughters love all the space they have in the back) and it comes with all the latest technologies. Nissan did a good job with this car for sure. On the negative side, its hard to find something to say here, but there are few minor things for consideration: (1) MPG is listed as 29/39 on the SV and 28/37 on the SR, which is the trim that I have, but I am getting only 29-30 (average) so far, which is below the 32-33 MPG I was hoping/expecting. (2) at highway speed, sometimes I get a vibration on the steering wheel for a second or two, it might have to do more with the Hancock tires on the SR (I test drove the SV with Michelin tires and never felt the vibration), and lastly (3) the light sensor is super sensitive, when I drive underneath overpasses sometimes the dash goes dark (low light mode) and comes right back to high light mode (for contrast) when receives sun light again, I wish Nissan engineers had tuned this feature for a lag of 20-30 seconds or so, so it doesn't change light modes so fast, but some drivers might like this feature instead. I am really happy with this car, it has everything at a really good price, without unnecessary trade offs, it is roomy, agile, elegant and sporty.

Great car better than my 2011 Sentra.

M. Starks, 06/28/2020

2020 Nissan Sentra SV 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl CVT)

We picked ours up yesterday and put 140 miles on it. Has a lot of nice features for the money. Handles very well, better than I thought it would. The engine pulls along pretty good for 149 horsepower. The seats are comfortable but, you may be limited to fitting in them if you are a little wide do to the side bolsters. Everything is right at your finger tips but, the car can be a little …

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 Nissan Sentra, so we've included reviews for other years of the Sentra since its last redesign.

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2021 Sentra Highlights

Trim:

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$19,510
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	33 MPG
Cost to Drive	$109/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	14.3 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the Sentra models:

Intelligent Forward Collision Warning: Sounds an alert if sensors detect an imminent front collision. Can also apply the brakes if the driver does not react quickly.
Rear Automatic Braking: Applies the brakes if sensors detect an imminent collision with an object behind the car.
Intelligent Cruise Control: Slows down or speeds up to maintain a set distance between the Sentra and the car in front.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall4 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger3 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover5 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover9.9%

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Good
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Good
Side Impact Test – Updated
Acceptable
Roof Strength Test
Good
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Good

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2021 Nissan Sentra Review

Price & Payment

2021 Nissan Sentra Review

What's new

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Nissan Sentra S 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $2.91 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.}

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Nissan Sentra Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

Wonderful car.

2020 Sentra, the best yet in its class

Elegand and Sleek Sedan

Great car better than my 2011 Sentra.

2021 Sentra Highlights

Safety

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2021 Nissan Sentra Review

Price & Payment

2021 Nissan Sentra Review

What's new

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 Nissan Sentra S 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $2.91 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Nissan Sentra Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Wonderful car.

2020 Sentra, the best yet in its class

Elegand and Sleek Sedan

Great car better than my 2011 Sentra.

2021 Sentra Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2021 Nissan Sentra info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Nissan

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Nissan Sentra S 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $2.91 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.}