Nissan Sentra COTY Review: An Incredible Example of Doing More With Less

It wasn’t that long ago when shopping for a budget car meant accepting certain indignities that came with it: uncomfortable seats, subpar build quality, an uninspired cabin. Fun wasn’t even on the menu. It also wasn’t that long ago when Nissan had been selling some of those types of cars. No longer. Nissan impressed us all with its new Nissan Sentra—a car with a ton to offer for a highly affordable $30,000 sticker price.

The biggest surprise and feel-good hit at this year’s Car of the Year event, the Sentra is technically a new ninth-generation model, but it carries over the same platform and powertrain from the outgoing car. It’s an obvious cost-savings move, but as the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Sure, a hybrid option would have been nice. But that would have added cost and complexity; instead, Nissan chose to focus on improving the cabin experience and onboard technology.

That focus paid dividends. Even though the Sentra has a modest starting price, the cabin won’t shortchange its buyers. In the top-grade Sentra SL we had in for testing, comfortable and supportive seats are trimmed in quilted synthetic leather. The dual-screen displays are clear and easy to read, and it even features a surround-view camera. Nissan’s ProPilot Assist, despite not being offered here in its hands-free iteration, is reliable and convenient to use.

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There are hard plastics present, certainly, but even these are elevated through the use of clever design elements; they weren’t left as blank slabs. Effort went into dressing up this cabin, that much is clear as day.

“Although Nissan didn’t have much budget to redesign the Sentra, it made very good use of it and delivered a sedan that’s attractive and affordable,” Mexico editor Miguel Cortina said. “It delivers more than the basics and will actually impress passengers who ride in it.”

Not only that, but the Sentra is pleasant to drive, as well. We weren’t bothered by the underpowered engine and continuously variable transmission combo as much as we thought—partly because the car weighs so little, it doesn’t take much to get it moving. It also gets good gas mileage without a hybrid powertrain, and it earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from IIHS. As an added bonus, its well-weighted steering actually made it decently fun to flick around.

“This is an honest little car and probably one of the examples in the field where the development team deserves credit for how much they achieved with what was undoubtedly a tightly controlled budget,” said guest judge Johan de Nysschen, a former Cadillac, Infiniti, and Audi executive.

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Detroit editor Alisa Priddle also went the honest route when depicting the plucky compact: “The Sentra is a charming sedan, the sleeper of the competition. It proved itself to be a vehicle we’d recommend to a buyer seeking an affordable, stylish, efficient, and honest car.”

The judges unanimously voted for the Sentra as a finalist. It looks good both inside and out and marks a return to what Nissan has historically done best: offer fun and affordable cars you’d actually want to own. The Sentra is going to be a tough one to beat.

This review was conducted as part of our 2027 Car of the Year (COTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.