In the highly competitive compact car segment, the 2025 Honda Civic and the 2025 Nissan Sentra offer significant brand recognition. Over the course of their decades in the market, both have carved out strong reputations, the Civic for its blend of refinement and driving engagement and the Sentra for offering solid value and comfort at an accessible price. As each model continues to evolve, shoppers will find that, although these cars may appear similar at first glance, their current forms cater to distinct types of buyers.
The 2025 Honda Civic continues the model’s legacy as one of the best-selling compact cars in the United States, delivering a balanced package of practicality, spaciousness, fuel efficiency, and driver enjoyment. Even its base trim levels feel responsive and polished, while the new hybrid variants bring impressive fuel economy and excellent all-around drivability to the party. Those looking for even more excitement can opt for the Civic Si or the high-performance Type R, though for many drivers, the mainstream trims provide all the refinement and capability they’ll ever need.
The Nissan Sentra has offered performance variants in the past. However, for 2025, considering the decline in the compact car market in the United States, the model now targets buyers who value affordability, comfort, and no-nonsense commuting. With its single powertrain option, the Sentra offers performance comparable to the base Civic, along with similar fuel economy and interior space. Trims like the SR Midnight Edition add visual flair, but overall, Nissan designed the Sentra for ease of use and budget-friendly ownership rather than back-road canyon-carving thrills.
In this comparison, we'll break down how these two compact cars stack up in key areas, including value, features, technology, safety, and performance. Whether you're a commuter seeking a dependable daily driver or a shopper looking for a more engaging driving experience, understanding the strengths and compromises of the Civic and Sentra will help you determine which compact car better suits your lifestyle and priorities.
2025 Honda Civic Sedan Sport Touring Hybrid
The 2025 Honda Civic offers consumers four mainstream sedan trims—LX, Sport, Sport Hybrid, and Sport Touring Hybrid—and three mainstream hatchback trims—Sport, Sport Hybrid, and Sport Touring Hybrid. In addition, it offers two performance-oriented specialty versions: the Civic Si sedan and the Civic Type R hatchback. Prices range from $24,250 for the base LX to a heady $45,895 for the Type R. Prices do not include the $1,150 destination charge.
The 2025 Civic gives buyers complimentary roadside assistance for three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. Scheduled maintenance is free for up to two years or 24,000 miles. All 2025 Civic buyers receive complimentary access to HondaLink Basic connectivity, while owners of upper trims also gain access to additional services, including Amazon Alexa, a stolen-vehicle locator, and remote lock and unlock capabilities.
The 2025 Nissan Sentra is available in four trims: S, SV, SR, and SR Midnight Edition. All Sentras feature the same conventional four-cylinder engine backed by a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). The S trim, which starts at $21,590, is the least expensive, while the blackout-themed SR Midnight Edition sits at the top of the lineup with a suggested starting price of $25,285. Prices do not include the $1,140 destination charge.
The 2025 Sentra includes 36 months or 36,000 miles of roadside assistance, towing to the nearest Nissan dealership for up to 60 months or 60,000 miles, and complimentary scheduled maintenance for two years or 24,000 miles. All 2025 Sentras, except for the S trim, offer optional NissanConnect Services powered by SiriusXM, which includes a five-year trial of the Select package and a three-year trial of the Premium package. Additionally, the three up-level trims offer a Wi-Fi hotspot as part of the NissanConnect Services package.
Advantage: Neither
Why? The Civic offers a greater product range with more features, while the Sentra has a considerably lower base price.
2025 Nissan Sentra
The Honda Civic does not rank among the top three models in the Compact Car segment in the JD Power 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which assesses owner-reported problems during the third year of ownership.
The Civic also does not rank among the top three models in its segment in the JD Power 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), which tracks problems experienced by owners during the first 90 days.
The 2023 Honda Civic comes with a standard warranty of three years or 36,000 miles, and a powertrain warranty of five years or 60,000 miles.
The Nissan Sentra does not rank among the top three models in the Compact Car segment in the 2024 VDS, but it ranks second in its segment in the 2024 IQS. Its warranty coverage matches the Civic.
Advantage: Nissan Sentra
Why? The Sentra outperforms the Civic in initial quality.
2025 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring Hybrid
The 2025 Honda Civic offers several powertrain choices. The base engine in both the sedan and hatchback is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 150 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque. Honda teams it with a CVT. Hybrid trims pair essentially the same engine with an AC synchronous permanent-magnet electric motor, resulting in a total system horsepower of 200.
The Civic Si features a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 200 hp and 192 pound-feet of torque. The Type R boasts a 315-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Both performance trims are equipped with a six-speed manual transmission. All 2025 Civics are front-wheel drive (FWD).
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the base 2025 Civics are rated at 36 mpg combined, while the hybrid variants get 49 mpg (sedan) and 48 mpg (hatchback). The Si trim achieves a 31-mpg rating, while the Type R achieves a 24-mpg combined rating.
The 2025 Civic offers solid cargo space, with 14.8 cubic feet in the sedan and 24.5 in the hatchback. Even the sportier Civic Si and Type R have a practical side, offering 14.4 and 24.5 cubic feet of luggage space, respectively. Except for the four-seat Type R, all seat five, blending comfort with utility.
In contrast to the variety of powertrains the Civic offers, a 149-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a CVT powers every 2025 Nissan Sentra. Like the Civic, all 2025 Sentras are FWD.
The EPA rates most versions of the 2025 Sentra at 34 mpg combined, while the sportier SR trim achieves a 33-mpg combined rating.
The Nissan Sentra sedan offers seating for five and a trunk capacity of 14.3 cubic feet, which is very competitive with the Civic sedan. The sedan body style isn’t as versatile as a hatchback, but the Sentra’s split-folding rear seatbacks somewhat compensate for this.
Advantage: Honda Civic
Why? The Civic offers a much wider variety of powertrains, better fuel economy with the hybrid powertrain, and more cargo space in hatchback form.
2025 Nissan Sentra
At this point, it is reasonable for any consumer to expect a brand-new vehicle to include the following safety features:
So, how do the Civic and Sentra stack up? Let's take a look.
The 2025 Honda Civic is inexpensive, but it offers a robust roster of standard advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). All 2025 Civics come standard with the Honda Sensing ADAS suite. This package includes adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow (not available on Civics with a manual transmission) and lane-centering assistance. Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warnings are not included on the base LX trim but are standard on the Sport trim and above. Additional standard safety features include traffic-sign recognition and a driver monitoring system.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave maximum five-star ratings to all versions of the 2025 Civic except for the unrated Type R. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recognized the 2025 Civic sedan as a Top Safety Pick—its second-highest rating—for the 2025 model year. Further, the IIHS named the 2025 Civic hatchback a Top Safety Pick+ for the 2025 model year.
The standard Nissan Safety Shield 360 package in all 2025 Nissan Sentras is a comprehensive ADAS suite. It includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, and a driver monitoring system—systems that are optional and unavailable on some rivals. Adaptive cruise control is optionally available on all but the base S trim.
The NHTSA assigned the 2025 Sentra a five-star overall safety rating, but as of this writing, the IIHS has not named the Sentra a Top Safety Pick for 2025.
Advantage: Honda Civic
Why? While both the Civic and Sentra offer robust ADAS collections, the Civic gets better safety ratings than the Sentra.
2025 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring Hybrid
Honda equips the 2025 Civic LX, Sport, and Sport Hybrid trims with a 7-inch touchscreen that includes practical power/volume and tuning/selection knobs, as well as physical buttons for audio and menu functions. These cars offer both wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the Sport and Sport Hybrid feature an eight-speaker audio system.
Higher-end trims—Sport Touring, Si, and Type R—upgrade to a 9-inch touchscreen with Google Built-in technology. This larger-screen system offers HD Radio, wireless Apple CarPlay, and wireless Android Auto. The top trims also include a 12-speaker Bose audio system.
Honda offers a mix of complimentary and subscription-based connected services in the Civic through HondaLink. The Basic plan, included on most 2025 Civic trims, provides access to the vehicle guide, roadside assistance, recall updates, and online service scheduling. The Link plan, complimentary on higher trims, adds access to dashboard data, maintenance reminders, vehicle health reports, and navigation services. Subscription-based plans offer additional security and remote access features. Additionally, all 2025 Honda Civic hybrids come with standard active noise cancellation.
The entry-level 2025 Nissan Sentra S features a 7-inch digital infotainment screen, which includes AM/FM radio, Bluetooth streaming, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The other trims upgrade to an 8-inch NissanConnect display and add SiriusXM satellite radio compatibility. Siri Eyes Free and Google Assistant voice recognition are available on all 2025 Sentras. An eight-speaker Bose premium audio system is available as an option on all trims but the S.
The available NissanConnect Services and MyNissan app enable 2025 Sentra owners to remotely control functions such as door locks and engine start/stop features. They can also access vehicle health reports. Several subscription packages expand capabilities. The Select package, available in a five-year trial, adds maintenance alerts, remote vehicle access, and over-the-air updates. The Premium package (a three-year trial) includes navigation tools, traffic information, emergency support, theft recovery, and trip planning.
The Sentra’s rear automatic braking system helps prevent low-speed collisions while backing up by using sonar sensors in the rear bumper to detect nearby obstacles such as walls or other vehicles. If the system detects a potential collision, it alerts the driver with visual and audible warnings and, if necessary, automatically applies the brakes to help prevent impact.
Advantage: Neither
Why? Both models offer usable infotainment systems and reasonable levels of connectivity.
2025 Nissan Sentra
There is a reason the Honda Civic is one of the best-selling compact cars in the country. It offers a winning combination of practicality, interior space, fuel economy, safety, and—importantly—driving fun. While most of today’s compact cars are perfectly competent grocery-getters that will transport you from point A to point B without drama, even the base Civic adds a special sheen to the driving experience. In my testing, I’ve found it responds quickly to throttle inputs and goes where you point it with an immediacy that some others in the class lack.
Many competitors in the segment offer plain vanilla sedans and/or hatchbacks, but Honda spices up the Civic lineup with two performance variants: the affordable Si and the specialized (and pricey) Type R. Tantalizing as they are, I think most buyers will find satisfaction in the economical entry-level versions with conventional four-cylinder engines or the very affordable hybrids that deliver eye-popping fuel economy along with immediate electric-motor torque.
While the Nissan Sentra and Honda Civic compete in the compact car segment, the Sentra seeks to appeal to a different buyer than the Civic. The various Sentra trims, including the top-level SR Midnight Edition, are designed to serve buyers seeking very economical, no-nonsense transportation. That's precisely what the Sentra delivers. I discovered that its ride and handling are tailored for comfort rather than driving excitement because that's what this type of buyer wants.
The Sentra's single powertrain—a 149-hp four-cylinder engine paired with a CVT—is remarkably similar to the base Civic's powertrain, and it offers comparable fuel economy. The Sentra and Civic sedan also offer similar trunk space and interior room for up to five. Though it does better than the Honda in the 2024 IQS, the Sentra's suggested starting price is significantly lower than the Civic's. If you're seeking a reasonably well-equipped compact sedan for your daily commute, the Sentra will fit the bill nicely. If you'd like a little more sauce, the Civic is the ticket.
Advantage: Honda Civic
Why? The Civic offers more choices than the Sentra, and even its base model gets your heart beating faster than the Nissan does.
If you’d like to learn more about these cars, read our expert reviews of the Honda Civic, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Civic Si, Honda Civic Type R, and the Nissan Sentra. To find out how people like you rate models in this segment, check out our ratings from verified vehicle owners.
Additionally, please note that although the information in this article was accurate and up to date as of March 24, 2025, it may have since changed. Always confirm product details and availability with the automaker’s website or your local dealership.
Jack R. Nerad has reviewed cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs for over three decades. He also managed the editorial efforts of MotorTrend, JD Power, and Kelley Blue Book. Jack currently hosts the Sports Byline Network program "America on the Road," available on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Audacy, Amazon Music, and other platforms.
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