Compare the2026 Nissan Sentra VS 2026 Honda Civic

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

	Sentra	Civic
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-22 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	-22 MPH	-21 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
Warning Issued-Brights	2.3 sec	2 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-19 MPH	-18 MPH

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Nissan Sentra achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Honda Civic has not been tested.

The Sentra (except S/SV) offers an optional HD Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Civic only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sentra has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Automatic Braking on the SL automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Civic Sport/Touring offers Rear Cross Traffic Monitor and the Civic’s Rear Cross Traffic Monitor does not include automatic braking.

Both the Sentra and the Civic 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

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 4189-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Sentra is safer than the Civic Hatchback:

	Sentra	Civic
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	135	238
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.54 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.14 in	1.38 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	736 lbs.	1049 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	154	284
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.79 in	1.46 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.91 in	1.26 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	558 lbs.	825 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Nissan Sentra has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Civic is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2026.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sentra first among compact cars in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Civic isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 6th.

The Sentra’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (146 vs. 133) than the Civic’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Sentra is faster than the Honda Civic 4 cyl.:

	Sentra	Civic
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	17.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85.7 MPH	84.1 MPH

Both the Sentra and the Civic have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Sentra’s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Civic Hybrid doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The Sentra has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (12.4 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Sentra higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda Civic (6). This means the Sentra produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Civic every 15,000 miles.

The Sentra stops shorter than the Civic:

	Sentra	Civic
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	122 feet	Motor Trend

The Sentra has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Civic doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sentra is 1.5 inches wider in the front and .3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Civic.

The Sentra SR handles at .86 G’s, while the Civic Sport Touring Hybrid Sedan pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Sentra’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Civic LX Sedan’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.1 feet).

The Sentra has 1.7 inches more front legroom and 4.1 inches more rear hip room than the Civic.

The Sentra’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Civic LX Sedan’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The Sentra’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Civic LX/Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

On extremely cold winter days, the Sentra’s optional (except S) heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Civic doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Compared to the Honda Civic, the Nissan Sentra eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sentra second among compact cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Civic isn’t in the top three.