The sub-$20,000 car is almost gone, but the 2024 Nissan Sentra will come close. Most compact cars are in an escalating feature war as automakers make them more well-equipped and more expensive with each generation. Rivals like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla keep growing more refined but can now edge the $30,000 line.
The 2024 Sentra, meanwhile, starts at just $20,630 (plus a mandatory $1,095 delivery fee) — exactly $430 more than last year’s model.
It’s not last year’s model. For 2024, Nissan has given the Sentra a visual update and an improved transmission.
The new look is essentially a new grille. Nissan has toned down the huge chrome U that defined the old schnozz, giving it more subtle chrome hash marks instead. That change will wear well over time — many small car buyers are bargain hunters who keep their rides for many years, and chrome doesn’t always age well. The smaller chrome elements give the impression of a larger grille, but the dimensions haven’t changed.
Engineers have improved the continuously variable transmission to boost fuel efficiency and added an idle start/stop system.
None of the changes are major. But that’s probably by design because the headline about the Sentra is its low starting price. Automakers have been trimming their least expensive cars from their lineups this year, making it harder to find a truly affordable car.
The Sentra still has a cheaper stablemate — the Nissan Versa across the showroom starts under $16,000. But persistent industry rumors say the Versa, one of the last surviving subcompact cars, may drop from the Nissan lineup soon.
That could leave the Sentra as the least expensive option for shoppers who don’t want to spend much of their earnings on their car.
