The internet loves to tell people small sedans are dead in the United States, but the reality is far from true. Cars like the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla are some of the best-selling vehicles in the country. The humble Nissan Sentra—the second-cheapest new car in America, behind the Versa—is among those best-sellers. And it’s just received a huge update.
The 2026 Nissan Sentra gets a new design and a modernized interior, but keeps the same 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder powertrain. Most importantly, the Sentra’s dimensions haven’t changed much, which means it’s still a small, economical sedan that’ll have mass appeal. Let’s get into it.
The Sentra’s design reminds us a lot of the updated Nissan Sylphy, the Sentra’s sister car made for China. Unsurprisingly, the proportions are the same. The only real difference is the grille area—as was the case with the last Sentra. For the SR trim, most of the frontal area is blacked-out plastic, with a red nose piece that flows into the hood up top. Go for the top-level SL, and you get more body color in the nose, bringing it closer to its Chinese-market counterpart.
The looks do more than bring the Sentra into the modern era. A lot of these updates have economic benefits, too. From the release:
Nearly every part of the vehicle’s exterior plays a role: the shaping of the trunk and rear fenders helps control air flow to reduce the rear wake behind the vehicle, the wheel opening areas have been reduced and the side-view mirrors are specifically shaped to reduce drag. Underneath, flat floor covers and tire deflectors further enhance aerodynamic efficiency.
Thankfully, the Sentra’s size will remain small. Overall length is up just 0.6 inches to 183.3 inches, while height has grown by just 0.1 inches, to 57.1 inches. The Sentra’s width is exactly the same, at 71.5 inches. The wheelbase is actually shorter, down from 106.8 inches to 106.5 inches. In a world where every car seems to grow by feet with every lifecycle, these are welcome figures.
As nice as the exterior looks, it’s the inside of the Sentra I’m most excited about. The outgoing model’s cabin was acceptable at best, but this one is a huge step up. The design of the doorcards flows into the dashboard nicely, culminating in a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display in the middle—a gigantic leap forward from the outgoing car’s eight-inch display.
The steering wheel reminds me of something you’d see on an electric Audi, with its widely shaped airbag module. The gauge cluster screen is a seven-inch unit as standard, but if you opt for any trim above the base model, you get a 12.3-inch unit instead. Similarly, you’ll have to go for the SV, SR, or SL trim to get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Choosing the base S trim means you’ll have to go wired.
For what will likely be a very cheap car, some useful features come as standard, including a suite of active safety systems, including adaptive cruise control, emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and forward collision warning. Stuff like a heated steering wheel, a wireless phone charger, and a sliding sunroof are also optional. Go for either of the highest trims, and you even get an eight-speaker Bose stereo system.
For all of the exterior and interior updates, not much has changed under the hood of the 2026 Nissan Sentra. The only powertrain available is the same 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four, making the same 149 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque. It gets power to the front wheels via a CVT. The only other updates sound like they’d be undetectable unless you drive the old car and the new one back to back:
Thanks to significant reinforcement of the unibody, the all-new Sentra has 6% greater rigidity than its predecessor. The steering wheel features an enlarged dynamic damper that effectively reduces road vibrations, ensuring a more composed driving experience. New shock absorber valving helps better mute impact harshness from bumps. Finally, engineers reduced the size of body openings throughout the vehicle to help reduce sound levels.
Nissan has yet to release fuel economy figures for the 2026 Sentra, though considering the powertrain hasn’t changed at all, I suspect the new car won’t deviate wildly from the old Sentra’s 32 mpg combined EPA rating. The new Sentra is set to hit dealers later this year, but there’s no pricing available right now. With no big changes under the skin, I don’t think this new car will stray too far from the current Sentra’s $22,785 base price. And that’s a good thing.
Top graphic image: Nissan
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