Nissan Sentra vs Dodge Dart: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Sentra and the Dodge Dart are level on the federal record — 74/100 against 71/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Nissan Sentra
- 15 model years scored
- 3,094 owner complaints on record
- about 27 complaints per year on the road
- 46 recall campaigns, 33 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (93/100) · worst 2013 (42/100)
Dodge Dart
- 4 model years scored
- 2,315 owner complaints on record
- about 48 complaints per year on the road
- 16 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (84/100) · worst 2013 (47/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Sentra against Dart
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Nissan Sentra
- Power Train — 1,068 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 476 complaints
- Engine — 424 complaints
Dodge Dart
- Power Train — 907 complaints
- Engine — 483 complaints
- Service Brakes — 446 complaints
Both nameplates have Power Train as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Nissan Sentra — avoid: 2013.
Dodge Dart — avoid: 2013.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Nissan Sentra prices at about $24,100 and a Dodge Dart at about $10,800 — the Dodge Dart is roughly $13,300 less, and they return 34.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Nissan Sentra or the Dodge Dart more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Sentra scores 74/100 against the Dodge Dart's 71/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Nissan Sentra and Dodge Dart years should I avoid?
Nissan Sentra: 2013. Dodge Dart: 2013. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Nissan Sentra and the Dodge Dart?
The largest complaint group on the Nissan Sentra is Power Train (1,068 complaints); on the Dodge Dart it is Power Train (907).
Is the Nissan Sentra or the Dodge Dart cheaper to own?
A recent used Nissan Sentra prices at about $24,100 and a Dodge Dart at about $10,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.