Nissan Sentra vs Honda Civic: which is more reliable?
The Honda Civic is ahead of the Nissan Sentra on the federal record, 80/100 against 74/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
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)
Honda Civic
- 5 model years scored
- 1,613 owner complaints on record
- about 28 complaints per year on the road
- 15 recall campaigns, 11 safety-critical
- best year 2013 (84/100) · worst 2012 (68/100)
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 Civic
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
Honda Civic
- Air Bags — 429 complaints
- Power Train — 323 complaints
- Electrical System — 178 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Sentra's complaints concentrate in Power Train, the Civic's in Air Bags. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Nissan Sentra — avoid: 2013.
Honda Civic: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015.
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 Honda Civic at about $10,000 — the Honda Civic is roughly $14,100 less, and they return 34.0 against 32.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Nissan Sentra or the Honda Civic more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Honda Civic scores 80/100 against the Nissan Sentra's 74/100, 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 Honda Civic years should I avoid?
Nissan Sentra: 2013. Honda Civic: no year scores below 45. 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 Honda Civic?
The largest complaint group on the Nissan Sentra is Power Train (1,068 complaints); on the Honda Civic it is Air Bags (429).
Is the Nissan Sentra or the Honda Civic cheaper to own?
A recent used Nissan Sentra prices at about $24,100 and a Honda Civic at about $10,000, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.