Fiat 500 vs Nissan Sentra: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Nissan Sentra burns about $1,800 of fuel annually against $2,250 for the Fiat 500. That $450 yearly gap compounds to roughly $2,250 over five years and $3,600 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City versus highway split: the Fiat 500 is the stronger commuter at 31 mpg city, while the Nissan Sentra pulls ahead on the interstate at 40 mpg highway. If most of your driving is stop-and-go traffic the city figure is the one to weigh; for long-distance highway mileage the reverse is true, and the two vehicles effectively swap places depending on how you drive.

Powertrain choice: the Fiat 500 is recorded with 3 distinct engine configurations (1.3, SIDI, 1.4), the Nissan Sentra with 2 (SIDI, 1.8). Across 33 recorded Fiat 500 configurations and 38 for the Nissan Sentra, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Fiat 500 is offered with All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive, the Nissan Sentra with Front-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Minicompact Cars and Midsize Cars respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Nissan Sentra emits 262 g/mile of CO2 versus 264 g/mile for the Fiat 500. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.