“There are no affordable cars anymore,” the internet screams, and the 2024 Nissan Versa Sedan quietly raises its hand. The Versa earned the title of cheapest new car in America back in 2022, and it’s not at risk of losing that honor any time soon. While other automakers discontinue their sub-20k cars, Nissan carries the Versa over into the 2024 model year with a slight $400 price increase.
Starting at just over $16k (excluding destination), the 2024 Versa remains the cheapest new vehicle you can buy with four wheels and an engine. You might think the low price point would make this car an absolute snoozefest to own and drive, but you’d be wrong. While we wanted to test the base S model to see how much it offers for that incredibly low price, Nissan saw fit to send us a “fully loaded” automatic SR trim to evaluate. This version costs just $20,140, which, compared to the average new car transaction price of $48,000, is still a bargain.
Styling: Rent-A-Car No More
Nissan gave the Versa a facelift for the 2023 model year, improving the exterior styling in a big way. A new V-Motion grille gives the car an angrier appearance, especially when done up in SR guise with the sporty orange badge. Lower trims get basic halogen headlights, but the SR features nicer LED units. The SR also gets sporty touches such as 17-inch alloy wheels (16-inch steel or alloy wheels come on lower trims) and a little trunk lid spoiler. It’s tough to make a cheap little economy car look cool, but Nissan manages it here. This is no Fiesta ST, but the Versa looks nicer than its price tag would suggest.
Customers can choose from a few fun colors, including the new-for-2023 Gray Sky Pearl ($395 extra) equipped to our tester. It’s a flat grey that has a purple hue in some lights. Other vibrant hues carry over from the pre-facelift model, including Scarlet Ember Tintcoat ($395) and Electric Blue Metallic.
Powertrain: Managing Expectations
The Nissan Versa is a slow car. There, we said it. If you were expecting a sub-five-second 0-60 mph time, Nissan still makes a Z sports car with a 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6. As for the Versa, it takes over 10 seconds to hit 60 mph. Supplying that lackluster acceleration is a small 1.6-liter four-cylinder that toots along with a modest 122 horsepower and 114 lb-ft of torque. That’s not a lot of power, but it’s a bit more than the soon-to-be discontinued Kia Rio, and it’s significantly more than the 76-hp Mitsubishi Mirage. 122 hp isn’t bad for the cheapest car in America.
It may not hustle along, but thanks to a featherlight curb weight of 2,599 to 2,729 pounds (depending on trim), that tiny engine supplies stellar fuel economy for a non-hybrid vehicle. With the five-speed manual, which is only available on the base S trim, the Versa manages 27/35/30 mpg on the city/highway/combined cycles. Opting for the CVT dramatically improves those figures to 32/40/35. In a week of driving, we averaged 36.7 mpg.
Driving Impressions: Cheap & Cheerful
After tempering expectations on the Versa’s lack of power, the driving experience is pleasant. Light steering keeps the Versa nimble without the deadness and lack of feedback present in the previous generation model. The wind noise is fairly nonintrusive even at highway speeds, making this a great commuter vehicle no matter how far you live from work. Combined with standard automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, rear automatic emergency braking, available blind spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control on the SR trim, the Versa has all the safety tech you could ask for at this price. Unfortunately, due to the lack of an electronic handbrake, the adaptive cruise can only bring the car down to a stop, not hold it there until the traffic starts moving again.
That CVT may not be sporty, but it can keep engine revs low on the highway, aiding in the lack of noise and superb fuel economy when driving above 70 mph. A ‘Sport Mode’ is available, and it’s hidden on the gear selector; it increases the RPM range of the CVT, making the power a little more accessible in a pinch. Ride comfort is decent for the price range, though the torsion beam rear suspension can get a little jumpy over speed bumps.
Interior: Thrifty Gem
It may not have the most impressive interior quality, but given its price point, the Versa’s impressive features roster embarrasses many cars that cost significantly more. The base Versa is pretty spartan, with a seven-inch touchscreen that does not feature Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and is given just four speakers. The SV trim adds important features like phone mirroring, a digital gauge cluster, push-button start, an armrest, 60-40 split-folding rear seats, and a wireless charger.
As for the top SR trim, it gains premium features such as heated seats, a PrimaTex dash panel with orange stitching, unique seat fabric, heated seats, a leather steering wheel, a Wi-Fi hotspot, automatic climate control, and USB ports. It also upgrades the infotainment display to eight inches and brings the speaker count to six. It’s easy to see where Nissan cut costs on materials, but it’s impressive how many features the company could fit into a car for such a low price.
The Versa is pretty practical, too, with an acceptable 31 inches of legroom in the back seat. There’s even a USB port back there for phone charging. As for the trunk, it is commodious with 14.7 cubic feet – almost as much as a Toyota Camry.
Pricing & Verdict: Bang-For-Your-Buck
Buyers looking for the ultimate bang-for-their-buck new car need to consider the 2024 Versa. It’s the perfect option for a cheap commuter, a first car for a teen, or anyone who wants a new vehicle with a warranty but doesn’t place a priority on speed or performance. Starting at $16,130 (plus $1,095 for destination), we doubt many people will want the Versa S due to its manual transmission, lower fuel economy, and lack of Apple CarPlay. The S trim is available with the CVT, but it brings the price to $17,800. You can also add CarPlay (along with aluminum wheels and split-folding rear seats) for $1,190 as part of an S Plus package (only available with the CVT), but we believe you might as well get the SV trim for that price.
For just over a grand more than the S, you can get the Versa SV, starting at $19,420. This trim has more features inside, alloy wheels, and more. The SV is the best value in the lineup, but if you can stretch into the SR for $20,140, you’ll be rewarded with premium features and improved styling. The Nissan Versa proves that cheap cars can be executed perfectly and that they don’t have to be soul-crushingly dreary.