Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Versa

While its standout features are its value and safety ratings, in N Line trim the Sonata also offers some emotional appeal. Affordable sports sedans are increasingly rare, and aside from the Kia K5 GT and Subaru Legacy Sport, there’s little else in the 2025 Sonata N Line’s segment that gives you this much horsepower for this kind of price. Of course, there is a penalty to pay at the gas pump, but otherwise the N Line delivers. In general, new rear-seat air conditioning vents and improved crash-test ratings boost the 2025 Sonata’s appeal and while gas models aren’t very fuel-efficient, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid fares better in this respect.

Verdict: Hyundai refreshed the Sonata in 2024 and improved its safety rating in 2025, keeping it competitive against midsize sedan rivals. All versions offer compelling value and are impressively safe, while the N Line model is pleasantly sporty.

It’s getting hard to find a basic subcompact sedan, but Nissan is keeping the faith.

The Nissan Versa was introduced for the 2007 model year as the automaker’s entry-level model, slotting below the Sentra in the lineup. It was last redesigned for the 2020 model year, and for 2023 it gets a handful of updates, including freshened styling, more available tech features, and a new S Plus Package for the Versa’s base trim level. In addition to the Versa S, the lineup includes SV and SR models; we tested the latter for this review.

Since the Versa has been on sale, the ranks of subcompact cars have thinned considerably. The Chevrolet Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, and Toyota Yaris are no longer sold in the United States. That leaves the Kia Rio and Mitsubishi Mirage G4 as the Versa’s main competitors. But, as is always the case in this market segment, shoppers must also consider whether to buy a new car like the Versa or a potentially better equipped used car for similar money.