Once the cheapest vehicle sold in the U.S., without even a standard radio and equally humble styling and driving dynamics, the Nissan Versa has come a long way. Entirely redesigned for 2020, the Versa shed its former hatchback body style and evolved into a larger, happier-looking and more sophisticated sedan. At 177 inches long, it’s no longer a subcompact, but it still primarily competes with smaller and cheaper cars. 

The added size only means buyers get more for their money, and the Versa’s value game is still strong even if it did not get any sportier during all this updating. Nissan has left the car entirely unchanged for 2022, but that’s okay because it offers very generous safety tech standard and even more comfort and driver-assist features for buyers willing to step up over the base trim level. There are three trims this year: S ($16,675 including a $1,095 destination fee), SV ($19,485) and SR ($20,085). Yes, a top Versa now costs more than 20 grand, but you get a lot more than you used to. 

Though value is the Versa’s main draw, it offers a supremely comfortable ride and interior for its class. The car has evolved over the years from a frumpy hatchback to a sleek sedan with upscale trappings that defy its bargain-basement price tag. Its extended overall length gives it more than reasonable interior dimensions. Best of all, the Versa offers some active-safety features found on none of its competitors and which cost even more on a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

A little larger than most of its direct competitors, the 2022 Nissan Versa doesn’t look like a traditional “economy car” but it packs in lots of value and good gas mileage at a low price.  Nissan

The Versa competes against the Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Mitsubishi Mirage and Chevrolet Spark, but it also has to contend with tiny crossovers like Nissan’s own Kicks and the Hyundai Venue. The Accent puts up a strong fight but is slightly more expensive than the Versa. It’s equally as unimpressive to drive and features a continuously variable transmission, but it cannot be equipped with adaptive cruise control, which the Versa can. 

With a smooth ride for a small car and precise-feeling steering, the Versa feels light and agile around town, which is not something all previous Versas could boast. However, the 122-horsepower four-cylinder engine gets winded when it’s called upon for anything close to rapid passing maneuvers or hard acceleration. While this car looks and feels more sophisticated than Versas of old, it’s still not much of a performer and probably never will be. 

Nissan has done enough with the Versa to keep it competitive and maintain its appeal with buyers, who are generally going for larger vehicles these days anyway. The price is right, that’s for sure, but plenty of price-defying features make the car a good pick for reasons other than being cheap. That said, the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio have longer powertrain warranties at ten years and 100,000 miles compared to Nissan’s five-year, 60,000-mile warranty, so it’s almost a tossup between them.

Although far from a luxury car, the Versa’s interior looks and feels appreciably richer than its subcompact rivals, and it offers more features than they do.  Nissan

Performance: 8/15

The Versa’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine makes 122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with a manual gearbox or a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) in the base S model, with the CVT standard on the two higher trims. Middling power output means the car often feels outmatched for the situation, making everyday driving situations more dramatic than they should. Reaching highway speeds takes a while and passing once there is a chore. 

Thankfully for the Nissan, it has plenty of redeeming qualities to help buyers overlook its diminutive powertrain output. On the road, the Versa maintains a mostly smooth and refined ride and manages a decent level of agility in traffic. It’s also highly maneuverable, so the car is an excellent city companion. Nissan did a good job with the Versa’s sound insulation, and the car is hushed, even in noisy urban situations. 

Fuel Economy: 13/15

The 2022 Nissan Versa returns an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in the city, 35 mpg on the highway and 30 mpg combined when equipped with the five-speed manual transmission. When equipped with a CVT, the Versa returns 32 mpg city, 40 mpg on the highway, and 35 mpg combined. 

Those fuel economy estimates place the Versa behind the Hyundai Accent, rated at 29 mpg city and 41 mpg highway. They’re also behind the Kia Rio, which returns stellar fuel economy of 33 mpg in the city and 41 mpg highway. All three fall short of the Mirage, which can net up to 43 mpg on the highway and 39 mpg combined. It’s even less exciting to drive, however.

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 10/15

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) hasn’t given the Versa a full crash test since the 2019 model year. The car scored “Good” results in all crash test categories except for small overlap front driver-side, where it earned a “Poor” score. The 2022 model got a limited test and earned “Good” scores for moderate overlap front and side crash tests. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives it a five-star overall rating.

Nissan includes forward automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, lane departure warnings, highbeam assist and a vehicle security system as standard equipment in all Versas. The SV and SR trims get much more: rear door alerts, driver alertness monitoring, blind spot warning, and rear cross-traffic alerts. Adaptive cruise control is available for the top SR trim.

There’s plenty of room up front, but we think Nissan could easily have sacrificed an inch or two of front legroom to provide a little more room in back. There’s just 31 inches of rear legroom, which is tight even for a small car.  Nissan

Comfort & Room: 10/15

Interior quality and design go above and beyond the competition and help the Versa feel far more premium than some of the penalty boxes it competes with. First-row seating is spacious and comfortable, with up to 44.5 inches of legroom in the front. Of course, there’s a push and pull here in that the generous legroom comes at the expense of back-seat comfort. Considering that this Versa is much larger than the previous generation, one wonders where the room went.

The Hyundai Accent only offers 42.1 inches of legroom up front but tops the Versa’s very tight 31 inches of rear legroom by a full 2.5 inches. The Versa’s headroom measures 39.5 inches in front and 36.3 inches in the back. The Hyundai brings 38.9 inches in front and 37.3 in the back.  

Infotainment: 10/15

Most trims deliver a robust tech experience, as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come with the SV and SR trims. All models get a 7-inch touchscreen and voice recognition with Google Assistant. There are also three USB ports, Bluetooth music, and a hands-free phone. Nissan’s infotainment software sometimes feels clunky and isn’t as intuitive as it needs to be. The upside is that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto run flawlessly on the 7-inch display, and the Versa’s substantial list of features more than makes up for the slight inconvenience. 

The Versa also brings more value on the tech front than some of its rivals. The Hyundai Accent only gets a five-inch screen to start, and buyers must upgrade to a higher trim to get a touchscreen with smartphone integration. The Kia Rio shames them both with a standard 8-inch touchscreen that offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto out of the box.

The Versa’s 15 cubic-foot trunk is practically a full-size cavern, and larger than a bunch of high-end luxury sedans.  Nissan

Cargo Space & Storage: 11/15

The Versa offers up to 15 cubic-feet of cargo space with the rear seats up. Folding seats are standard, allowing longer cargo and larger items to fit surprisingly easily. In comparison, the Hyundai Accent only offers 13.7 cubic-feet of space, but it earns back points for more generous small-item storage inside. 

Compared to other rivals, the Versa offers a good amount of cargo space, but the car could have been even better if it remained a hatchback. Nissan’s decision to go sedan-only with the Versa is tough, especially considering some of its rivals continue to offer the useful body style. The Kia Rio hatchback, for example, is slightly more expensive to start with but offers more interior space and a load of standard features that the most basic Versa does not. 

Style & Design: 7/10

There’s nothing remarkable about the Versa’s styling, other than that Nissan stopped offering the utility-rich hatchback version. The car features Nissan’s “V”-shaped grille, but it’s less dramatic to match the Versa’s subdued overall styling. Its front end is otherwise nondescript. The same is true looking at the car in profile, though Nissan gave it a blacked-out C-pillar for a more interesting “floating roof” look. 

There are more interesting designs in the Versa’s segment, especially from the Koreans. The Kia Rio looks great as a hatchback, as the liftback shape works well with its small stature. The same is true for the Hyundai Accent, though it wears a more traditional sedan shape. The Mitsubishi Mirage looks aggressive in some of its available formats, but the car’s awkward proportions (especially as the G4 sedan) don’t do it any favors.

It’s still small and understated, but the Versa has presense now, and doesn’t look all that much different at a glance from the larger, pricier Sentra and Altima.  Nissan

Is the 2022 Nissan Versa Worth it? Which Versa is the Best Value? 

At $16,675 the base model S is among the cheapest cars on the market, but it offers more value than other bargain-bin options like the Chevy Spark or Mitsubishi Mirage. Upgrading to the SV ($19,485) is a big jump but provides a much nicer set of features including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which can be used to provide your Versa with Navigation and nicer interfaces. 

The top-trim SR is where the value is though, bringing 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, nicer interior materials and the option for the $400 Convenience Package, which includes Nissan’s pretty good adaptive cruise control system. The Versa SR is the only car in this class to offer this capability and considering that the bill only rises to $20,485 with this added, that seems like the best possible value. That’s still below compact alternatives like the Subaru Impreza, Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra.

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the Nissan Versa?

According to our data, the average 30-year-old female driver with a good record can expect an average annual premium of $1,968 for a Versa. That compares to $1,900 for the Kia Rio, $1,881 for a Hyundai Accent, $1,762 for a Chevrolet Spark and $1,744 for a Hyundai Venue. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, visit our car insurance calculator.