The 2025 Nissan Versa officially rolled into the history books this month, and so did the idea of a sub-$20K car.
It’s a move we’ve seen time and again over the past several years. Automakers are ditching small, cheap and cheerful (or sometimes not so cheerful) cars as prices continue to creep ever northward. The Dodge Dart, Ford Fiesta and Chevy Sonic were early casualties in the cause, with models like the Kia Rio and Mitsubishi Mirage hanging on until the bitter end. Now, the Nissan Versa is also officially dead, after the company confirmed production ended at its Aguascalientes, Mexico plant this month.
Granted, that’s one of the least surprising bits of news you’ll likely see if you’ve been watching the market. Nissan discontinued the manual version of the Versa earlier this year. When car companies start paring down options — as they’re also doing with the Altima…a bit of foreshadowing for you there — you know the writing is on the wall. That said, to be clear, Nissan says it is still aiming to offer affordable cars, with the Altima sticking around for 2026 and a redesigned Sentra hitting the streets.
I’ll still miss the Versa as an option in the market, nevertheless. Is it the most engaging, dynamic or interesting car in the world? Absolutely not. What it did do, however, was offer a solid and economical option that’s decently equipped for its size and price tag around $20K. With Nissan’s decision to kill it off, there are no more small and affordable subcompact options on the market, so you have to step up above that $20K price point into compacts like the Toyota Corolla, Kia K4, Subaru Impreza, Mazda 3 and Honda Civic. Notice there are still no American options in that list? The Chevy Trax is the most affordable option among the Big Three (and it is a solid option), but neither Ford nor Stellantis offer a car anywhere close to that price point…at least not without heavy discounts.
About the Author
