People worry about whether their kids are safe, so teen drivers often cause their parents a little extra anxiety. Luckily, there are affordable cars these days that come with advanced safety features. The 2021 Nissan Sentra is one of these options that could be just right for your teenager.

Safety ratings for the 2021 Nissan Sentra

The 2021 Nissan Sentra has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) when it’s equipped with LED projector headlights. These headlights earn the Sentra an Acceptable rating, while its other two headlight options earn a Poor rating. The LED projector headlights are available on either the SV or the SR trim when either is equipped with the Premium package.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2021 Nissan Sentra five out of five stars for overall safety; however, it handed out a four-out-of-five star rating for frontal crash test and a lower three-out-of-five star rating for the front passenger side crash test.

Advanced safety features in the 2021 Nissan Sentra

The 2021 Nissan Sentra comes standard with the Nissan Safety Shield 360 group of features. That suite of features provides automatic high-beam headlights, forward and reverse automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, a driver attention monitor, and a rearview camera.

The SV and SR trims also include adaptive cruise control as well. The SR Premium package adds a surround-view parking camera system.

The 2021 Nissan Sentra’s trim levels

MotorTrend points out that the Nissan Sentra offers a lot of value, with its plentiful features, comfortable interior, and high-quality finishes. However, fuel efficiency is average, and its resale value isn’t as good as some competitors. U.S. News adds that its infotainment system isn’t great, and it’s not a performance vehicle. All trim levels have a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 149 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque, which is paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

The 2021 Sentra has three trim levels: the S, SV, and SR. The S trim starts at $19,410. Along with the advanced safety features, it also comes with a seven-inch touchscreen that is compatible with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It has a four-speaker stereo system, Bluetooth, and a USB port.

The SV trim starts at $20,470. Interior upgrades include different cloth upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a passenger seatback pocket. Its technology includes an eight-inch touchscreen, a 7-inch driver display, a six-speaker stereo system, satellite radio, and two additional USB ports.

The SV also comes with remote start, proximity keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, alloy wheels, plus adaptive cruise control. The SV Premium package costs an additional $2,270, but it adds leather upholstery, heated front seats, a six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, larger alloy wheels, a moonroof, plus the LED projector headlights.

The SR trim starts at $21,750. It provides sporty upgrades, including a rear spoiler, a chrome-tipped exhaust, a different grille, and fog lights. It also has cloth seats with orange contrast stitching. The SR Premium package is also $2,270 and is similar to the SV Premium package. It has Prima-Tex synthetic leather upholstery instead of leather though. It also provides a heated steering wheel, an eight-speaker Bose stereo system, a Wi-Fi hotspot, plus a surround-view parking camera system and the LED projector headlights.

Even the top trim with the additional expense for its package comes in under $25,000. This relatively affordable car is a great start for teens, and it’s made even better by its many standard advanced safety features. There’s plenty here for both teenagers and their parents to be happy about.