2020 Nissan Versa Pricing - No Longer Cheapest, Still Cheap

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

Nissan has announced pricing for the 2020 Versa, and the increase should mean that it’s no longer the cheapest car one can buy in America.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the price jump moves the car out of the “cheap” category.

Cheap in the low-cost sense, not the quality sense. More on that later — I just drove the car, but I cannot comment on it publicly until next week, due to embargo.

The cheapest car for sale 2020 title cannot be bestowed on any given econobox just yet, as it appears not all of the Versa’s competitors have released pricing for 2020 as of this moment.

If you head over to Nissan’s consumer Web site, you will see that the base price on a 2019 Versa starts at under $13,000, before fees. That price has jumped to $14,730 for a stick-shift ( Versa S. Want a continuously-variable automatic transmission? That’s gonna be $16,400. Pop for the SV mid-level trim, and it’s $17,640, while the top-line SR checks in at $18,240.

None of those prices include the $895 destination fee. You can only get a stick if you stick with the base S trim.

The redesigned Versa offers things such as a suite of driver-aid/safety tech, fog lamps, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, heated front seats, automatic climate control, Bluetooth, LED headlamps, 17-inch wheels, remote keyless entry, and push-button start.

A Convenience Package available for the SR includes heated front seats and smart cruise control.

There’s just one engine available — a 1.6-liter four-banger pushing out 122 horsepower and 114 lb-ft of torque.

Contributor and Ace of Base guru Matthew Guy did some digging and found that Mitsubishi is pricing the base 2020 Mirage at $13,995. That may be a $200 increase from this year, but it is now cheaper than a Versa. So even if the Mirage doesn’t end up being the cheapest car on the market in 2020, the Versa will have relinquished that dubious title, at least.

We’ll have full review of the updated Versa next week.

[Images © 2019 Tim Healey/TTAC]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • Jeff S Jeff S on Aug 04, 2019

    No thank you for any Nissan with the CVT transmission at any price. Any savings you get buying a Nissan is more than spent on a replacement transmission.

  • Johnster Johnster on Aug 04, 2019

    I see a lot of these on these on the roads where I live. They are much more common than Sentras and they seem about as common as Chevy Spectrums, Kia Rios and Hyundai Accents. OTOH, I see fewer Toyota Yarises, Ford Fiestas and Mitsubishi Lancers on the roads. Decidely "meh," but probably O.K. for basic transportation.

  • Canam23 I live in southwest France and I am always surprised at how many Teslas I see on the road here. Mind you, I live in a town of 50k people, not a big city so it does seem unusual. On the other hand I also see a lot of PT Cruisers here (with diesel engines) so there's that...
  • Slavuta Union....
  • Paul Alexander The Portuguese sports car.
  • Bd2 I hope they are more successful with Hyundai. Quality and ATPs only stand to improve with solid union support.
  • Dave M. In 2005 I remember my cousin texting me that he couldn't wait to show me his new car on my next visit home that summer. It was a gorgeous Pontiac, he said. I'm thinking Bonneville, Gran Prix....something suitable for a mid-40s debonair kind of guy. A few months later when I was home he drove up in his champagne colored Sunfire. My pangs of jealousy immediately melted away.He gladly inherited his mom's Camry 4 years later....
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