The Most Affordable Nissan Versa Just Died Because Of Tariffs

The current Nissan Versa sedan is the most affordable new car you can buy in America, in part thanks to its lower-cost five-speed manual transmission that comes standard. However, cross-border tariffs on parts introduced by the U.S. have threatened the affordability of the model, despite an agreement made to adhere to some of the previous conditions of the USMCA trade deal between the U.S. and Mexico, where the Versa is built and exported to the U.S. from. Now, the Versa will cost more than $20,000 new, sadly pushing up the lowest MSRP available to shoppers by a couple grand.

Cheapest New Car In America…. Still? We’ll See

At the end of May, the estimated average new car price was just a hair under $50,000, where it’s been hovering for months, especially since the threat of tariffs has made some models already more expensive to buy. Some automakers are attempting to hold pricing and bear the brunt of the additional tariff costs at least through June, but Nissan apparently can’t hold the line with the Versa. Automotive News reports that the five-speed manual will simply cease production, ending the availability of the cheapest Versa going forward in the U.S. beyond existing inventory.

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The 2025 Nissan Versa with a five-speed manual currently starts with an $18,331 MSRP after destination fees, and jumps up to $20,130 if you equip the available automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) (and for $1,000 more on top of that, you can get the larger Sentra). It’s unclear if the CVT-equipped price will hold, or if it will also go up as a result of tariffs; the U.S. consumer website for Nissan has yet to update to reflect these reported changes in production.

The Versa comes with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder that makes 122 horsepower and 114 lb-ft of torque through the front wheels, and is good for 27 mpg city, 35 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined with the stick equipped.

Mailed From Mexico

The Versa is currently assembled alongside the U.S.-bound Nissan Sentra sedan and Nissan Kicks SUV at a plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Combined, these three models account for almost one-third of Nissan’s U.S. sales volume, so the tariffs could have a significant impact on Nissan’s costs, with the automaker already financially struggling. Nissan sold 42,589 Versas last year in the U.S., about 5% of which are reportedly manual-equipped, so just about 2,100 stick-shift cars.

AutoNews also reports that Nissan is considering moving Sentra production from Aguascalientes, Mexico, to its U.S. facility in Canton, Mississippi. The company also recently moved various model inventory across the border before tariffs were implemented, accounting for more than 60 days of existing non-tariff inventory, so some pricing should hold for at least that long.

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This car is well worth the price at under 20k. Is it still worth it when we add all the frills?

However, the automaker has gutted sales incentives across its lineup, with none reported for the Versa in the month of May, so you should expect no deals and to pay full price, likely anywhere you go shopping for a car at the moment.

The Nissan Versa’s available manual introduces added production line complexity and more training for production line workers, as well as tooling and additional parts and shipping costs, so the stick shift likely wasn’t long for this world anyway. Still, bringing down the price of the car by a couple of thousand dollars was likely a very helpful marketing ploy at getting people into the showroom.

Source: Automotive News