Nissan will always go down in history as the OG OEM for mainstream EVs – even though it wasn’t the first. Its original-generation Leaf (2010-17) was the world’s best-selling electric vehicle for many years and it was essentially classless – driven by both celebrities and grannies alike.
But the second-gen Leaf failed to enjoy the clear air of the first generation – instead engulfed by the Tesla movement and every other new-to-EV manufacturer.
And the introduction of the larger Ariya midsize SUV – revealed way back in July 2020 – became a victim of multiple Covid-related supply issues and didn’t start production until January 2022…
… all of which leads us to the belated September 2025 launch of the Nissan Ariya in Australia, finally filling the EV gap left by the departed second-gen Leaf, but acting as a precursor to the expansion of Nissan’s electric line-up once the all-new Leaf arrives in late-2026.
So it would perhaps be unfair to expect the Nissan Ariya to be at the cutting-edge of EV technology.
And it isn’t. Unlike cars such as the Polestar 2 liftback, which has been comprehensively upgraded over its five-year lifespan to remain competitive, the Ariya is essentially the same today as it was back in 2022 – though it’s a much better EV than what you might think.
What that comes down to is this – despite the rather anaemic 385km of WLTP range quoted for the cheaper 63kWh Ariya variants (the $55,840 Engage and $59,840 Advance), and the relative age of this now four-year-old car, the Ariya’s real-world range proved substantially better than expected, and likewise its driving ability.
We achieved 557km on test from an 87kWh Advance+ ($63,840 before on-road costs) compared to a quoted WLTP for this bigger-battery FWD of 504km, while in an Evolve e-4orce AWD ($71,840 before on-road costs), we saw 473km real-world compared to 487km WLTP.
As far as on-the-ground testing goes, those numbers appear to indicate the conservatism of Nissan’s electric range figures.
What won’t change beyond the brochure specs is the relative tardiness of the Ariya’s 10-80 percent charging times – 35mins for the 63kWh and 40mins for the 87kWh, each with a modest maximum DC charging rate of 130kW. Perhaps more than anywhere else, it’s here where the Ariya seems to betray its vintage.
Riding on a dedicated EV platform – originally dubbed CMF-EV but now referred to as AmpR Medium as its debut under the third-generation Leaf approaches – the Ariya’s suspension follows modern best practice with a multi-link independent rear suspension design, though it doesn’t feature adaptive damping.
Nissan says the weight distribution of the dual-motor Evolve is 50/50 whereas the single-motor, front-drivers are 52/48, though all variants feel nicely balanced in corners and have a consistency to their steering weighting and response that contrasts starkly with the artificial remoteness and vagueness of many Chinese EVs.
In that area alone, the Ariya feels like a better-developed, more finessed vehicle, combined with a seamlessness when it comes to standing-start acceleration that makes the Ariya much easier to drive smoothly than many of its competitors.
That said, the 178kW/300Nm front-drive Advance+ can feel quite lethargic when planting your right foot at the lights – often ceding acceleration honours to many smaller, less powerful cars.
But once up and running, there’s strong response and decent grunt – especially the 290kW/600Nm dual-motor Evolve version which quickly gathers pace and build in an exponential lunge, proving it has plenty of punch up its sleeve.
Where every Ariya variant seems to suffer somewhat is in the area of ride quality. The Ariya is far from alone when it comes to this aspect among EVs but it does detract from its otherwise mostly likeable driving manners.
There’s an abruptness to the way it reacts to bumps, sometimes instigating a bucking motion that it shares with so many other EVs.
You wouldn’t call it comfortable, yet it isn’t uncomfortable either, and the Ariya’s suspension does manage to resist crash-through on larger hits. It’s just that it doesn’t breathe with the road like, say, a Kia EV3. An admittedly smaller but capacious SUV.
The Ariya variants wearing 19-inch wheels (Engage, Advance, Advance+) are marginally less affected than the sportier Evolve on 20s, yet ride quality remains the one area where the Ariya really isn’t great.
Some may say the same about the styling – slightly bloated, with a side window shape mimicking Stuey’s head from Family Guy, and a rather tall bottom, though Ariya looks better in some colours than others, and offers a standard Aurora Green hue, as well as a rich Blue Pearl, some cool greys (Gun Metallic and Ceramic Grey) and Akatsuki Copper, some with a contrasting black roof section and some without.
Pictured: the Ariya Evolve
Inside is where the Ariya’s comparative age perhaps works in its favour. There’s a simplicity to its interior design that feels very refreshing after the convoluted, over-designed graphic arrangements perpetrated as ‘technology’ in many EVs.
All active-safety aids are grouped together in the instrument pack and are easily disabled should their effect become intrusive – including steering/lane assist for Nissan’s ‘Pro Pilot’ adaptive cruise.
Both the Ariya Advance+ and Evolve e-4orce feature gutsy 10-speaker Bose stereos, fully electric front buckets with proper under-thigh tilt for both passengers, electrically sliding centre consoles and large opening panoramic glass sunroofs with electric blind as standard.
The sunroof limits rear headroom for anyone taller than around 180cm whereas the sliding console alleviates kneeroom for the centre rear passenger, who enjoys uncharacteristic seat comfort.
Rear legroom is decent, bolstered by a fully flat floor like up front, but the rear floor is quite high, meaning a fairly splayed seating position.
Further back, the boot measures a respectable 466-litres in the front-driven 63kWh and 87kWh models, with the storage area trimmed down to 408-litre in the top-spec AWD model. In another sign of this model’s age, no frunk is available on any Ariya grade.
Best of all, the Ariya Evolve features lovely petrol-blue Nappa leather with stitched patterning, plus swathes of blue suede upholstery spread across its dash and seamlessly through the doors and B-pillar trim.
Combined with electric steering-column adjustment and embedded heating in the windscreen, it gives this range-topper a level of tangible quality and texture.
You can tell the Ariya doesn’t have double-glazed side windows, however, as there’s quite a bit of wind rush at three-figure speeds compared to several newer, more expensive EVs.
So in many ways, the Ariya seems to have aged a bit better than we were expecting. Nissan knows this isn’t a cutting-edge EV in late-2025 but at the same time, it felt the need to flesh out its line-up given the residual good will towards Nissan’s historical association with electric vehicles.
Standard equipment is quite respectable at base Engage level ($55,840), offering 19s with 235/55R19 Bridgestone tyres, cloth trim (with cloth/carpet backings on the height-adjustable front seats), dual 12.3-inch screens, dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, power-folding heated mirrors, one-touch power windows, sat-nav, digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a full active-safety suite including auto high-beam.
For another $4K, the Advance adds heated cloth/vinyl front seats, heated steering wheel, 360-degree view monitor, hands-free power tailgate, 10-speaker Bose audio, front fogs and privacy glass. Another $4K brings the Advance+ with a bigger battery, Ultrasuede seat inserts, a head-up display, panoramic sunroof, sliding centre console and heated rear seats.
The flagship Evolve ($71,840 before on-road costs) gains all the previously mentioned features plus adaptive driving beam headlights, sequential indicators, intelligent rear-view mirror and an intelligent key with driving-position memory.
Nissan is pushing hard with the coverage it offers Ariya buyers who service within its considerable dealer network, offering a 10-year/300,000km warranty plus 10 years’ roadside assistance.
There’s also servicing capped at $299 a pop for the 12-month/20,000km intervals, meaning a competitive five-year servicing price of $1495.
It’s this level of backing, plus the tangibly useful equipment offered in the Ariya (rather than an over-abundance of tinsel and gadgets) that underscores this competent, likeable, nicely built EV.
While its on-paper technology stats imply a very middle-of-the-road experience, the reality is somewhat better than that – apart from fairly leisurely charging times.
The thing is, the Nissan Ariya is an inoffensively capable vehicle that does nothing poorly, but also nothing with genuine distinction.
Nissan is expecting to sell several thousand Ariyas in Australia, but even that might be a bit optimistic given medium SUV competition such as the new Zeekr 7X, which is a strikingly handsome, high-tech EV occupying the same price points.
If buyers are persuaded by Nissan’s reassurance of on-going service support and dealer coverage, great.
But it will be these aspects, rather than the excellence of the product, that will push Aussie EV buyers into considering a Nissan Ariya over the swathes of competition.
