2025 Nissan Ariya review: Australian first drive

Three years is a long time in the world of automotive, longer still in the still-nascent world of electric cars.

I attended the global launch of the Nissan Ariya, the Japanese brand’s electric SUV, and only the second EV in its line-up after the Leaf, in July 2022. Yet it’s only now that the medium SUV is making its way to Australia.

Nissan Australia’s managing director, Andrew Humberstone, told Drive waiting until now to launch the Ariya locally was due to a number of factors, including timing, availability and pricing.

The last point is well made. Three years ago, I suggested the Ariya could find a market in Australia if Nissan could bring it in around the $65k-$80k range, a price band that seemed reasonable for the segment at that time.

But it’s landed in dealerships here significantly more affordable than that early prediction, its pricing undercutting a slew of challengers across multiple brands, including Tesla, Kia, Hyundai, and Toyota.

But how does the Ariya stack up on the spec sheet? And how does the driving experience and cabin comfort compare to those of its rivals? That’s what I wanted to find out at the local launch.

There’s no question the electric vehicle game has changed in Australia since the Ariya first showed off its coppery skin to the world in 2022. We’ve seen boom cycles (2022-23) before a softening of the market in 2024, only for sales of EVs to once again show signs of growth in 2025.

Australians have more choice than ever before, with a slew of electric cars and SUVs available from not only an increasing number of challenger brands from China, but also from the established manufacturers.

It’s fertile ground for competition, then, and one that the Nissan Ariya will need to tend and nurture if it is to cut through to consumers.

Certainly on price alone, the Ariya gets off on the right note, with a competitive number on the windscreen that should, at the very least, see it added to many buyers’ consideration set.

Four variants make up the 2025 Nissan Ariya line-up which kicks off at $55,840 before on-road costs for the Engage trim level, positioning it within $1000 of the most-affordable Sealion 7 (from $54,990) and $3060 under the cheapest Model Y ($58,900).

The Ariya’s entry point also positions it a smidge above the Skoda Elroq (from $54,990), but well under rivals like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (from $69,800) and Toyota bZ4X (from $66,000), and a shade under the Kia EV5 (from $56,770). All prices are expressed before on-road costs.

Newcomer brands present more of a challenge to Nissan with new models like the Deepal S07 (from $53,900), and Leapmotor C10 (from $43,888) both undercutting the Ariya.

The next run on the Nissan Ariya ladder is the Advance, priced from $59,840, while the Advance+ gets things under way at $63,840. Sitting atop the range, the flagship Evolve e-4orce is priced from $71,840. All prices are before on-road costs.

The entry-level Nissan Ariya Engage is powered by a single 160kW/300Nm electric motor driving the front wheels. Power comes from a 63kWh battery good for a claimed driving range of 385km, based on WLTP testing.

Standard equipment includes 19-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless smartphone charging, power-folding and heated side mirrors, and automatic headlights and wipers.

There is also a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with built in satellite navigation and digital radio, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

The same single motor and same 63kWh battery (and 385km claimed driving range) underpin the Ariya Advance, which packs extra equipment for its $4000 premium. Additional goodies over the Engage include black cloth and leather-look seats, heated front seats and steering wheel, a surround-view monitor, power tailgate, power-adjustable front seats, rear privacy glass, and a 10-speaker Bose sound system.

The Ariya Advance+ ups the ante in terms of output and range. Still powered by a single electric motor driving the front wheels, power have been boosted to 178kW while torque remains unchanged at 300Nm. A large 87kWh battery offers a claimed 504km of range, a significant step up over the variants below it on the ladder.

The Advance+ also scores additional – or enhanced – standard equipment with a synthetic leather interior with Ultrasuede seat inserts, a head-up display, panoramic glass roof, power sliding centre console, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and sequential turn signals.

Stepping into the flagship Ariya Evolve e-4orce, the only variant in the range to be fitted with two electric motors for all-wheel drive.

Each electric motor – one at each axle – produces 160kW, while combined torque reaches 600Nm, according to Nissan, enabling a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.6 seconds. That increased performance comes at a cost to range – the Evolve’s 87kWh battery claims to deliver 487km, based on WLTP testing.

As befitting a flagship model, the Evolve e-4orce scores extra goodies over its siblings: 20-inch alloy wheels, a three-phase AC onboard charger (optional in the Advance+), blue nappa leather seat trim, matte chrome window surrounds, adaptive LED headlights, power-folding and heated side mirrors with memory function, and powered steering wheel adjustment.

The Nissan Ariya wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on 2022 testing by its European counterpart, NCAP. A full suite of active safety technologies are bundled in across the range.

It's worth talking about the Ariya’s positioning in the market. Nissan classifies it as a small SUV. However, a quick look at the numbers tells a slightly different story.

At 4595mm long, and with a width of 1850mm while standing 1660mm tall, the Ariya is only fractionally smaller than the benchmark of the medium SUV segment, Toyota’s RAV4 – by 5mm, 5mm and 15mm respectively. It is, by almost every measure, a medium SUV.

When I first saw the Ariya at its global launch back in 2022, I was struck by its design which I described as “sleek, seamless and confident”, reflecting Nissan’s Japanese Futurism design philosophy. I posited that the Ariya looked “like an SUV from the not-too-distant future”.

Well, that “not-too-distant future” is now, and three years later, the Ariya still presents a handsome profile, with a sleek teardrop shape enhanced by sharp creases best shown to effect by that gorgeous two-tone Akatsuki Copper metallic paint. It’s a $1495 option on Advance+ and Evolve e-4orce grades and is not available on Engage or Advance variants.

The design-led ethos of the Ariya continues inside, combining to the Japanese design philosophies of Ma (the mastery of empty space), and Kumika (the ancient Japanese art of joining pieces of wood together without the use of nails or any other adhesives).

Certainly, the minimalist cabin feels light and airy, with interesting materials and textures throughout.

A straight-through floor up front enhances the feel of spaciousness while the faux-timber strip that runs along the length of the dash looks neither cheap nor nasty. Instead, it accents that feeling of lightness. It also serves a practical purpose, featuring an array of illuminated haptic-touch buttons for climate controls and the like. It’s modern, it’s sleek, it’s tactile – it’s lovely.

The Kumika patterns that mimic the seamless timber joinery of ancient Japan are evident throughout, most notably the Ariya’s ambient lighting, which provides subtle and effective illumination throughout the cabin.

That generosity of space continues in the second row, which is remarkably roomy for what is, ostensibly, a medium SUV. Toe, knee, leg and head room are plentiful, certainly behind my own 173cm driving position. I also sampled row two with a taller driver up front and still had room to move and wiggle. And visibility is good too, perched back there.

That spaciousness is enhanced by the clever centre console up front, which is powered and can be slid forward to free up even more room in the perfectly flat foot well in the second row. It’s a clever feature, and one that invites three-across comfort for back seat passengers. However, it's only available on the Advance+ grade and up.

For those with little ones, the outboard seats are equipped with ISOFIX child seat mounts while three-top-tether anchors adorn all three seatbacks.

Boot space is commensurate with the small SUV segment, with front-wheel drive variants offering up 466 litres while the all-wheel drive Evolve e-4orce quotes 408 litres, the loss in space account ted for by the second electric motor at the rear axle.

Fold down the rear seats and total space (to the roof) comes in at 1350L (front-wheel drive) and 1280L (all-wheel drive). For context, the Tesla Model Y dwarfs the Ariya in terms of boot space, with 822L and 2022L available.

Twin 12.3-inch screens grace the dashtop, one a touchscreen for infotainment, the other a configurable digital instrument display.

The 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen plays host to wireless (and wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, native satellite navigation, AM/FM/DAB+ radio, and Bluetooth streaming.

The native operating system isn’t exactly overflowing with features. That’s no bad thing, where some setups from other manufacturers can bamboozle owners, even after prolonged use. But it is responsive to inputs, and looks fresh and contemporary. I used Apple CarPlay for the bulk of my time with the Ariya and found the connection stable and responsive at all times.

Similarly, the 12.3-inch digital instrument display effectively utilises simple fonts and graphics to present data clearly and concisely. It can be configured to display a variety of data, such as energy consumption, battery charge, and route guidance. However, navigating through the various screens via the controls on the steering wheel will require some prolonged use and learning.

The two top models in the range – Advance+ and Evolve – also feature a crisp head-up display that projects driving data directly on to the windscreen.

Keeping your devices juiced up is a wireless charging pad in the centre console as well as a total of four USB points – one each Type A and Type C up front and two Type C in the second row.

The other battery that needs charging is, of course, the Ariya’s main source of power. With two battery sizes – 63kWh and 87kWh – there are several calculations to consider.

Nissan says the smaller battery will take approximately 35 minutes to top up from 10-80 per cent at a maximum rate of 130kW on a DC fast charger while using a 50kW DC charger will take around 1h5m.

At home, a regular single-phase wallbox pumping out a maximum of 7.4kW will result in a 10-100 per cent charge time of around 9 hours. It’s worth noting, that Engage and Advance variants are only fitted with a single-phase on-board charger, meaning AC charging is capped at 7.4kWh.

A three-phase on-board charger capable of accepting 22kW is standard in the flagship Evolve and optional on the Advance+, dramatically reducing the 10-100 per cent charge time to around 4h30m, providing you have the right infrastructure (i.e. a 22kW wallbox) in place. Using a more common 7.4kW wallbox takes around 12h30m.

Thanks to its larger capacity, the 87kWh battery will take around 40 minutes to replenish from 10-80 per cent at a maximum rate of 130kW, or around 90 minutes using a 50kW public charger.

Nissan is keen to cut through the crowded segment with the Ariya and is currently offering some sweet charging deals on all variants for the first 400 or so orders, which will all be equipped with the more powerful three-phase on-board charger across every grade. It reverts to a $3000 option on Advance+ variants after that, standard on Evolve, and unavailable on Engage and Advance variants.

Nissan is also offering a free home charger, valued at $1479 (excluding installation), for the first 400 Ariya customers.

Nissan’s warrants the battery for eight years/160,000km while overall coverage runs to 10 years or 300,000km, whichever comes first, the latter conditional on the Ariya’s servicing schedule maintained only through Nissan dealers.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 20,000km and visits to the workshop are capped at $299 per visit. The Ariya also comes with 10 years’ of Nissan roadside assistance.

So how does the Nissan Ariya drive? To find out, I spent time behind the wheel of both Advance+ and Evolve variants, a menu offering good feedback on the two available powertrains.

The Advance+ and its single motor driving the front wheels claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.1 seconds, which sounds glacial by today’s electric-car standards, but isn’t in practice. Yes, it’s not as spritely as some (or many) EVs on today’s market, but I’d argue it doesn't need to be.

There’s a crispness to the acceleration from standstill, which is in line with general traffic flow, the Advance+ blending into the daily grind with quietude and ease and enough pace to not feel slow.

While that initial surge of speed is missing in action, the Advance+ makes up for it with a nice dose of acceleration in the mid-range, from say 40-80km/h – a measure I’d argue is far more usable in the real world than haring away from traffic lights at supercar-like speeds.

Ride comfort is pleasant, although our patchy road surfaces did highlight a slight degree of fussiness when navigating rough, potholed surfaces. It’s well within the boundaries of acceptable, but there is some busyness under-wheel when the road surface becomes less-than-perfect.

The firm nature of the suspension setup helps keep body roll in check, aided by a nice, low centre of gravity thanks to the battery forming part of the Ariya’s chassis structure. That means navigating winding and twisting sections of rural backroads, while not exactly thrilling, results in a composed and settled manner.

The steering here helps, with nice weighting and progressive feel, while the brakes offer decent resistance with seamless transition between regenerative and friction braking.

The Ariya comes with Nissan’s e-Pedal, which allows for single-pedal driving, but it’s an all-or-nothing proposition, with no levels of variability available.

Motorway cruising results in a refined and relaxed experience, the Ariya nicely composed and quiet with wind noise and tyre roar only making minimal inroads into the cabin.

Nissan claims the Advance+’s 87kWh battery is good for a driving range of 504km and will consume energy at a rate of 19.1kWh per 100km. I bettered that claim, and by some margin, the Advance+ indicated a consumption rate of 15.8kWh/100km after a decent amount of time behind the wheel, spent on motorways, rural backroads, and a touch of suburban trawling.

For those who do want a bit of special sauce with their Ariya, the Evolve e-4orce and its twin electric motors does provide. The benchmark sprint from 0-100km/h is dispatched in a claimed 5.6 seconds, hot hatch-like acceleration that translates into a briskness lacking in the Advance+.

Its mid-range acceleration is also, unsurprisingly, perkier, the flagship hunkering down and surging ahead in a composed manner without that breakneck speed some EVs are known for.

It makes for a more satisfying time behind the wheel, enhanced by perfect 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution and a nice, low centre of gravity.

Cornering feels composed and effortless; the Ariya remained flat while the dollop of acceleration powering out of corners brought a level of fun to the equation.

Like it is in variants down the pecking order, ride comfort feels good, although not perfect, with, again, a level of brittleness over patchier road surfaces. But again, it’s not a deal-breaker; the Ariya generally offers a cosseting experience in the cabin with only larger undulations and repaired potholes offering any kind of resistance to what is otherwise a well-sorted chassis.

Nissan says the more powerful (and heavier) Ariya Evolve e-4orce will chew through its electrons at a rate of 20.8kWh/100km, and as I did in the Advance+, I bettered that claim with an indicated 17.4kWh/100km.

So what’s the verdict? In a word, good. The Nissan Ariya might be late to the Australian EV party, but Nissan has, on paper, judged its timing pretty well.

Landing here smack-bang in the middle of a crowded segment, Nissan needed pricing for the Ariya to be competitive. And it certainly is, bettering the buy-in ask for some of its rivals while closely matching others.

Our pick of the bunch is the Ariya Advance+ with its 504km driving range, which brings with it peace of mind for a buying public still teetering on the brink of range anxiety. Sure, it’s not as quick as the all-wheel drive Evolve, but its on-road manners and friendly performance, married to exciting design, both inside and out, swing the pendulum in its favour.

If you absolutely must have the performance of a hot hatch, then the Evolve e-4orce delivers, although it does come at a cost to both range and energy consumption.

Still, as a contender in the small-to-medium electric SUV segment, the Nissan Ariya is a breath of fresh air and well worth a look.

Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.

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