Nissan Ariya Review

Practicality and boot space

The Ariya is a spacious and comfortable car whether you’re driving or in the back. The flat floor gives a real sense of airiness, and up front there’s enough storage in the doorbins, glovebox and beneath the centre armrest to keep your stuff from rattling around. Go for Evolve trim, and you also get a magic tray that appears out of the dashboard at the press of a button, in which you can charge your phone or it can even be used as a small desk for a laptop, according to Nissan. 

There’s plenty of room in the back even for very tall passengers, although the glass sunroof will eat into headroom a fraction if you go for it. Legroom is very generous, the rear seatbacks recline slightly and there’s a centre armrest as well as a couple of charging ports, so the Ariya should keep the kids very happy.  

At the back, front-wheel drive versions of the Ariya have a decently-sized 466 litre boot while all-wheel drive models offer 408 litres, as a result of an extra motor robbing some of the room. That’s more than you’ll find in a Nissan Qashqai but far less than rivals such as the ŠKODA Enyaq and Tesla Model Y. 

The seats do fold nearly flat in a 60/40 split, though, and there’s underfloor storage to keep your cables tidy and out of the way, but there are definitely better options in the class if a really big boot space is a priority for you. There’s no seven-seat option in the Ariya; it’s strictly five-seats only. If you want seven-seat flexibilitiy you’ll have to look to the Nissan X-Trail, or for electric seven-seaters you’re limited to the Mercedes EQB or Kia EV9. 

Interior & Design

The interior design is one of the real selling points of the Ariya, as it feels a notch above most rivals both in terms of the perceived quality and also the smart, minimalist design that features lots of wood and warm-toned materials. 

It’s also very comfortable. Provided you go for mid-spec Advance trim or up, you get heated, electrically adjustable front seats with lumbar support for the driver, which is a key reason why we favour this trim. There's plenty of adjustment on the steering column and seat, and you can even slide the centre console back- and forth so that you can maximise floor space between the front seats, if you wish.

As for the design of the Ariya, well we’ve already told you that we love it. That bold, gloss frontage, super-smooth panelling and contrast roof – it looks really striking and appealing. You can get it in some interesting colours too, including dark metallic green, burgundy and the very smart copper-coloured finish that most launch cars came in. 

Dashboard

The dashboard is simple but neatly executed with all the displays arranged in a single screen assembly that spans just over half of the dashboard.

A really unusual trick is the touch-sensitive buttons that are integrated into a wood-effect strip, which spans the width of the car; it looks great, although you do sometimes have to press them quite hard to get them to respond. It all looks and feels remarkably high end, from the copper metal strips along the dash rail to the fabric panels above them. The Ariya is priced as a premium product and in terms of interior fit and finish, and it feels like one too. 

Technology & Equipment

As Nissan owners have come to expect, the Ariya comes with a host of gadgets and technology. These include ProPILOT assistance systems, the brand’s famous ePedal along with Nissan’s Safety Shield, which includes Intelligent Around View Monitor, Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, Intelligent Emergency Braking, and Rear Automatic Emergency Braking Technology. These will seem like space age stuff if you are coming to the Ariya from an older car, but some of it is not quite state-of-the-art any longer. For example, the regen braking systems don't use the front radar sensors or GPS mapping to adjust the levels, meaning some efficiency is lost and the regen’ isn’t always as smooth and intuitive as you might hope. 

A 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen is standard on every Ariya, together with another 12.3-inch display screen behind the steering wheel. Features include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, TomTom nav, Bluetooth and Amazon Alexa voice control. It’s just a shame that the graphics are rather fuzzy and dated-looking, and the screen could be quicker to respond; other systems from Kia, Hyundai, Tesla and even Skoda and Volkswagen are usefully better. 

As for equipment, even entry-level Engage models get a reversing camera, LED headlights and dual-zone climate control, but we’d step up to Advance as it adds leatherette upholstery, heated seats, windscreen and steering wheel, wireless phon charging, electric seat adjustment and more. 

Top-spec Evolve gets the glass roof, ventilated seats, head-up display and a Bose stereo, but it is a big jump in price. 

Safety

As Nissan owners have come to expect, the Ariya comes with a host of gadgets and technology. These include ProPILOT assistance systems, the brand’s famous ePedal along with Nissan’s Safety Shield, which includes Intelligent Around View Monitor, Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, Intelligent Emergency Braking, and Rear Automatic Emergency Braking Technology. These will seem like space age stuff if you are coming to the Ariya from an older car, but some of it is not quite state-of-the-art any longer. For example, the regen braking systems don't use the front radar sensors or GPS mapping to adjust the levels, meaning some efficiency is lost and the regen’ isn’t always as smooth and intuitive as you might hope. 

Nonetheless, it does have even more standard safety equipment across the range than some rivals, and it scored the maximum five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests.