The 2024 Nissan ARIYA starts at $40,980 in the United States and at $52,093 in Canada, freight and delivery charges included.
Good road manners, spacious and airy cabin, attractive design.
Fat front pillars complicate parking manoeuvres, fussy climate controls, unimpressive max charge speed.
Nissan was one of the first automakers to launch a mass-production EV back in 2010, and it took more than a decade to introduce a second electric vehicle in the North American market. The 2024 Nissan ARIYA represents the second model year of the brand’s new crossover, sold alongside the Nissan LEAF.
The ARIYA’s gestation period was longer than what Nissan likely expected, extended by the global pandemic, but it finally hit the market for the 2023 model year. The midsize model can seat up to five passengers and is offered in several trim levels, along with two powertrain options.
In the U.S., the 2024 Nissan ARIYA is available in Engage, Venture+, Evolve+, Engage+, Empower+ and Platinum+ trim levels. The base Engage features a 66 kWh (63 usable) battery pack, while the rest get a 91 kWh (87 usable) battery. In Canada, the ARIYA is available in Engage, Evolve, Evolve+ and Evolve+ with Platinum Package trim levels.
Front-wheel-drive units are equipped with a single electric motor that develops 214 or 238 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, while e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive units benefit from a motor on each axle, with a combined output of 389 horsepower and 442 pound-feet. However, the base AWD variant is limited to 335 horsepower and 413 pound-feet.
On a DC fast charger, the ARIYA can replenish its battery pack as a maximum speed of 130 kW, while its onboard charger can handle a speed of up to 7.2 kW. Here are energy efficiency, fuel economy equivalent and driving range ratings:
| Fuel Economy Equivalent City/Highway/Combined (MPGe) | Fuel Economy Equivalent City/Highway/Combined (Le/100 km) | Energy Consumption City/Highway/Combined (kWh/100 miles) | Energy Consumption City/Highway/Combined (kWh/100 km) | Driving Range (miles) | Driving Range (km) | |
| Engage FWD (63 kWh) | 109/94/101 | 2.2/2.5/2.3 | 31/36/33 | 19.3/22.4/20.7 | 216 | 348 |
| Evolve+/Empower+ FWD (87 kWh) | 105/91/98 | 2.2/2.6/2.4 | 32/37/34 | 20.0/23.1/21.4 | 289 | 465 |
| Venture+ FWD (87 kWh) | 111/95/103 | – | 31/37/33 | – | 304 | – |
| Engage/Evolve e-4FORCE (63 kWh) | 101/89/95 | 2.3/2.6/2.5 | 33/37/35 | 20.7/23.4/21.9 | 205 | 330 |
| Engage+/Evolve+ e-4ORCE (87 kWh) | 97/86/92 | 2.4/2.7/2.5 | 35/39/37 | 21.5/24.3/22.8 | 272 | 438 |
| Platinum+ e-4ORCE (87 kWh) | 93/87/90 | 2.5/2.7/2.6 | 36/39/37 | 22.6/24.4/23.4 | 267 | 428 |
| Platinum+ e-4ORCE w/20-Inch Wheels (87 kWh) | 89/84/87 | – | 37/40/39 | – | 257 | – |
During our test, we averaged an energy consumption of 35.1 kWh/100 miles or 21.8 kWh/100 km.
Available comfort and convenience features include heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, leatherette upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a panoramic sunroof, a power liftgate, a 12.3-inch digital driver instrument cluster, head-up display, a 360-degree camera system, a power-sliding center console, dual-zone climate control, a 12.3-inch infotainment system touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, wireless phone charging and the ProPILOT Assist semi-autonomous driving system.
The range-topping trim also includes a power tilt and telescoping steering column, a motion-activated liftgate, Nappa leather, ventilated front seats and a Bose 10-speaker stereo. Nineteen-inch wheels wrapped in 235/55R19 tires are featured as standard, while 20-inch rollers with 255/45R20 tires are optional on the U.S.-market Platinum+.
On the safety front, every 2024 Nissan ARIYA is equipped with front and rear park sonar, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and more.
Pricing for the 2024 Nissan ARIYA ranges from $40,980 to $55,580 in the United States, freight and delivery charges included. In Canada, the ARIYA is listed from $52,093 to $67,093 after a recent mid-model-year price drop.
Electric Vehicle competition includes the Chevrolet Blazer EV, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Honda Prologue, the Hyundai IONIQ 5, the Kia EV6, the Subaru Solterra, the Tesla Model Y, the Toyota bZ4X, the VinFast VF 8 and the Volkswagen ID.4.
Why You Should Buy a 2024 Nissan ARIYA
- The ARIYA’s cabin is very spacious, further enhanced by the absence of a dividing floor console up front and a floor hump at the rear. The rear-seat seatbacks can also recline a little for added comfort. Cargo space is a tad above average at 22.8 cubic feet or 646 litres with the rear seatbacks in place and 59.7 cubic feet or 1,691 litres with the seats folded, beaten by the ID.4. Obviously, the advantage of an EV’s skateboard-like platform is that is provides more interior space in a smaller footprint.
- We like the Nissan ARIYA’s clean interior design, with neat touches such as power-sliding console and, on posher trim levels, the power-operated storage box with tray table.
- Nissan’s electric crossover serves up good handling characteristics and its AWD powertrain makes for a speedy vehicle. It’s worth noting that although the ARIYA is equipped with a one-pedal driving feature, it doesn’t bring the vehicle to a complete stop in a reasonable distance and we must press the brake pedal at stop signs and traffic lights.
- The ARIYA’s energy consumption ranks mid-pack in the midsize EV segment, so that’s good. The EV6, Model Y and ID.4 are more efficient, while the Blazer EV and Prologue are slightly less efficient and the VF 8 is the most energy-hungry of the bunch.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy a 2024 Nissan ARIYA
- The fat front pillar bases make the ARIYA a little difficult to park. Good thing front and rear sonars are standard, and the 360-degree camera system is recommended, even if it means spending more on the vehicle.
- The haptic climate controls on the dashboard look neat, but it takes a solid finger press to them to react, which is a distraction while driving. Setting which air vents we want to use requires us opening up the climate control screen on touchscreen, and it’s a little challenging to see which vents are activated due to the lack of color on the graphical display. Overall, the infotainment system is relatively easy to use, although its interface seems outdated compared to the appearance of some rivals’ interfaces.
- The open footwell provides plenty of room for stretching out, but it also means front-seat passengers must share the same ambient temperature, which may not be the ideal situation.
- The 130 kW max charge speed is good, but not great. Actually, it’s among the lowest in its segment. Not a problem if we always charge at home, but if we’re on the road and need a quick charge to reach our destination, it means slightly longer stops. Of course, it also depends on the capacity of the DC fast charger itself.
Final Word
The 2024 Nissan ARIYA is a roomy and stylish crossover that’s easy to live with, and it’s competitively priced as well. However, it doesn’t objectively stand out in any way in the midsize EV utility segment, which may partly be explained by the time the automaker needed to bring it to market.
In a nutshell, the ARIYA doesn’t have outstanding qualities, but no major shortcomings, either. If we like its looks, we should definitely consider it even though some competing EVs feel more sophisticated.
