Cars Like
2026 Nissan Ariya

Nissan

Ariya

Model Profile

ElectricSUV2026

From $49,990

Driveaway estimate · NSW · priced Aug 2026. Varies by state. Details →

Illustrative render
The short version

Nissan took its time getting to the electric-SUV party, and the Ariya is the car it finally arrived with. On sale in Australia since September 2025, it is Nissan's first purpose-built electric SUV, a mid-sizer pitched squarely at the Tesla Model Y (as most are) and the wave of Chinese and Korean EVs that beat it here. What it gives away in timing it claws back inside: a flat-floored, lounge-like cabin that drivers rate among the most relaxing in the class. Four grades span front-drive value to a dual-motor flagship, and after a mid-2026 price cut the range now opens at $49,990 driveaway.

From

$49,990

Engage, standard NSW driveaway, not a limited-time offer.

Longest range

504km

Advance+ on the 87kWh battery, WLTP.

ANCAP

5 star

Tested with 8 airbags and a full driver-assist suite.

The numbers that matter

What matters to you?

385–504km

Range

160–290kW

Power

408–466L

Boot space

8years

Battery warranty

Range shown across the Ariya line-up. Pick a priority to see the numbers that matter to you.

In the metal
Nissan Ariya · Front three-quarter
Nissan Ariya · Profile
Nissan Ariya · Rear three-quarter

Images are illustrative and digitally rendered. They may not reflect the exact variant, colour or trim. Details →

The full picture

Living with the Ariya.

The Ariya is the easy-to-live-with EV, and on that count it delivers. Australian reviewers are near-unanimous that its calling card is serenity: a hushed, relaxed on-road manner and an airy, cleverly packaged cabin, making it one of the nicest mid-size electric SUVs to sit in and drive. Where it stumbles is timing and edge. It landed here late, in September 2025, into a segment already thick with sharper-value rivals, and it arrives without a single standout number to hang a decision on.

For most buyers the Advance+ is the one to have. Its 87kWh battery lifts WLTP range to 504km, a real jump over the 385km of the 63kWh Engage and Advance, and it lands at $61,990 driveaway. That price matters because it moved. Nissan ruled out discounting when the Ariya launched, then cut the range sharply in mid-2026 as sales stalled, which is why the Engage now opens at $49,990. Running costs help the case: as an EV there is no fuel or oil, servicing is capped at around $800 a visit on 12-month intervals, roughly $4,000 over five years, and the warranty runs five years and unlimited kilometres.

The range tops out with the Evolve e-4ORCE, and it is a different sort of Ariya. Where the front-drivers make 160 to 178kW and chase efficiency, the e-4ORCE runs a motor on each axle for 290kW, 600Nm and all-wheel-drive traction, and it lifts braked towing to 1,500kg against the 750kg of the front-drive grades. It asks $75,990 driveaway for that as of August 2026, and the extra hardware trims range to 487km and the boot to 408 litres. It is the pick if all-weather grip or towing lead your brief, but it is a big jump in price for gains most buyers will rarely lean on.

Underneath, the Ariya is honest about what it is: a comfort-first electric SUV on a bespoke EV platform, whose flat floor and sliding centre console free up the roomy, calm cabin that is its best feature. Twin 12.3-inch screens run the show, though the interface is the familiar Nissan set-up shared with the Qashqai and X-Trail, and the press consensus is that it trails the newest rivals for polish. Two other marks are worth knowing before you buy: the boot is small for the class, and DC charging peaks at a modest 130kW, so long trips ask for longer stops than the quickest-charging rivals would. We would pick the Ariya if a serene, beautifully finished cabin and easy daily running matter to you more than charging speed or outright space; the cross-shops are covered in the verdict. Lovely, just late.

$49,990

Gets you in, after a 2026 price cut

Nissan ruled out discounts at launch, then cut Ariya prices as sales stalled.

The range

Ariya Range Walk

The Ariya range splits on two decisions: which battery, and whether you want all-wheel drive. Three front-drive grades climb from value to long-range comfort, then the dual-motor e-4ORCE flagship sits well above them. Prices below are standard NSW driveaway.

  1. 01

    Engage

    Cheapest way in

    From $49,990

    From $49,990, the value entry: the 63kWh battery good for 385km WLTP, 160kW front drive, cloth seats, manual seat adjustment and 19-inch wheels. The full safety suite and 12.3-inch screens are already standard here.

  2. 02

    Advance

    Value with comfort

    From $53,990

    For $53,990, a $4,000 step that adds the comfort kit most buyers want: leather-appointed seats, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, driver lumbar support and a power tailgate. Same 63kWh battery and 385km range.

  3. 03

    Advance+

    Best range

    From $61,990

    At $61,990, the range sweet spot: the bigger 87kWh battery lifts range to 504km WLTP and power to 178kW, and adds memory eight-way power seats with ventilation. The longest-legged Ariya you can buy.

  4. 04

    Evolve e-4ORCE

    All-weather traction and towing

    From $75,990

    The $75,990 flagship: dual-motor e-4ORCE all-wheel drive making 290kW and 600Nm, 20-inch wheels and a 1,500kg braked towing rating, double the front-drivers. Range eases to 487km and the boot to 408 litres for the extra hardware.

Driveaway estimate · NSW · priced Aug 2026. Varies by state. Details →

Specifications

Under the skin.

Towing

How much can the Nissan Ariya tow?

The Nissan Ariya is rated to tow up to 1,500 kg with a braked trailer and 750 kg without trailer brakes. That maximum applies to the Evolve; across the range the braked rating spans 750 kg to 1,500 kg.

Braked towing

Heaviest braked trailer allowed, quoted as ATM: the loaded trailer including ball weight.

1,500 kg

Unbraked towing

Limit for trailers without their own brakes.

750 kg

GVM

Gross vehicle mass: the most the loaded vehicle may weigh, ball weight included.

2,667 kg

GCM

Gross combination mass: vehicle and trailer together. Nissan does not publish one.

Not published

Kerb weight

The vehicle as delivered, before people, cargo and accessories.

2,234 kg

Payload

Everything you may add, ball weight included. Calculated: 2,667 kg GVM minus 2,234 kg kerb weight.

433 kg

Calculated

Max ball weight

Downward load on the tow ball; it counts toward GVM.

75 kg

Figures for the Evolve. Other grades differ; pick a variant in the checker below.

What's left once the van is hooked up

Hook up 1,500 kg with 75 kg on the ball and the Evolve has 358 kg of payload left for people, cargo and accessories.

Nissan does not publish a GCM for the Ariya, so the tow rating and the GVM are the governing limits shown here.

Assuming 10 per cent of the trailer weight.

Two adults plus luggage is roughly 400 kg.

Over a limit. This combination does not comply.

Tow rating

0 kg under the 1,500 kg braked rating

Vehicle GVM

Over GVM by 117 kg. Lighten the load or the ball.

Combined GCM

GCM not published for this vehicle

Tow ball limit

Over the 75 kg ball limit by 75 kg

The rules and the fine print

Figures are manufacturer maximums for the Evolveand can change with model year; the compliance plate and handbook of your exact vehicle govern. In Australia, trailers over 750 kg GTM (the loaded weight on the trailer's own wheels) need their own brakes, and over 2,000 kg they need brakes on all wheels plus a breakaway system. Ball weight typically runs 8 to 12 per cent of ATM. Axle loads and tyre ratings are not modelled here. Checking a different car against your van? Use the towing calculator.

Safety

How it protects.

ANCAP · Tested 2022

Adult Occupant86%
Child Occupant89%
Pedestrian74%
Safety Assist95%

This vehicle achieved the highest possible ANCAP safety rating, with strong results across occupant protection, pedestrian safety and safety-assist technology.

The verdict

Buy the Ariya if you want an electric SUV that is genuinely lovely to spend time in, and you value a hushed, beautifully designed cabin over a spec-sheet knockout. The front-drive Advance+ is the pick: 504km of range and the comfort kit for $61,990, with the mid-2026 price cut making the whole range better value than at launch. Just go in clear-eyed about the trade-offs. Its 130kW charging and small boot are real, so cross-shop the Kia EV5 or Hyundai Ioniq 5 if space or fast charging lead your brief, the Tesla Model Y if you want the tech and charging network, and the BYD Sealion 7 if outright value is the priority, since it undercuts the Ariya with similar equipment. For serenity and design, few in the class match it.

Where it shines
  • Serene, airy cabin that is lovely to live with
  • 87kWh Advance+ rated at 504km WLTP
  • Five-star ANCAP, full safety suite standard on every grade
  • Capped servicing and a five-year, unlimited-km warranty
  • Cheaper than at launch after a 2026 price cut
Worth weighing up
  • Modest 130kW DC charging lags newer rivals
  • Entry 63kWh grades do only 385km WLTP
  • Boot is small for the class, and no front boot
  • Infotainment interface trails the newest EVs
  • e-4ORCE flagship is a steep $75,990 driveaway
The back story

Where the Ariya has been.

Past generations. Context, not the car on sale today.

The Ariya is a new nameplate rather than a new generation: Nissan's first purpose-built electric SUV, revealed globally in 2020 and on sale in Australia from September 2025. It follows the Leaf, the hatchback that made Nissan an early mover in mainstream EVs, but shares nothing with it beyond the electric drivetrain and the ambition.

2010: the Leaf

Nissan's Leaf was one of the first mass-market EVs sold in Australia, and made the brand an early name in electric motoring. The Ariya is its spiritual successor, moving Nissan's EV story on from a compact hatch to a mid-size family SUV.

2025 onward: the Ariya

Launched here in September 2025, late to a segment the Tesla Model Y already led. A bespoke EV platform, a design-led cabin and four grades from front-drive value to the dual-motor e-4ORCE flagship, repriced downward in mid-2026 as Nissan chased slow early sales.

Questions

Asked about the Ariya.

By Yuri Cartland, Editor

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