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The Melbourne childcareman.xyz office has secured yet another long-term test car, and this time it’s a Nissan electric vehicle (EV)… that isn’t the Leaf. In other words, it’s the Ariya!
It was that way because if I asked you to name a Nissan EV, you’d probably call the Leaf hatchback and for good reason. When the Leaf was released in 2009 as the world’s first mass-market EV after all, it became the headline for the entire world’s inaugural mass market eve and has been a staple of the model lineup since then.
Meanwhile, Nissan Australia hasn’t really launched any new electric model to complement it… until now. The mid-size Ariya electric SUV arrived in Down Under late last year three years after its global launch, with our first impressions praising its packaging but bemoaning choppy ride quality on rough roads and mixed reception.
But what’s Nissan’s Tesla Model Y rival like to live with every day? It’s time to find out. I’ll be driving a mid-spec Advance+ for the next three months to see how the Ariya fares over the longer haul, and more specifically how it copes with my busy urban lifestyle.
How much does the Nissan Ariya cost?
As the most expensive single-motor variant in the Ariya lineup, the Advance+ is positioned to compete with the Tesla Model Y RWD, as well as equivalent versions of the Skoda Elroq, BYD Sealion 7, and Kia EV5.
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
| — | — |
| Nissan Ariya Engage | $55,840 |
| Nissan Ariya Advance | $59,840 |
| Nissan Ariya Advance+ | $63,840 |
| Nissan Ariya Evolve e-4ORCE | $71,840 |
Our test car works out at $70,729 drive-away, with two-tone paint adding $1562 to the standard asking price.
To see how the Nissan Ariya lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
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What’s under the bonnet?
Advance+ combines Nissan’s larger 87kWh battery pack with one, front-mounted electric motor. That makes it the longest-running Ariya variant of any Arian variant, and also the least impressive performance record.
| Specifications | Nissan Ariya Advance+ |
| — | — |
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electric |
| Battery | 87kWh lithium-ion |
| Power | 178kW |
| Torque | 300Nm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Weight | 2078kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 8.1 seconds |
| Energy consumption (claimed) | 19.1kWh/100km |
| Claimed range (WLTP) | 504km |
| Max AC charge rate | 22kW |
| Max DC charge rate | 130kW |
I don’t really look forward to charging the Ariya when first inspection of the spec sheet is done. Not only will I be fighting Melbourne’s hit and miss public charging network, but Nissan also cites an Ariya peak DC fast-charge rate of just 130kW (less than those described in the Model Y, Sealion 7, Elroq) claims.
To see how the Nissan Ariya lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
What do you get?
There are four trim levels in the Ariya lineup, of which the Advance+ sits second from top.
2025 Nissan Ariya Engage equipment highlights:
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Tyre repair kit
- Automatic LED headlights
- Automatic high-beam
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Proximity entry
- Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
- Electric park brake with auto-hold
- Eco, Standard, Sport drive modes
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Satellite navigation
- Wireless Apple CarPlay
- Wired Android Auto
- Wireless phone charger
- 6-speaker sound system
- 2 x front USB outlets (Type A and C)
- 2 x rear USB outlets (Type A and C)
- Leather-accented steering wheel
- Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
- Dual-zone climate control
- 60:40 split/fold rear seats
- One-touch auto up/down power windows
Ariya Advance adds:
- LED front fog lights
- Hands-free power tailgate
- Rear privacy glass
- Cloth/leatherette upholstery
- Heated front seats
- Heated steering wheel
- 10-speaker Bose sound system
- 6-way power driver’s seat with 2-way power lumbar
- 6-way power passenger seat
Ariya Advance+ adds:
- Panoramic glass roof
- Sequential LED indicators
- Leatherette/Ultrasuede upholstery
- 8-way power-adjustable front seats with memory
- 4-way power lumbar for driver
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Heated rear seats
- Head-up display
- Power sliding centre console
Ariya Evolve adds:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- 3-phase AC onboard charger
- Automatic LED headlights incl. Adaptive Driving Beam
- Matte chrome window surround
- Snow drive mode
- Reverse tilt function, memory for exterior mirrors
- Digital rear-view mirror
- Blue Nappa leather upholstery
- Power tilt, telescopic steering wheel adjustment incl. memory
To see how the Nissan Ariya lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
Is the Nissan Ariya safe?
The Nissan Ariya wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating across all variants in Australia and New Zealand.
| Category | Nissan Ariya |
| — | — |
| Adult occupant protection | 86 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 89 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 74 per cent |
| Safety assist | 93 per cent |
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Pedestrian and cyclist detection
- Blind-spot assist
- Driver attention alert
- Lane-keep assist
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Traffic sign recognition
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Reversing camera
- Front, front-side and curtain airbags
Ariya Advance adds:
- Intelligent Around View Monitor – 360 cameras
- incl. Moving Object Detection
To see how the Nissan Ariya lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
How much does the Nissan Ariya cost to run?
Nissan Australia provides a 10-year, 300,000km warranty on the range provided you keep your car in the company’s dealer network – otherwise it’ll be five years and unlimited kilometres.
| Servicing and Warranty | Nissan Ariya |
| — | — |
| Warranty | Up to 10 years or 300,000km |
| Roadside assistance | Up to 10 years or 300,000km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 20,000 kilometres |
| Capped-price servicing | 5 years |
| Annual service costs | $299 |
| Total capped-price service cost | $1495 |
For the same period, you will have to pay $1495 for five years of capped-price servicing that is more than what you’ll need to maintain an Elroq (but less than the Sealion 7 and Geely EX5 amounts advertised).
In contrast to this Tesla, which focuses on servicing with a condition-based approach. So, rather than following a fixed schedule, the brand alerts owners when their car needs to be serviced via the infotainment touchscreen.
To see how the Nissan Ariya lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool
childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Nissan Ariya
First impressions matter, and the Ariya has made a strong one.
Like most new electric cars that are on the market, you can jump in and drive it without requiring a degree in IT.
The start/stop button, a physical gear selector and an overall feeling of familiarity that screen-focused competitors lack in common sense are associated with it. So I’d say the Ariya is ‘the EV” as it has been described by s for people who are worried about buying an eve.
Nissan Australia has been accused of being late to the party with the Ariya, which is already on sale elsewhere for several years but I’d say it’s fashionably late in the sense that it doesn’t trap newer cars and will be less intimidating to late adopters.
That’s not to say that the Ariya is without mod cons. Twin 12 is distributed to All Ariyas as a . A 3-inch screen display and a fancy haptic control panel are also featured in the Advance+, which provides ‘panora glass roof with heating and ventilation for front seats’. Despite the fact that it is somewhat of an letdown, there’s a fuzzy reversing camera.
But sadly, at least there are very few gimmicks in the phraser. So, enough said ‘It is the majority of features you need and all are working. The boot is also a good place for my extra-large cricket bag and sports gear, with two summer essentials.
And while the 178kW/300Nm single-motor powertrain doesn’t pin you back in the seat, its smooth tractability makes it easy to get around.
A powertrain in Advance+ also makes sense from an efficiency point of view – I’ve been on 14 per cent. Thus far, it is 5kWh/100km (540 km) of real-world driving range and low charging costs over the lifetime.
The highway traffic on my commute is peak-hour, so I’ve admired the quality of Nissan’s semi-autonomous driving tech. Although it seems natural to operate the system, beeps every time lane centring comes online is one of the minor frustrations with its system being used as an internet source of little-known discomfort.
Still, I jump in the Ariya whenever I get a chance because it is fuss-free motoring. Until I have to take it back to one of Melbourne’s public charging stations – an unavoidable, waiting task.
Watch the next instalment of this series to see if daily realities of driving an EV will threaten my growing love for the new Nissan Ariya that is not-so-new.
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Thanks for reading 2026 Nissan Ariya Advance+ review: Long-term introduction
