2022 Nissan Ariya

Nissan’s varied lineup of SUVs, pickup trucks, and EVs usually perform well in our road tests, but their Overall Scores suffer because of up-and-down reliability and average to below-average owner satisfaction. Inconsistent quality across the brand means some Nissans are a better choice than others. Many of its gasoline vehicles use small turbocharged engines and continuously variable transmissions to give owners both competitive fuel economy and sporty performance. Most new Nissans come standard with a full suite of active safety and driver assist systems. It’s also one of the few remaining brands that sells a sub-compact sedan, the Versa. The compact Sentra, a mainstay within Nissan’s lineup, earned a high score in our road test and is recommended. Nissan was an early EV trailblazer with the Leaf hatchback, and now sells larger five-passenger EV SUVs. Used Nissans have average reliability according to our surveys.

The Ariya will be Nissan’s first electric SUV when it goes on sale in the U.S. in late 2021. The compact SUV has a starting price around $40,000. There will be standard- and long-range battery versions and a choice of front- or all-wheel drive. Front-drive versions make 215 hp, with the dual-motor AWD models producing 389 hp. The front-wheel-drive model equipped with the long-range battery will have an estimated driving range of up to 300 miles. The cabin has a large, horizontal display screen that serves as both the instrument cluster and the infotainment system. The Ariya will have wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. Standard driver assistance features include FCW, AEB with pedestrian detection, BSW, RCTW, lane departure warning, and automatic high beams.