2026 Nissan Ariya Advance+ review: EV road trip

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"EVs volition extremity the weekend" – a connection famously peddled by a erstwhile government.

Political-leaning jokes aside, scope anxiousness has been 1 of the main barriers to electrical conveyance (EV) uptake successful Australia, adjacent if the caller 'fuel crisis' sparked a question of electrified conveyance income truthful acold this twelvemonth (including plug-in hybrids and hybrids, too).

Earlier this twelvemonth I took our 2026 Nissan Ariya Advance+ semipermanent loaner for the Easter agelong play to the borderline of Victoria and New South Wales, to trial whether the benignant of roadworthy travel holidays galore Australians bash each twelvemonth circular are really imaginable successful an EV.

Yarrawonga – 1 of the Murray River towns connected the Victorian broadside of the borderline – is conscionable implicit 3 hours northbound of Melbourne, with the existent region ranging from 250-300km. For me, it was astir 280km each mode from my location successful Melbourne's eastbound suburbs.

The Ariya had its enactment chopped retired for it, fixed the travel to Yarrawonga is gradually uphill and with a ample information spent travelling astatine 110km/h connected the Hume Highway, oregon successful short, the astir inefficient conditions for an EV compared to an interior combustion-engined alternative.

Nevertheless, I packed my spouse and our luggage into a afloat charged Ariya – which I topped up utilizing our store partition socket with an indicated 599km of scope astatine the opening of the travel – and headed for the border. The 466L luggage country was much than capable for our duffel bags and tennis gear, and different vacation paraphernalia.

Having spent immoderate clip successful the Ariya astatine the section media motorboat past year, I was funny to spot if the smaller 19-inch wheels connected the Advance+ made immoderate quality to the ride, fixed I spent astir of my clip connected the motorboat lawsuit successful the top-spec Evolve with its heavier dual-motor electrical drivetrain and monolithic 20-inch wheels with lower-profile tyres.

The Advance+ gets the aforesaid large 87kWh lithium-ion artillery arsenic the flagship, but acknowledgment to its single-motor drivetrain it tips the scales immoderate 150kg lighter than the Evolve. It besides is much businesslike successful authoritative investigating (19.1kWh/100km vs 20.8kWh/100km), which helps this spec to beryllium the sole Ariya variant with implicit 500km of claimed WLTP driving range.

Through the north-eastern suburbs heading to Melbourne's Metropolitan Ring Road, the Ariya's steadfast thrust was each but crashy implicit immoderate of the much pockmarked and lumpy sections of blacktop, with the peculiarly choky rear extremity setup making the electrical Nissan SUV often consciousness a tad unsettled and pogo-ey successful town.

It has a notably softer borderline than the flagship Evolve connected its larger wheels, but fixed these vehicles volition mostly walk their clip successful the metropolis and the suburbs, Nissan's determination to opt for rather a steadfast suspension tune (with admittedly decent damping) seems similar an oversight – particularly erstwhile it's not truly pitched arsenic a peculiarly sporty oregon spirited vehicle.

Things settled connected the Ring Road and past the Hume Highway, though arsenic we got further retired from the large fume immoderate of the roadworthy imperfections got larger and larger – with a fewer thuds and slaps felt done the cabin.

At 110km/h the Ariya is different reasonably refined successful presumption of dependable insulation, portion riding connected premium 235/55 R19 Bridgestone Alenza tyres, and we saw the indicated vigor depletion hovering astir the 21kWh/100km people arsenic we travelled connected the interstate highway.

The Ariya's ProPilot assistance feature, which combines adaptive cruise power and lane centring functions, proved a useful co-pilot for the journey. It intuitively maintained the acceptable velocity and managed gaps with starring vehicles comparatively well, prevention for the unusual juncture I felt the spread was a interaction conservative, astatine which constituent I'd instrumentality control.

No, I'm not a keen tailgater by immoderate means, but successful Victoria wherever everyone seems keen to conscionable hog the close lane and dart into immoderate gaps successful these kinds of scenarios, it was indispensable to adjacent the region betwixt myself and the car up astatine times.

While the single-motor Ariya's 8.1-second 0-100km/h whitethorn beryllium deemed 'slow' by EV standards, successful the existent satellite the contiguous torque effect and linearity to powerfulness transportation makes the Ariya consciousness peppier than the acceleration assertion suggests, some disconnected the enactment and erstwhile rolling – adjacent if the marque purposely tuned the throttle to beryllium much gradual for smoothness.

Keep successful caput the Ariya Advance+'s front-mounted electrical centrifugal develops 178kW/300Nm to displacement its 2078kg kerb weight, which not agelong agone were the benignant of outputs quoted by a people aspirated V6 petrol engine.

Once we were disconnected the Hume I did a mates of B-road overtakes that were small hassle, with the Ariya being much troubled by the lumpy, uneven surfaces of the state routes heading into Yarrawonga.

Sadly it conscionable feels unsettled connected high-speed determination roads, with each lump and bump transmitted up into the cabin. Like I mentioned earlier, it's seldom harsh oregon crashy prevention for the unusual thud astatine the rear implicit a sharper deed oregon span join, but it's inactive not each that luxe successful thrust prime nor champion described arsenic family-friendly if you person nausea-prone kids.

On a antithetic note, the Advance+ doesn't person the Evolve's instrumentality matrix-like adaptive headlights, but the modular full-LED units with car high-beam offered capable illumination connected poorly lit determination B-roads and highways during and aft sunset.

The 10-speaker Bose-branded premium audio strategy was besides a bully roadworthy travel companion, with crisp dependable prime and the quality to dial up a spot of bass for immoderate added doof doof. It helped to further drown retired immoderate sound from the extracurricular world.

A speedy travel machine cheque aft arriving astatine the riverside township showed an indicated vigor depletion mean of 20.3kWh/100km aft immoderate 280km astatine an mean of 81km/h, with an indicated 216km of remaining scope from 43 per cent charge. That would bespeak a full scope of ~490km, which isn't atrocious considering the manufacturer's assertion of 504km connected the WLTP cycle.

Before making the instrumentality home, I utilized a 50kW DC charger successful town, leaving the Ariya hooked up successful a astir deserted car parkland portion I went for a greeting meal and java tally connected Easter Sunday. Note the Ariya's quoted DC complaint capableness is 130kW, which is simply a spot slow compared to cardinal rivals successful the segment.

After failing to find a mode to headdress the complaint level to 80 per cent – fixed lithium-ion batteries are mostly recommended to not beryllium charged afloat with accelerated chargers to maximise longevity – I conscionable near it connected the charger with the volition to instrumentality wrong astir an hr and rotation backmost to the edifice I was staying at.

The Ariya was connected the charger for a full of 1 hr 19 minutes 3 seconds, with 57.477kWh delivered successful that time. It efficaciously charged up from conscionable implicit 30 per cent to conscionable nether 100 per cent successful that time. Evie 'charged' maine $42.53 for the pitstop. Indicated scope aft the complaint was 484km, much than capable to marque it backmost location to Melbourne the pursuing day.

While we were up successful Yarrawonga, I noted the clime power was a small anemic considering the conveyance was parked extracurricular successful mid-20s to low-30s temperatures passim the weekend, and took a small longer than I'd similar to chill the compartment down.

At slightest the Advance+ spec adds heating and ventilation functions for the power-adjustable beforehand seats, and I admit the suede upholstery connected the inserts that won't pain your bum aft being near retired successful the sun.

Other roadworthy trip-related interior notes see the constricted compartment retention up front, from the shallow cubby nether the centre armrest that hardly holds a tiny acceptable of keys alongside the wireless telephone charger, and the shallow doorway bins mean you won't beryllium stuffing larger bottles there, either.

The electrically adjustable front-centre console portion is simply a bully enactment trick, and leaves immoderate abstraction up to stow a container oregon similar, but you besides tally the hazard of having said point descent into the driver's footwell successful choky corners, which isn't a desirable outcome.

Another insignificant ailment is the fiddly multifunction controls connected the steering wheel, which are inactive mechanical buttons but nether grouped plates akin to capacitive interaction clusters that are annoying and often effect successful mis-presses of neighbouring controls.

At slightest the toothed cupholders nether the sliding lid are bully and big, and the dual beforehand mitt boxes connection immoderate added practicality, but erstwhile you see what the Tesla Model Y and different dedicated EVs from Chinese brands are doing with their packaging – oregon adjacent VW and Skoda – the Ariya could beryllium amended adjacent if its plan is simply a small older.

Rounding retired the much affirmative impressions are the cleanable and classy presumption with plentifulness of soft-touch materials, wood-effect trim accents and coagulated enactment to astir of the switchgear, each coming unneurotic to springiness a acquainted and comfy consciousness to the ergonomics portion besides not feeling overly dated – possibly with the objection of the beauteous old-looking infotainment bundle interface.

There's a facelifted Ariya already connected merchantability successful Japan with an updated Nissan Connect infotainment strategy featuring online connectivity services and Google Built-in integration, but it's unclear erstwhile that is scheduled to scope the Australian market.

CarExpert’s Take connected the Nissan Ariya

Following the long-distance instrumentality journey, it's beauteous wide that astir modern EVs are much than susceptible of longer-distance touring and roadworthy trips with a small other planning.

In the lawsuit of the Nissan Ariya, its agelong driving scope means you should easy marque it from Melbourne to the border, and provided you're alert of nationalist charging infrastructure connected your route, it's not excessively hard to zap immoderate complaint into the artillery to guarantee you'll marque it backmost home, too.

Good compartment insulation and mostly dependable ergonomics, coupled with a acquainted 'Nissan' consciousness to the interior presentation, mean the Ariya volition consciousness much acquainted than thing from Tesla oregon BYD, which to much rusted-on bequest marque buyers volition beryllium a pro – whereas it mightiness beryllium a con for others looking for a much new-age experience.

I'm inactive not successful emotion with the steadfast ride, which is good connected level freeways but tin beryllium a spot unsettled and astatine times annoying connected pockmarked state B-roads and highways, peculiarly astatine the rear. Below-average retention solutions and a dated bundle interface besides enactment against the Ariya's sweeping lines and minimalist compartment design.

Space for family, friends and luggage is decent, with a bully footwear and a backmost spot acceptable for a mates of adults, though the middling retention solutions possibly constituent to the Ariya's advancing age.

Perhaps the Ariya's biggest selling constituent astatine the clip of penning is the crisp drive-away deals being advertised. The exemplary you spot present primitively launched with a sticker terms of $63,840 positive on-road costs, but close present you tin person the Advance+ from $61,990 drive-away.

That's inactive much than a BYD Sealion 7 Premium (from $54,990), but is astir $3000 cheaper than the basal drive-away terms of the Tesla Model Y, for reference. It's besides competitory with the equivalent Hyundai Elexio and Kia EV5 arsenic well.