Nissan Ariya - Boot space, comfort & practicality

Buyers shouldn’t be fooled by the sleek and modern form of the Nissan Ariya, because this all-electric family car offers loads of day-to-day functionality. Standard kit includes automatic headlights and wipers, a power tailgate and Intelligent Cruise Control, while passengers will appreciate the dual-zone climate control, rear privacy glass and a rear armrest. Those travelling in the back also get two USB ports, one of which is the faster USB-C version.

The sliding centre console — standard on the Evolve model — is an unusual feature and allows you to prioritise cross-cabin access up front or in the rear by sliding it back and forth at the touch of a button.  There’s also a twin-glove box storage arrangement in the lower section of the dash with a button to electrically open the central glovebox - which provides secure storage when the car is locked. 

Dimensions and size

The Ariya is 4,595mm long, 1,850mm wide and 1,660mm tall, which means it’s slightly bigger all-round than its Nissan Qashqai sibling but a little smaller than the Nissan X-Trail. Compared to other successful family EVs, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is longer and wider than the Ariya, while the Skoda Enyaq also has a larger footprint.

How practical is the Nissan Ariya?

Seats & space in the front

The Nissan Ariya is a very comfortable car to spend time in. The flat floor and sliding centre console give excellent cross-cabin access for getting kids out of the car on the side nearest the kerb or away from parked cars. The sliding centre console, offered with electric power as standard on Evolve models, also includes extra storage, but not as much as you might hope given its size.

Seats & space in the back

Rear passengers will welcome the generous space on offer, including the under-seat foot room. The centre seat is particularly comfortable compared to rivals such as the Volkswagen ID.5 and Genesis GV60, although we still wouldn’t recommend it for an adult on a long journey. Two six-foot tall rear passengers can sit very comfortably behind a driver and passenger of a similar size, although the seat base is quite low to the floor, so they will have to bunch their knees up a little. 

There are two ISOFIX points on the outer positions of the rear bench and these are neatly concealed in zip-up slits in the seat bases, which allow for very easy access.

Boot space

At 466 litres for the regular front-wheel drive Ariya, the boot’s volume is merely okay. The Ariya has the same handy divider panel set-up as its smaller sibling, the Nissan Qashqai, which means you can separate items in the boot or stop them sliding towards the back seats. You can even raise the panels to create a flat boot floor to eliminate any annoying loading lip.

Overall volume isn’t far from that of the Kia EV6, but that car has the benefit of a front boot under the bonnet, which works as a great way of separating the potentially dirty charging cables from your clean luggage. All that’s under the bonnet of the Ariya is the front electric motor, a lot of wiring, and coolant hoses.

The four-wheel drive Ariya e-4ORCE has an even smaller boot at 408 litres. That’s because the rear-mounted electric motor powering the rear wheels lives beneath the luggage area, so the boot floor of e-4ORCE models has to be raised to accommodate it, thus reducing overall capacity. This means that there’s nowhere to store the charging cables out of the way in the 4x4 cars, you have to coil them up in the cloth bags provided and leave them at the sides of the boot. 

All Nissan Ariya versions come with a 60/40 split folding rear seat if you need to utilise its maximum boot capacity of up to 1,350 litres, although that folding arrangement isn't as handy as the more flexible 40/20/40 you’ll find in the BMW iX1.

Towing

Front-wheel drive versions of the Ariya are rated to tow a braked trailer weight of 750kg, but this grows up to 1,500kg if you spring for the four-wheel drive e-4ORCE model. That should be enough to take a decent-size caravan on a family trip. If you need more capacity, a Volvo EX30 can pull up to 1,600kg.