Compare the2023 Nissan AriyaVS 2023 Audi e-tron

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Ariya are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The e-tron doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Ariya Platinum+ has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The e-tron doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ariya has standard Rear Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The e-tron doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Ariya’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The e-tron doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Ariya and the e-tron have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Ariya 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the e-tron. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the e-tron ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ariya for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Nissan will pay for tire rotations, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the e-tron.

There are almost 4 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Ariya’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 72 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 27 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Audi.

As tested in Car and Driver the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors is faster than the Audi e-tron (base engine):

On the EPA test cycle the Ariya gets better mileage than the e-tron:

The Ariya can travel longer on a full charge than the e-tron on a full charge:

The Ariya stops much shorter than the e-tron:

The Ariya has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The e-tron doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Ariya Platinum+ handles at .86 G’s, while the e-tron Chronos Edition pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Ariya’s turning circle is 4.6 feet tighter than the e-tron’s (35.4 feet vs. 40 feet).

The Nissan Ariya may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1000 to 1450 pounds less than the Audi e-tron.

The Ariya is 10.1 inches shorter than the e-tron, making the Ariya easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Ariya Platinum+ uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The e-tron doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ariya has 1.5 inches more front headroom and 1.5 inches more front legroom than the e-tron.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ariya’s rear seats recline. The e-tron’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Ariya has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the e-tron with its rear seat folded (59.7 vs. 56.4 cubic feet).

The Ariya’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The e-tron’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Ariya Empower+/Platinum+’s ProPILOT Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The e-tron doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Ariya is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The e-tron doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.