Compare the2023 Nissan AriyaVS 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Ariya have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Ford Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Nissan Ariya has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Ariya and the Mustang Mach-E have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Ariya is safer than the Mustang Mach-E:

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Ariya its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 67 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mustang Mach-E was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

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. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Mustang Mach-E.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Ariya’s reliability 17 points higher than the Mustang Mach-E.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 5 places higher in reliability than Ford.

As tested in Car and Driver the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors is faster than the Mustang Mach-E ER eAWD electric motors:

As tested in Motor Trend the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors is faster than the Mustang Mach-E ER electric motor:

On the EPA test cycle the Ariya gets better mileage than the Mustang Mach-E:

The Ariya can travel longer on a full charge than the Mustang Mach-E on a full charge:

The Ariya has a standard locking charge port which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t have a locking charge port. A locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

The Ariya’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Mustang Mach-E are solid, not vented.

The Ariya stops shorter than the Mustang Mach-E:

For better traction, the Ariya has larger standard tires than the Mustang Mach-E (235/55R19 vs. 225/60R18). The Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mustang Mach-E (255/45R20 vs. 245/45R20).

The Ariya’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mustang Mach-E’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ariya has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Mustang Mach-E.

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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Ariya Platinum+ handles at .86 G’s, while the Mustang Mach-E 4 pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Ariya Platinum+ executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Mustang Mach-E California Route 1 (26.3 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Ariya’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the Mustang Mach-E’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Mustang Mach-E (6.7 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the Ariya to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Ariya Engage’s minimum ground clearance is 1.1 inches higher than on the Mustang Mach-E (6.9 vs. 5.8 inches).

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 Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ariya has .7 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front hip room and .1 inches more rear headroom than the Mustang Mach-E.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ariya’s rear seats recline. The Mustang Mach-E’s rear seats don’t recline.

Maximum trailer towing in the Ford Mustang Mach-E is limited to 0 pounds. The Ariya e-4ORCE AWD offers up to a 1500 lbs. towing capacity.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Mustang Mach-E Premium/CA RT 1/GT, the Ariya Platinum+ has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster) and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Ariya Engage/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

When the Ariya Platinum+ is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Mustang Mach-E’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Ariya and the Mustang Mach-E offer available heated front seats. The Ariya Engage/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Mustang Mach-E.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Ariya Platinum+ keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Mustang Mach-E doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Ariya and the Ford Mustang Mach-E, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Ariya first among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Mustang Mach-E was rated third.