Compare the2024 Kia EV6VS 2023 Nissan Ariya

Both the EV6 and Ariya have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The EV6 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Ariya’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the EV6 and Ariya have rear cross-traffic warning, but the EV6 has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Ariya’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the EV6 and the Ariya have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the EV6 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Ariya has not been tested, yet.

The EV6 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Ariya’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the EV6 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Ariya. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Ariya ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 60 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 20th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 6 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The EV6 has more powerful engines than the Ariya:

As tested in Car and Driver the Kia EV6 is faster than the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors:

As tested in Car and Driver the EV6 Long Range electric motors is faster than the Ariya + electric motor:

On the EPA test cycle the EV6 gets better mileage than the Ariya:

The EV6 can travel longer on a full charge than the Ariya on a full charge:

For better stopping power the EV6 GT’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Ariya:

The EV6 stops much shorter than the Ariya:

The EV6 GT’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Ariya Platinum+’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the EV6 GT has standard 21-inch wheels. The Ariya’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The EV6 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Ariya’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the EV6’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Ariya (114.2 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

The EV6 GT handles at .92 G’s, while the Ariya Empower+ pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The EV6 GT executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Ariya Platinum+ (25.1 seconds @ .77 average G’s vs. 26.3 seconds @ .71 average G’s).

The Kia EV6 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 350 pounds less than the Nissan Ariya.

The front grille of the EV6 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Ariya doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The EV6 has .1 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear hip room than the Ariya.

The EV6 has a much larger cargo volume than the Ariya with its rear seat up (24.4 vs. 22.8 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the EV6 easier. The EV6’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.6 inches, while the Ariya’s liftover is 30.6 inches.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the EV6’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Ariya doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Maximum trailer towing in the Nissan Ariya is limited to 1500 pounds. The EV6 offers up to a 2300 lbs. towing capacity.

The EV6 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Ariya uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The EV6 has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Ariya doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The EV6’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Ariya’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia EV6 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Ariya Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ offers wireless charging.

The EV6 Wind/GT-Line/GT has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the rear seat, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Ariya doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The EV6 (except Light)’s optional Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Ariya Empower+/Platinum+’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia EV6, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The EV6 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023. The Ariya has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the EV6 as the 2023 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Ariya has never been chosen.

The Kia EV6 outsold the Nissan Ariya by over 52 to one during 2022.