Compare the2023 Nissan AriyaVS 2024 Kia Niro EV

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 Kia Niro EV 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 Niro EV 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 Niro EV doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Ariya offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Niro EV doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Ariya Evolve+/Premiere/Platinum+ has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Niro EV only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Ariya and the Niro EV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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 driver alert monitors.

The Nissan Ariya weighs 602 to 1336 pounds more than the Kia Niro EV. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Niro EV has not been tested, yet.

The Ariya’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Niro EV runs out after 100,000 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. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Niro EV.

There are over 38 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Ariya’s warranty.

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 11 points higher than the Niro EV.

The Ariya’s standard electric motor produces 13 more horsepower (214 vs. 201) and 33 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 188) than the Niro EV’s electric motor. The Ariya +’s standard electric motor produces 37 more horsepower (238 vs. 201) and 33 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 188) than the Niro EV’s electric motor. The Ariya’s optional electric motors produces 134 more horsepower (335 vs. 201) and 225 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 188) than the Niro EV’s electric motor. The Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+’s standard electric motors produces 188 more horsepower (389 vs. 201) and 254 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 188) than the Niro EV’s electric motor.

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

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

For better stopping power the Ariya’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Niro EV:

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 Niro EV are solid, not vented.

The Ariya stops much shorter than the Niro EV:

For better traction, the Ariya has larger standard tires than the Niro EV (235/55R19 vs. 215/55R17). The Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Niro EV (255/45R20 vs. 215/55R17).

The Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Niro EV’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ariya has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 17-inch wheels are available on the Niro EV. The Ariya Platinum+ offers optional 20-inch wheels.

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 Niro EV doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Ariya has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Niro EV doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ariya’s wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than on the Niro EV (109.3 inches vs. 107.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Ariya is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Niro EV.

The Ariya Platinum+ handles at .86 G’s, while the Niro EV Wave pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Ariya Platinum+ executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Niro EV Wave (26.3 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Niro EV (6.7 vs. 5.9 inches), allowing the Ariya to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Ariya Engage’s minimum ground clearance is 1 inch higher than on the Niro EV (6.9 vs. 5.9 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 Niro EV doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ariya has .8 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, .1 inches more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Niro EV.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ariya’s rear seats recline. The Niro EV’s rear seats don’t recline.

Maximum trailer towing in the Kia Niro EV is limited to 0 pounds. The Ariya e-4ORCE AWD offers up to a 1500 lbs. towing capacity.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Niro EV Wave, 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’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Niro EV’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Niro EV Wave’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The Ariya’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Niro EV’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Ariya has a standard Intelligent Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Niro EV doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Ariya and the Kia Niro EV, 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 Niro EV isn’t in the top three.