Compare the2023 Nissan AriyaVS 2024 BMW i5

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 BMW i5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Ariya are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW i5 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 i5 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Ariya and the i5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 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 i5 has not been tested, yet.

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Ariya 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the i5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the i5 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Nissan dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Ariya’s warranty.

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 BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is rated lower.

On the EPA test cycle the Ariya gets better mileage than the i5:

The Ariya can travel longer on a full charge than the i5 on a full charge:

For better traction, the Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the i5 (255/45R20 vs. 245/40R20).

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 i5 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better maneuverability, the Ariya’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the i5 M60 xDrive’s (35.4 feet vs. 39 feet). The Ariya’s turning circle is 5 feet tighter than the i5 eDrive40’s (35.4 feet vs. 40.4 feet).

The Nissan Ariya may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 600 pounds less than the BMW i5.

The Ariya is 1 foot, 4.3 inches shorter than the i5, 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 i5 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ariya has 3.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the i5 (101.3 vs. 98).

The Ariya has .5 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom and .5 inches more rear legroom than the i5.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ariya’s rear seats recline. The i5’s rear seats don’t recline.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Ariya has a standard rear wiper. The i5 doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Ariya has standard extendable sun visors. The i5 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Ariya, based on reliability, safety and performance.