Compare the2024 Nissan AriyaVS 2024 Toyota Mirai

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 Mirai 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 Mirai 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 Mirai doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Ariya and the Mirai have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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.

The Nissan Ariya achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Mirai has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

The Ariya’s standard electric motor produces 32 more horsepower (214 vs. 182) than the Mirai’s electric motor. The Ariya +’s standard electric motor produces 56 more horsepower (238 vs. 182) than the Mirai’s electric motor. The Ariya’s optional electric motors produces 153 more horsepower (335 vs. 182) and 192 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 221) than the Mirai’s electric motor. The Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+’s standard electric motors produces 207 more horsepower (389 vs. 182) and 221 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 221) than the Mirai’s electric motor.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors is faster than the Toyota Mirai:

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

For better stopping power the Ariya + e-4ORCE’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Mirai:

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 Mirai doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Ariya is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Mirai.

For better maneuverability, the Ariya’s turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Mirai’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.5 feet).

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

The Ariya has 1.2 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more rear headroom, 3.9 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mirai.

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

The Ariya’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Mirai doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Ariya Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or on the Ariya Platinum+, by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Mirai doesn’t offer a power trunk.

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

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Ariya to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for tire rotation, based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Toyota doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Mirai.

The Ariya’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Mirai XLE’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

On extremely cold winter days, the Ariya Engage/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Mirai doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Ariya, 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 Mirai isn’t in the top three.

The Nissan Ariya outsold the Toyota Mirai by almost five to one during 2023.