Compare the2024 Nissan AriyaVS 2024 Toyota Prius

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 Prius doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Prius doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Ariya and the Prius have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Nissan Ariya weighs 983 to 1960 pounds more than the Toyota Prius. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Prius:

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ariya for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Prius (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

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 has more powerful engines than the Prius:

As tested in Consumer Reports the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors is faster than the Toyota Prius 2.0:

As tested in Motor Trend the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors is faster than the Toyota Prius 2.0:

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

The Ariya can travel with zero emissions for 205 to 304 miles (dependent on model). The Prius can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The Ariya, as a pure battery electric vehicle, has no need to “idle” its motors in traffic: they only burn power when moving. The Ariya’s climate control systems still work completely when the vehicle is stopped. The Prius still runs its internal combustion engine whenever it’s stopped, burning excess fuel.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Ariya higher (10 out of 10) than the Toyota Prius (7). This means the Ariya produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Prius every 15,000 miles.

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

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 Prius are solid, not vented.

The Ariya stops much shorter than the Prius:

For better traction, the Ariya has larger standard tires than the Prius (235/55R19 vs. 195/60R17). The Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Prius (245/45R20 vs. 195/60R17).

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 Prius LE’s standard 60 series tires. The Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Prius XLE/Limited’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ariya has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Prius LE. The Ariya Platinum+’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Prius XLE/Limited.

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 Prius doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Ariya is 2.8 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Prius.

The Ariya’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50% to 50%) than the Prius’ (60% to 40%). This gives the Ariya more stable handling and braking.

The Ariya Platinum+ handles at .84 G’s, while the Prius Limited pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

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 Prius doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ariya has 10 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Prius (101.2 vs. 91.2).

The Ariya has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.9 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom, .8 inches more rear hip room and 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Prius.

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

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Ariya Platinum+’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Prius doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

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

Unlike the driver-only memory seat in the Prius Limited, 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 Prius doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Ariya’s standard Intelligent Key allows you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Pushbutton Start standard on the Prius doesn’t offer a sensor on the trunk or any door except the driver’s, so you’ll have to walk to the driver's door to touch the handle. Pushbutton Start is not available on the Prius XLE/Limited.

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

Consumer Reports rated the Ariya’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Prius’ headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Ariya has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Prius has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XLE/Limited.

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 Prius’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Ariya’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Prius doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Ariya and the Prius offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Ariya has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Prius doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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 Prius isn’t in the top three.