Compare the2024 Nissan AriyaVS 2024 Volkswagen ID.4

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 ID.4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 ID.4 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Ariya and the ID.4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 ID.4 has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The Ariya’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the ID.4’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ariya for 1 year and 16000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the ID.4 (3/36,000 vs. 2/20,000).

There are over 66 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much 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 33 points higher than the ID.4.

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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 69 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 12 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 10 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Ariya has more powerful engines than the ID.4:

As tested in Car and Driver the Ariya + electric motor is faster than the Volkswagen ID.4 electric motor:

As tested in Motor Trend the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors is faster than the Volkswagen ID.4 (base engine):

The Ariya can travel longer on a full charge than the ID.4 on a full charge:

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

The Nissan Ariya has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the ID.4. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Ariya stops shorter than the ID.4:

For better traction, the Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ID.4 (245/45R20 vs. 235/50R20).

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 ID.4 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Ariya is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 2.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the ID.4.

The Ariya Platinum+ handles at .86 G’s, while the ID.4 pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Ariya Platinum+ executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the ID.4 Pro (26.3 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

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 ID.4 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ariya has 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more rear headroom and 5.8 inches more rear hip room than the ID.4.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ariya’s rear seats recline. The ID.4’s rear seats don’t recline.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the ID.4 S/S Plus, 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 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. KESSY Keyless Access standard on the ID.4 doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Ariya has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the ID.4 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Ariya’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the ID.4’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

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 ID.4 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Ariya Empower+/Platinum+’s ProPILOT Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The ID.4’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

The Ariya will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Ariya will retain 49.41% to 50.01% of its original price after five years, while the ID.4 only retains 45.85% to 47.55%.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Ariya, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volkswagen ID.4 isn't recommended.

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 ID.4 isn’t in the top three.