Compare the2025 Nissan AriyaVS 2025 Audi Q8 e-tron

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Q8 e-tron 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 Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

With its standard ProPilot Assist, the Nissan Ariya is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q8 e-tron, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Ariya	Q8 e-tron
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
25 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ariya has standard Rear Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Ariya’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Ariya and the Q8 e-tron have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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 and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Ariya is safer than the Audi Q8 e-tron:

	Ariya	Q8 e-tron
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	179	212
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	314	323
Neck Compression	34 lbs.	67 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Ariya is safer than the Audi Q8 e-tron:

	Ariya	Q8 e-tron
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	203 lbs.	236 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	89	123
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	529 lbs.	579 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Ariya 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q8 e-tron. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q8 e-tron ends after only 4 years or 50,000 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. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q8 e-tron.

There are almost 4 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Ariya’s warranty.

Reliability

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 21 points higher than the Q8 e-tron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 76 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 76 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Audi.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 2 places higher in reliability than Audi.

Engine

As tested in Consumer Reports the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors is faster than the Audi Q8 e-tron (base engine):

	Ariya	Q8 e-tron
Zero to 30 MPH	2.6 sec	2.9 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	5.4 sec	6.3 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	2.5 sec	3.1 sec
Quarter Mile	13.8 sec	14.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	108 MPH	99 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Ariya gets better mileage than the Q8 e-tron:

			MPGe
Ariya
	FWD	Engage Electric Motor	109 city/94 hwy
		Evolve+ Electric Motor	105 city/91 hwy
	AWD	Engage+/Evolve+ Electric Motors	97 city/86 hwy
		Platinum+ Electric Motors	93 city/87 hwy
		Platinum+ 20" Wheels Electric Motors	89 city/84 hwy
		Engage Electric Motors	101 city/89 hwy
Q8 e-tron
	AWD	20" Wheels 2 Electric Motors	77 city/80 hwy
		21" Wheels 2 Electric Motors	73 city/75 hwy
		SQ8 20" Wheels 3 Electric Motors	68 city/72 hwy
		SQ8 21" Wheels 3 Electric Motors	59 city/60 hwy

The Ariya can travel longer on a full charge than the Q8 e-tron on a full charge:

			Miles
Ariya
	FWD	Evolve+ Electric Motor	289 miles
		Engage Electric Motor	216 miles
	AWD	Engage+/Evolve+ Electric Motors	272 miles
		Platinum+ Electric Motors	267 miles
		Platinum+ 20" Wheels Electric Motors	257 miles
Q8 e-tron
	AWD	21" Wheels 2 Electric Motors	254 miles
		SQ8 20" Wheels 3 Electric Motors	242 miles
		SQ8 21" Wheels 3 Electric Motors	208 miles

Brakes and Stopping

The Ariya stops much shorter than the Q8 e-tron:

	Ariya	Q8 e-tron
70 to 0 MPH	168 feet	182 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and 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 Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Ariya Platinum+ handles at .86 G’s, while the Q8 e-tron pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Ariya’s turning circle is 4.6 feet tighter than the Q8 e-tron’s (35.4 feet vs. 40 feet).

Chassis

The Nissan Ariya may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1000 to 1500 pounds less than the Audi Q8 e-tron.

The Ariya is 10.1 inches shorter than the Q8 e-tron, 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 Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Ariya has 1.5 inches more front headroom and 1.5 inches more front legroom than the Q8 e-tron.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ariya’s rear seats recline. The Q8 e-tron’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Ariya has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q8 e-tron with its rear seat folded (59.7 vs. 56.4 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The Ariya’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Q8 e-tron’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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 Q8 e-tron 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 Q8 e-tron’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Nissan Ariya has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q8 e-tron.

Model Availability

The Ariya is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q8 e-tron doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Ariya and the Audi Q8 e-tron, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Nissan Ariya outsold the Audi Q8 e-tron by 57% during 2023.

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