“EVs will end the weekend” – a statement famously peddled by a previous government.
Political-leaning jokes aside, range anxiety has been one of the main barriers to electric vehicle (EV) uptake in Australia, even if the recent ‘fuel crisis’ sparked a wave of electrified vehicle sales so far this year (including plug-in hybrids and hybrids, too).
Earlier this year I took our 2026 Nissan Ariya Advance+ long-term loaner for the Easter long weekend to the border of Victoria and New South Wales, to test whether the sort of road trip holidays many Australians do all year round are actually possible in an EV.
Yarrawonga – one of the Murray River towns on the Victorian side of the border – is just over three hours north of Melbourne, with the actual distance ranging from 250-300km. For me, it was roughly 280km each way from my home in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
The Ariya had its work cut out for it, given the trip to Yarrawonga is gradually uphill and with a large portion spent travelling at 110km/h on the Hume Highway, or in short, the most inefficient conditions for an EV compared to an internal combustion-engined alternative.
Nevertheless, I packed my partner and our luggage into a fully charged Ariya – which I topped up using our garage wall socket with an indicated 599km of range at the beginning of the journey – and headed for the border. The 466L luggage area was more than enough for our duffel bags and tennis gear, and other holiday paraphernalia.
Having spent some time in the Ariya at the local media launch last year, I was interested to see if the smaller 19-inch wheels on the Advance+ made any difference to the ride, given I spent most of my time on the launch event in the top-spec Evolve with its heavier dual-motor electric drivetrain and massive 20-inch wheels with lower-profile tyres.
The Advance+ gets the same big 87kWh lithium-ion battery as the flagship, but thanks to its single-motor drivetrain it tips the scales some 150kg lighter than the Evolve. It also is more efficient in official testing (19.1kWh/100km vs 20.8kWh/100km), which helps this spec to be the sole Ariya variant with over 500km of claimed WLTP driving range.
Through the north-eastern suburbs heading to Melbourne’s Metropolitan Ring Road, the Ariya’s firm ride was all but crashy over some of the more pockmarked and lumpy sections of blacktop, with the particularly tight rear end setup making the electric Nissan SUV often feel a tad unsettled and pogo-ey in town.
It has a notably softer edge than the flagship Evolve on its larger wheels, but given these vehicles will mostly spend their time in the city and the suburbs, Nissan’s decision to opt for quite a firm suspension tune (with admittedly decent damping) seems like an oversight – especially when it’s not really pitched as a particularly sporty or spirited vehicle.
Things settled on the Ring Road and then the Hume Highway, though as we got further out from the big smoke some of the road imperfections got larger and larger – with a few thuds and slaps felt through the cabin.
At 110km/h the Ariya is otherwise reasonably refined in terms of sound insulation, while riding on premium 235/55 R19 Bridgestone Alenza tyres, and we saw the indicated energy consumption hovering around the 21kWh/100km mark as we travelled on the interstate highway.
The Ariya’s ProPilot assistance feature, which combines adaptive cruise control and lane centring functions, proved a handy co-pilot for the journey. It intuitively maintained the set speed and managed gaps with leading vehicles relatively well, save for the odd occasion I felt the gap was a touch conservative, at which point I’d take control.
No, I’m not a keen tailgater by any means, but in Victoria where everyone seems keen to just hog the right lane and dart into any gaps in these kinds of scenarios, it was necessary to close the distance between myself and the car ahead at times.
While the single-motor Ariya’s 8.1-second 0-100km/h may be deemed ‘slow’ by EV standards, in the real world the immediate torque response and linearity to power delivery makes the Ariya feel peppier than the acceleration claim suggests, both off the line and when rolling – even if the brand purposely tuned the throttle to be more gradual for smoothness.
Keep in mind the Ariya Advance+’s front-mounted electric motor develops 178kW/300Nm to shift its 2078kg kerb weight, which not long ago were the sort of outputs quoted by a naturally aspirated V6 petrol engine.
Once we were off the Hume I did a couple of B-road overtakes that were little hassle, with the Ariya being more troubled by the lumpy, uneven surfaces of the country routes heading into Yarrawonga.
Sadly it just feels unsettled on high-speed regional roads, with every lump and bump transmitted up into the cabin. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s rarely harsh or crashy save for the odd thud at the rear over a sharper hit or bridge join, but it’s still not all that luxe in ride quality nor best described as family-friendly if you have nausea-prone kids.
On a different note, the Advance+ doesn’t have the Evolve’s trick matrix-like adaptive headlights, but the standard full-LED units with auto high-beam offered sufficient illumination on poorly lit regional B-roads and highways during and after sunset.
The 10-speaker Bose-branded premium audio system was also a good road trip companion, with crisp sound quality and the ability to dial up a bit of bass for some added doof doof. It helped to further drown out any noise from the outside world.
A quick trip computer check after arriving at the riverside township showed an indicated energy consumption average of 20.3kWh/100km after some 280km at an average of 81km/h, with an indicated 216km of remaining range from 43 per cent charge. That would indicate a total range of ~490km, which isn’t bad considering the manufacturer’s claim of 504km on the WLTP cycle.
Before making the return home, I used a 50kW DC charger in town, leaving the Ariya hooked up in a nearly deserted car park while I went for a morning breakfast and coffee run on Easter Sunday. Note the Ariya’s quoted DC charge capacity is 130kW, which is a bit slow compared to key rivals in the segment.
After failing to find a way to cap the charge level to 80 per cent – given lithium-ion batteries are generally recommended to not be charged fully with fast chargers to maximise longevity – I just left it on the charger with the intention to return within about an hour and roll back to the hotel I was staying at.
The Ariya was on the charger for a total of 1 hour 19 minutes 3 seconds, with 57.477kWh delivered in that time. It effectively charged up from just over 30 per cent to just under 100 per cent in that time. Evie ‘charged’ me $42.53 for the pitstop. Indicated range after the charge was 484km, more than enough to make it back home to Melbourne the following day.
While we were up in Yarrawonga, I noted the climate control was a little weak considering the vehicle was parked outside in mid-20s to low-30s temperatures throughout the weekend, and took a little longer than I’d like to cool the cabin down.
At least the Advance+ spec adds heating and ventilation functions for the power-adjustable front seats, and I appreciate the suede upholstery on the inserts that won’t burn your bum after being left out in the sun.
Other road trip-related interior notes include the limited cabin storage up front, from the shallow cubby under the centre armrest that barely holds a small set of keys alongside the wireless phone charger, and the shallow door bins mean you won’t be stuffing larger bottles there, either.
The electrically adjustable front-centre console unit is a nice party trick, and leaves some space ahead to stow a bag or similar, but you also run the risk of having said item slide into the driver’s footwell in tight corners, which isn’t a desirable outcome.
Another minor complaint is the fiddly multifunction controls on the steering wheel, which are still mechanical buttons but under grouped plates similar to capacitive touch clusters that are annoying and often result in mis-presses of neighbouring controls.
At least the toothed cupholders under the sliding lid are nice and big, and the dual front glove boxes offer some added practicality, but when you consider what the Tesla Model Y and other dedicated EVs from Chinese brands are doing with their packaging – or even VW and Skoda – the Ariya could be better even if its design is a little older.
Rounding out the more positive impressions are the clean and classy presentation with plenty of soft-touch materials, wood-effect trim accents and solid action to most of the switchgear, all coming together to give a familiar and comfortable feel to the ergonomics while also not feeling overly dated – perhaps with the exception of the pretty old-looking infotainment software interface.
There’s a facelifted Ariya already on sale in Japan with an updated Nissan Connect infotainment system featuring online connectivity services and Google Built-in integration, but it’s unclear when that is scheduled to reach the Australian market.
CarExpert’s Take on the Nissan Ariya
Following the long-distance return journey, it’s pretty clear that most modern EVs are more than capable of longer-distance touring and road trips with a little extra planning.
In the case of the Nissan Ariya, its long driving range means you should easily make it from Melbourne to the border, and provided you’re aware of public charging infrastructure on your route, it’s not too hard to zap some charge into the battery to ensure you’ll make it back home, too.
Good cabin insulation and generally sound ergonomics, coupled with a familiar ‘Nissan’ feel to the interior presentation, mean the Ariya will feel more familiar than something from Tesla or BYD, which to more rusted-on legacy brand buyers will be a pro – whereas it might be a con for others looking for a more new-age experience.
I’m still not in love with the firm ride, which is fine on flat freeways but can be a bit unsettled and at times annoying on pockmarked country B-roads and highways, particularly at the rear. Below-average storage solutions and a dated software interface also work against the Ariya’s sweeping lines and minimalist cabin design.
Space for family, friends and luggage is decent, with a good boot and a back seat fit for a couple of adults, though the middling storage solutions perhaps point to the Ariya’s advancing age.
Perhaps the Ariya’s biggest selling point at the time of writing is the sharp drive-away deals being advertised. The model you see here originally launched with a sticker price of $63,840 plus on-road costs, but right now you can have the Advance+ from $61,990 drive-away.
That’s still more than a BYD Sealion 7 Premium (from $54,990), but is nearly $3000 cheaper than the base drive-away price of the Tesla Model Y, for reference. It’s also competitive with the equivalent Hyundai Elexio and Kia EV5 as well.
|
Model |
Price before on-road costs |
Drive-away pricing* |
|---|---|---|
|
Nissan Ariya Engage |
$55,840 |
$49,990 |
|
Nissan Ariya Advance |
$59,840 |
$53,990 |
|
Nissan Ariya Advance+ |
$63,840 |
$61,990 |
|
Nissan Ariya Evolve e-4ORCE |
$71,840 |
$75,990 |
*Applies to vehicles purchased from 01/07/2026 and 31/07/2026, and delivered by 31/08/2026
CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Nissan Ariya. Click here to get a great deal.
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