Edited: Tuesday, September 20, 2022 

It’s almost here! The all-new 2023 Nissan Ariya is available for reservations now. If you’re not excited, you will be soon.

Let’s talk about the Ariya

Nissan is a well-established electric vehicle (EV) maker with its very first electric car, the Nissan LEAF, introduced in December 2010. While the LEAF is beloved by many, the Ariya has improved upon its predecessor in several ways.

Range

The Nissan LEAF comes in at a cool 149 miles of range and the LEAF Plus does even better at 226 miles, but the Ariya promises to get at least 300 miles of range. However, the range varies based on the trim. The upper-level trims have a lower range due to weight added by the various bells and whistles, plus change in drivetrain from front-wheel drive (FWD) to their proprietary “e4orce” all-wheel drive (AWD).

Battery Cooling

The LEAF battery array is air cooled for simplicity and lower cost, however air cooling is not as effective in hot climates. By contrast, the Ariya uses an actively managed liquid cooled technical design, which allows the battery to cool much faster. This might seem like an unimportant technical spec, but it’s a huge plus for the Ariya in terms of maintaining range and the long term health of the battery. Batteries work less efficiently when they’re hot – whether they’re charging or discharging – so it’s critical to keep them at the right temperature. If the LEAF battery is too hot after a long drive it will not fast charge as quickly as a design using liquid cooling technology.

DC Fast Charging Accessibility

The Ariya will be able to charge fast at a rate of 130 kW, which has the potential to add 175 miles of range in 30 minutes. In comparison, the LEAF maxes out at a rate of 100 kW when at an optimal battery temperature.

A big change between the LEAF and the Ariya is its DC fast charging port. While the LEAF uses CHAdeMO, the Ariyas will charge with a CCS/ J1772 charging port. This is significant because the American and European markets emphasize CCS/J1772 and thus their charging infrastructure is more prevalent.

(Left is a CHAdeMO plug and right is a J1772 Combo/CCS plug)

Style

The LEAF and LEAF Plus are spacious hatchbacks (23.6 cubic feet of trunk space). Nissan is expanding its electric style offerings with the Nissan Ariya -- an SUV.

Incentives

The Nissan LEAF and LEAF Plus are all eligible for the full $7,500 tax credit while the Ariya isn't. (Remember, that eligibility for the tax credit is dependent upon your personal tax liability.) As far as state rebates are concerned, Rhode Island recently opened their new rebate plan and Massachusetts has the MOR-EV rebate. MOR-EV awards Massachusetts residents a $2,500 rebate for the purchase or lease of a battery electric vehicle if the final sales price is less than $50,000. This cap doesn’t impact the LEAF or LEAF Plus, but it does limit Ariya customers to the Venture + and Evolve + if the MOR-EV rebate is a deciding purchasing factor. (As a reminder, to get the MOR-EV rebate, you must fill out the form online within 3 months of acquiring your vehicle.)

How do I get an Ariya?

Like many newly released cars, Nissan is taking pre-orders on its website for the Ariya. Soon-to-be Ariya owners should reserve a car on Nissan’s website as soon as possible with a $500 refundable deposit. Nissan cannot give specific arrival times but does expect to start delivering vehicles to dealerships in late Fall 2022. The manufacturer does not sell the vehicle directly to the customer with this pre-order format, instead the customer will buy their Ariya from their local dealership upon arrival. Drive Green does offer pre-ordering on its website for the Ariya. By pre-ordering with Drive Green, you’ll start working with local dealerships right away.

Update: Currently, reservations are closed. 

But I’m a LEAF Lover!

LEAF and LEAF Plus lovers fear not! Chip and inventory shortages may have made purchasing a vehicle a little challenging, but we’ve got you covered.

Claiming a Car Before It Arrives at the Dealer

Pre-inventory problem times, if you saw a car listed as “currently available” on a dealership’s website, it meant that the car was on the lot and ready for purchase. In these times of inventory and chip shortage, it could still mean that, but it could also mean the dealership has pre-ordered cars coming soon that have not been already claimed. Yet another reason to check out the pre-order function on Drive Green’s EV shopping tool.

In order to claim incoming inventory, the dealership will ask customers to put down a deposit of at least $500. This allows you to lock in a specific price adjustment vis a vis the MSRP sticker price ahead of arrival. Be certain to confirm that this adjustment will be honored when the car arrives as some dealers will try to raise the price if the car turns out to be even more highly in demand. Note only the manufacturer incentives that are offered during the month your car arrives can be applied at the time of actual sale or lease by the dealership. When the car arrives, it is now up to the customer to either refuse or accept the car for purchase.

Check out these quick LEAF stats with suggested MSRP:

Whether you’re interested in the Ariya, LEAF, or LEAF Plus, check out Drive Green’s EV shopping tool to start your EV journey.