Nissan Ariya vs Peugeot E-Partner

What's the difference?

I can see how the Nissan Ariya would have changed the game if it launched in Australia back in 2022.

While it is a solid car that’s quiet, comfort-oriented and tech-heavy, there’s now little separating it from the competition apart from the fact it has a Nissan badge and a cracking aftersales package. This is disappointing as we’ve waited a long time for this car to arrive.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accomodation meals provided.

It’s a lot of money for a small commercial vehicle that’s well into its current model cycle in Europe, falls short on benchmark safety and requires convenient charging infrastructure to minimise inconvenience for owners. However, its emissions-free drivetrain is quiet and competent under load, with a range that should comfortably cater for the daily urban use small van operators typically require. Whether those positives outweigh the negatives, only a potential buyer can decide.

Back when the Ariya was revealed, it started a new design language for Nissan, but five years later almost every model in the Japanese carmaker’s line-up has taken some element of this car’s design.

What this means is while the Ariya was unique, it now doesn’t stand out from the crowd as much as it once did. This doesn’t help given there are now so many competitors out there.

However, in person the exterior of this car is stunning. I’m particularly a fan of the two-tone copper paint available on the Advance+ and Evolve e-4orce.

At the front there is a slim and striking LED lighting set-up that stands out, plus the gloss black faux grille is an interesting take on the brand’s ‘V-Motion’ grille. It has illuminated sections that are only noticeable in dark conditions.

Around the side the Ariya appears to be a lot more coupe-like than you’d expect. There’s a body line that runs from the A-pillar all the way to the tailgate. It gives the car a floating roof effect, which is a current design trend.

Other notable design elements on the side include the charge flap on the passenger side front quarter panel, aero covers for the alloy wheels, and an extensive use of gloss black around the wheel arches and door sills. It’ll be interesting to see how the latter hold up in the long run.

At the back there isn’t a whole heap going on beyond the large rear spoiler, which is intricately designed and there to improve aerodynamics.

There’s also a full-width LED light bar for the tail-lights, which is sandwiched by a Nissan wordmark badge. These lighting set-ups are so common now that they’re a little cliche.

Inside, the Ariya is befitting of its flagship status for the Nissan brand. In the top-spec Evolve trim with the blue Nappa leather upholstery and suede dash highlights. I don’t think it pairs well with every exterior paint colour, but it still looks great.

This also isn’t to belittle the lesser trims. While they have darker interiors, this is likely more preferable for many buyers as they’re less out there. The materials, at least in the Advance+, are still at a high quality.

The steering wheel is leather-wrapped and feels buttery soft in the hand. While I loathe the fact there are gloss-black covers over the physical buttons on the steering wheel, it’s still a step in the right direction.

Ahead of the driver are dual 12.3-inch screens across the line-up. It took me a while to notice there’s a wave between the screens as it’s covered by the steering wheel rim. The touchscreen is incrementally closer so you can reach it more easily.

Another major element of the Ariya’s interior design is the centre console. In the Advance+ and Evolve it has electric sliding adjustment, allowing you to customise the position to your desire.

The use of the faux wood trim looks premium, especially because you don’t expect there to be haptic buttons on it. This helps for a clean, button-less look.

The single electric motor is positioned at the front where it drives the front wheels. The 50kWh lithium-ion battery that provides its energy is located beneath the cargo bay’s load floor to ensure that the total load volume, floor loading heights, etc, are identical to the petrol version.

The same applies to its compact 2975mm wheelbase, 4753mm length, 1921mm width and car park-friendly 1880mm height.

The e-Partner rides on MacPherson strut front suspension and coil-spring trailing-arm rear suspension, with electric power steering and four-wheel disc brakes. Its 11.4-metre turning circle is larger than we expected.

There are unpainted dark grey plastic finishes in all the places where bumps, scrapes and wear usually occur in working vans including hubcaps, bumpers, body side-mouldings, door mirrors and handles. The charging port is located above the left rear wheel.

A sealed metal bulkhead with central window separates the cabin and cargo bay, which minimises tyre noise emanating from the rear-wheel housings and doubles as a cargo barrier.

The cabin architecture, with two bucket seats and wipe-clean vinyl floor, is outwardly the same as the petrol version but the driver’s analogue instrument display has been reconfigured for the electric drivetrain.

This includes continual display of energy consumption levels, comprising 'Eco' (minimum consumption), 'Power' (maximum consumption) and 'Charge' (energy recovery from regenerative braking).

It also displays energy consumption by the cabin heating/air-conditioning and battery charge-level, while the dash’s central touchscreen includes an ‘electric menu’ that monitors live energy flows and consumption statistics plus allows scheduling of delayed charging if required.

This car is built on a dedicated electric architecture which theoretically gives it many benefits as there’s no space needed for a combustion engine, nor its transmission or driveline components.

While the Ariya benefits from this by pushing the wheels to the extremities, it underwhelms in others. More on this in a bit.

As standard the driver’s seat is mounted very high. I’m 182cm tall and in the seat's lowest position I was only a few centimetres off my hair tickling the roofliner. While this is nice from a forward visibility standpoint, I instinctively want to sit lower in the cabin.

Despite this, the front seats are deliciously comfortable. They offer plenty of electric adjustability, allowing you to find your desired seating position. Depending on the trim they’re heated and ventilated, which is a treat in fickle Melbourne weather.

As noted before, the steering wheel features physical buttons, which is a major plus. They’re clearly labelled and are easy to understand.

Ahead of the driver the digital instrument cluster is classic Nissan. There are a range of informative pages to cycle through, as well as two layouts to choose from. All of them look high-res.

Moving across, the touchscreen multimedia system is also a classic Nissan unit. Almost every Nissan model has a variation of this touchscreen now, which kind of makes the Ariya feel less special.

Thankfully however, the user interface is clear and easy to understand. It’s hard to get lost and even if you do, there are shortcut buttons on the side of the screen.

As standard there’s wireless Apple CarPlay, which is great if you have an iPhone and almost expected nowadays, however Android Auto is only offered in wired form only. This is disappointing from a high-tech flagship.

I appreciate there are haptic buttons for the climate control under the touchscreen. It’s much better than having these functions built into the touchscreen. However, the seat heating/ventilation and the steering wheel heating is in the touchscreen, but you can program it to an automatic mode so it’ll turn on and off with the climate control.

The haptic buttons extend onto the centre console which electrically slides in the Advance+ and Evolve. These ones are for the drive mode and ePedal selection.

Speaking of the centre console, it’s a big bulky unit but it barely offers any storage. Under the centre console lid there’s a wireless charger and a miniscule amount of storage. There’s also a tiny phone-sized slot at the front of the centre console, plus a 12V socket and some USB ports.

It’s disappointing Nissan hasn’t taken better advantage of the flat floor accommodated by the dedicated electric architecture. There’s open space between the driver and passenger, which makes it feel like you’re in dedicated recliners.

As a result of the paltry centre console storage, there are two gloveboxes. One on the passenger side and another in the centre. Both look like they’re sizeable, but that’s just the lid as the actual storage space is a fraction of this.

Moving to the second row I have a decent amount of legroom behind my own driving position. Toe room is negligible however and headroom suffers from the panoramic glass sunroof.

Despite this the second-row bench is still comfortable. It’s laid back, though there’s not much lateral support. This means in the bends you’ll be thrown into the door or into the centre of the car.

There continues to be a flat floor in the second row, plus a minimal hump in the rear bench means you could technically go three-up if you wanted. The limitation at this point is shoulder space.

In terms of amenities there are centre console-mounted air vents, USB-C ports, heated outboard seats (depending on the trim) and a fold-down armrest with cupholders. It’s fairly standard.

From the Advance trim and up there’s a standard hands-free power tailgate. This is handy if you’ve got your hands full.

For the boot space itself, it’s fine but not standout. Two-wheel-drive variants are notably better with 466L of boot space with the rear seats upright. The Evolve e-4orce only has 408L due to the rear electric motor.

As expected there’s no spare tyre at all across the line-up. Instead there’s a tyre repair kit under the boot floor.

No Ariya trim has a front boot.

The e-Partner’s 1632kg tare weight is about a quarter of a tonne (247kg) heavier than its 1385kg petrol-engine equivalent, largely caused by the lithium-ion battery pack.

So, even though the electric model has more power (100kW vs 96kW) and torque (260Nm vs 230Nm), the battery ensures it has an inferior power-to-weight ratio, with the e-Partner carrying 16.3kg/kW compared to the petrol’s 14.4kg/kW.

The e-Partner’s 753kg payload rating is also 182kg less than its petrol sibling, so be mindful of these differences if payload is important.

The e-Partner is also rated to tow up to 750kg, but given Peugeot does not publish a GCM figure (how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) we don’t know if it can haul its maximum payload while towing its maximum trailer weight.

The cargo bay, with 3.9 cubic metres of load volume, is a window-free zone accessed by a sliding door on each side and asymmetrical rear barn-doors that open to 180 degrees for optimum loading access.

With its 2167mm length, 1527mm width, 1243mm height and 1229mm between the rear-wheel housings, it can carry one standard Aussie pallet or two Euro pallets held in place by a choice of six load-anchorage points.

The cargo bay is lined to mid-height and there’s protective mesh over the bulkhead window. However, the bulkhead protrudes into the sliding door openings given the need to allow sufficient cabin space for the seat backrests.

There’s also no load-floor protection provided as standard, so to avoid scratches and dents we’d recommend fitting a floor-liner like the thick rubber one fitted to our test vehicle.

Cabin storage includes a full-width shelf above the windscreen and bins in the base of each door. The dash offers small bottle/cupholders on each side plus a lidded upper glove box and open storage on the passenger side.

The dash extension, where the gear-selector and electronic handbrake reside, offers more open storage as does the floor-mounted centre console.

Our criticisms include the lack of a dedicated storage place for the charging cable, which is supplied in a zip-up vinyl bag.

Although it was sitting on the passenger floor when we collected the vehicle, it was difficult to find a secure place to store it with a passenger aboard. It ended up unsecured in the cargo bay.

The rear barn-doors also do not have any stays to keep them open when positioned at 180 degrees.

As a result, the slightest breeze swings them shut.

And due to the lack of any dedicated bottle-holders in the front door bins, bottles tend to topple onto their sides and can be difficult to extract when driving.

Our test vehicle is available in only one specification, based on the ‘Pro Long Auto’ which means it’s the more work-focused ‘Pro’ model grade with long wheelbase and automatic, which in this application is a single-speed transmission.

With a 100kW/260Nm single electric motor and 50kWh lithium-ion battery, it has an eye-opening list price of $59,990, plus on-road costs.

That represents a substantial 56 per cent increase over its petrol-powered equivalent ($38,388) and optional metallic paint like ours adds $690.

However, the e-Partner has more power and torque with zero drivetrain emissions. It also comes standard with work-focused 16-inch steel wheels and 215/65R16 Michelin tyres with a full-size spare, a toggle-style gear selector, electric parking brake, reversing camera, two-way adjustable leather-rimmed steering wheel, 12-volt accessory socket and USB port plus a four-speaker multimedia system with 8.0-inch touchscreen, digital radio and multiple connectivity including Apple and Android devices.

There are only two electric powertrain configurations available in Australia.

The Ariya Engage and Advance are powered by a single, front-mounted electric motor that produces 160kW of power and 300Nm of torque. The Advance+ bumps the power figure up to 178kW to compensate for the larger battery pack.

The flagship Evolve e-4orce is the only trim with all-wheel drive. It has a dual-motor set-up with total system outputs of 290kW and 600Nm. This trim is claimed to be able to do the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.6 seconds.

The single electric motor and 50kWh lithium-ion battery combination produces 100kW of power and 260Nm of instant torque.

It also offers three switchable drive modes including Eco (60kW, 190Nm) for minimal performance and energy use, Normal (80kW, 210Nm) which is a happy medium for everyday use and Power (100kW, 260Nm) for maximum performance when hauling heavy loads.

The gear-selector controls Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive and Brake functions. There's also a button marked B which engages regenerative braking for optimum battery top-ups when driving.

The Mode 3 Type 2 wall-box/public station charging cable is supplied as standard, but buyers can also purchase a domestic wall socket cable for home-charging.

Quickest charge time from 0-80 per cent is 30 minutes using a 100kW DC charger while a 0-100 per cent charge using a single-phase wall-box (7.4kW) takes about 7.5 hours.

Home-charging from 0-100 per cent using a domestic wall socket (2.3kW) takes about 24 hours.

There are also two battery pack options in Australia.

The Ariya Engage and Advance come with a 63kWh lithium-ion battery with a WLTP claimed range of 385km. This isn’t much for a car that’s around $60,000.

The Advance+ and Evolve e-4orce, on the other hand, get a larger 87kWh lithium-ion battery. WLTP claimed range is 504km and 487km, respectively, which is much more like it for a vehicle of this size.

All variants have a Type 2 CCS combination charge port on the passenger side front quarter panel with a maximum DC charge rate of 130kW. At this rate this will see the battery charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 35 minutes.

AC charging is offered at rates up to 7.4kW on the Engage, Advance and Advance+ trims. 22kW AC charging is optional on the Advance+ and standard on the Evolve e-4orce.

However, thanks to a launch offer for the first 400 vehicles, all Ariyas are getting standard 22kW AC charging, even the ones that typically don’t get it at all. This is a cool offer and an interesting incentive if you are on the fence on actually buying one.

There’s also a free 22kW AC home charger provided as an additional launch offer. You’ll need to install this unit at your own expense.

For energy consumption it depends on the trim level. It ranges between 18.4 and 20.8kWh/100km. During our testing of the Advance+ we saw an average of 14.2kWh and the Evolve e-4orce we saw an average of 18.0kWh/100km. This would give a theoretical range of 613km and 483km, respectively.

It’s worth noting these average energy consumption figures were according to the trip computer and the driving was on higher speed roads on the outskirts of Melbourne.

Peugeot claims an official WLTP driving range of 258km. The dash display was showing a projected driving range of 280km when we collected the vehicle.

A few days later when we stopped to top-up the battery at a public charging station, after 135km of unladen city and suburban driving, it was displaying average consumption of 20.4kWh/100km.

When charging was completed, the dash display was claiming 270km of driving range. This had dropped to 194km the following day when we stopped to load the vehicle for our GVM test. Average consumption had also dropped to 19.0kWh/100km.

We then drove 52km with a heavy payload in busy traffic, during which consumption dropped again to 18.8kWh/100km with regular switching between the drive modes.

After unloading and then returning the vehicle to Peugeot, there was still 96km of range remaining and energy consumption had dropped again to 18.4kWh/100km.

So, we covered a total of 271km during our test, of which about one quarter was with a heavy payload.

So, based on its lowest consumption figure, Peugeot’s claimed 258km range in real world driving conditions is pretty accurate by our measure.

We only got to experience Ariya trim levels with the larger 87kWh battery pack at this launch. It’d be interesting to see how trims with the smaller battery pack fare from a comparative standpoint as they’re lighter but offer less range.

With the Ariya Advance+, it has a single electric motor that offers a decent amount of power and torque. It’s probably all that you’d ever need in everyday traffic.

However, it’s far from being a sporty offering – it’s more comfort-oriented – but when you push it, the limitations of it being front-wheel drive become apparent. Traction control cuts power as soon as the corners get too sharp, but thankfully it never feels like this car is out of line.

For more oomph, this is where the flagship Evolve e-4orce comes in with its dual-motor all-wheel-drive set-up. Although 290kW and 600Nm sounds like a lot, it doesn’t provide neck-snapping acceleration. Instead, acceleration intentionally ramps up incrementally to maintain a serene vibe in the cabin.

This isn’t to call this Ariya trim slow, though. It can do 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds, which is far from a slouch. The way the power piles on though feels nice during rolling acceleration, making it a lovely tourer. If you do lean into the performance this trim offers however, be prepared to pay for it with a higher energy consumption.

There are multiple regenerative braking modes offered in the Ariya. ‘D’ is normal, ‘B’ exaggerates the effects, then ‘ePedal’ is the closest you get to a one-pedal driving mode. All the modes require you to press the brake pedal to come to a complete stop.

Thankfully, there’s no awkward interaction between the regen brakes and the traditional friction brakes. This helps make it feel like a regular car that just happens to be electric.

The steering changes its weight depending on the drive mode. Regardless of this, however, there is a direct feel through the wheel which is confidence-inspiring, especially out on the open road.

As standard the suspension set-up comprises MacPherson strut front and a multi-link rear across the line-up. With the smaller 18-inch wheels across the majority of the line-up there’s plenty of tyre sidewall to play around with, which makes the ride feel composed and comfortable. It balances the line between being too bouncy and too firm nicely.

The top-spec Evolve e-4orce with its larger 20-inch alloy wheels, however, has less tyre sidewall and as a result the ride is much busier. The effects are made worse when you load more people or weight into the car as it becomes very reactive to every road imperfection, especially large bumps.

Lastly in terms of noise, vibration and harshness levels, it’s extremely quiet in the cabin. This is surprising because the lack of a combustion engine typically makes other noises more apparent.

It has a comfortable driving position thanks to a reasonably spacious cabin, two-way adjustable steering wheel, left footrest and fold-down inboard armrest.

However, the base cushion feels a tad short for proper upper-thigh support and does not have rake adjustment.

The flat top of the rectangular steering wheel provides a clear view of the instrument display while the flat bottom allows ample driver clearance.

The electric motor with its muted hum delivers a liquid-like flow of acceleration that’s different to a petrol engine.

The lack of engine noise also makes other sounds more prominent, including tyre roar on coarse bitumen surfaces and thumps from the rear suspension over larger bumps.

The extra battery weight is not a noticeable hindrance in stop-start traffic, given the instant torque of the electric motor.

Its location under the load floor also contributes to a low centre of gravity which makes the e-Partner feel well-planted on the road. Even so, it takes a leisurely 11.2 seconds to accelerate from 0-100km/h.

To test its payload rating we forklifted 650kg into the cargo bay which with driver was just under its 753kg limit. The rear suspension compressed 70mm, but there was no bottoming-out over bumps due to large rubber cones positioned inside the coil springs that assist in supporting heavy loads.

We covered more than 50km with this weight in city and suburban driving and its performance was good in all modes including the energy-saving Eco. Energy consumption did not spike as expected.

Our only gripes from a driver’s perspective are the absence of blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, which should be mandatory in all solid-walled vans given the huge blind-spot over the driver’s left shoulder. Relying only on the relatively small passenger door mirror is potentially hazardous.

The other is the cruise control stalk located on the steering column, which is hidden from view by the steering wheel arm. Therefore, it must be operated purely by feel, which can be fiddly and distracting when driving.

Only four from a possible five ANCAP stars for the e-Partner (achieved 2018) and the lack of blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control, etc, highlight a safety menu in need of updating.

Even so, it does have front, side and curtain airbags for driver and passenger plus AEB, lane-keeping, audible low-speed pedestrian alert and tyre under-inflation warning.

Like other Nissans, the Ariya is covered by a 10-year/300,000km warranty, providing you service at authorised Nissan service centres when required. If you don't, there's only five years of coverage.

The battery pack on the other hand is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty.

There’s also up to 10 years of roadside assistance if you service at authorised Nissan service centres.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first, and the first five services are capped at $299 each.

Overall this is a fairly compelling aftersales package, plus it helps that Nissan has a substantial dealer network around Australia.

Warranty is five years/200,000km plus eight years/160,000km for the battery. There are also three-year paintwork and 12-year corrosion warranties.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/25,000km, whichever occurs first.

The pre-paid service plan price of $1000 covers the first five scheduled services, or just $200 per service.