Nissan Ariya vs Smart 3

What's the difference?

Nissan was one of the first to launch a mainstream electric vehicle (EV) in Australia with the cute Leaf hatchback back in 2010.

While two generations of the Leaf have come and gone, Nissan still hasn’t launched another EV offering in Australia. That’s now finally changed.

The Japanese carmaker has just launched the Ariya mid-size electric SUV in Australia roughly five years after it was first revealed. It’s been available in other markets since 2022.

The EV market has gained momentum in Australia and there are a growing number of heavy-hitting rivals out there now for the Ariya to go up against.

Is it too little, too late for Nissan? Read along to find out.

Smart is back.

Not with the classic ForTwo two-seater city car, oddball four-seater ForFour hatch or dinky Roadster targa top. Those were yesterday’s cars.

Today, Smart – as a 50/50 joint-venture between Germany’s Mercedes-Benz (the brand’s originator) and China’s Geely – is all about SUVs. Electric SUVs.

The boxy #1 (pronounced “hashtag-one”) is a small SUV and the sleeker #3 is the coupe-esque performance crossover version. Both are made in China and use Geely technologies.

We take a long, hard look at the range-topping #3 Brabus, the speediest, sexiest and exxiest of the lot. Let’s go.