New Nissan Ariya Nismo revealed – electric SUV gets performance upgrades for 2025
Nissan has given its Ariya electric SUV the Nismo performance treatment, which includes suspension and brake upgrades, sportier looks and a luxury-focused interior...
On sale 2025 Price from £65,000 (est)
From the Juke to the Skyline, Nissan's Nismo-branded road cars have always had two things in common in the UK: a focus on performance and a petrol engine. Until now.
The latest model to get the Japanese brand's Nismo treatment is the Nissan Ariya – an all-electric SUV that since its launch in 2021 has been all about offering practical family transport rather than thrilling performance and handling.
The Ariya Nismo is expected to go on sale in the UK in 2025 and will be the new range-topping model, building on the current top-spec four-wheel-drive version of the car, the e-4orce Performance. Nissan says it's aimed at buyers who need a practical SUV for day-to-day driving but want it to also be fun to drive on spirited road trips at weekends.
We don't have official pricing yet, but we'd expect the Nismo to costs several thousand pounds on top of the near-£60,000 price of the current most expensive Ariya. Fortunately, for your money you'll be getting more than simply the red styling tweaks and custom alloy wheels shown in our photographs.
Nissan's engineering team has made significant changes to the Ariya and says the Nismo will deliver improved cornering and handling ability to match its rapid 0-60mph sprint time of 4.8 seconds.
Standard Ariya parts have been replaced with uprated Nismo performance kit – for example, the Ariya Nismo gets upgraded brakes and high-grip tyres on bespoke alloy wheels. A spoiler has been added to the boot lid, there's an air splitter below the front bump and the rear bumper has an F1-style diffuser.
Alongside those physical changes, the software that controls how acceleration is metered out is specifically designed to make the Ariya Nismo as fun to drive as possible. There are also changes to the way power is sent to the front and rear wheels – again to try and give a sportier feel.
The red and black accents seen on the car's exterior are echoed inside: the interior is predominantly black, with red details including a striking Start button on the dashboard.
What Car? had a chance to inspect the Ariya Nismo's interior after it went on display in Covent Garden ahead of the London E-Prix on July 20-21, 2024. We were impressed with the high-quality feel of the materials and comfortable seats.
The Ariya is not the first electric SUV to get a performance version. When it goes on sale it will face competition from the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, the Skoda Enyaq vRS and the Tesla Model Y Performance. So far, we've only had chance to see a parked-up Ariya Nismo so it's too earlier to rate it against those, but we'll publish a full review as soon as we've driven it.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
Read more: Nissan Ariya review >>
Read more: Best electric SUVs >>
Read more: All the electric cars coming soon >>
