New Nissan Ariya vs Kia EV6: costs

Nissan’s first electric SUV really is in at the deep end as it goes head to head with its most formidable rival, our reigning Car of the Year. Will it sink or swim?...

Steve Huntingford

Published25 October 2022

Buying and owning

Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security

Not only is the Nissan Ariya available with a small discount on its list price, but it’s also cheaper than the Kia EV6 to buy outright in the first place. There is a more affordable Air trim level available with the EV6, but then you’d have to do without such creature comforts as powered seat adjustment and wireless phone charging.

Based on our efficiency tests, both contenders will bring similar electricity bills, but the Ariya’s slower predicted depreciation and lower servicing costs means it should cost around £4000 less over three years, assuming you sell it soon after its third birthday.

The Ariya is also cheaper to buy on PCP finance. Put down a £4500 deposit and you’ll pay £615 a month over three years, assuming a 10,000-mile annual limit. The EV6 weighs in at a heftier £747 per month on the same terms. And it’s a similar story for those looking to lease; over three years with an 8000-mile limit, the Ariya will cost £557 per month and the EV6 £680.

The Ariya’s lower list price also makes it fractionally cheaper to run for company car drivers paying benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax, albeit by just £24 per year.

Both cars come with lots of standard kit, including full LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, heated front seats and heated steering wheels. To this list, the Ariya adds a heat pump (a £900 option on the EV6), which is an efficient way of regulating the temperature inside the car that minimises the climate control’s impact on range.

In terms of dependability, Kia ranked seventh out of 32 brands in the 2022 What Car? Reliability Survey, while Nissan finished much lower down, in 25th place.The Ariya comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty as standard, while its battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles. Meanwhile, the EV6 has a seven year/100,000-mile warranty on both the car and the battery.

Disappointingly, the Ariya isn’t quite up to speed when it comes to charging up the battery. While the EV6 can accept a charge at up to 239kW, making full use of some of the faster public chargers, the Ariya is pegged at 130kW.

As a result, a 10-80% top-up takes more than half an hour in the Ariya but can be done in half that time in the EV6. A 0-100% charge from a 7kW home wallbox takes around 10 hours in the Ariya and almost two hours longer in the EV6, because of its bigger battery.