Top Safety Pick +

2023 Nissan Ariya

midsize SUV / 4-door SUV

Award applies only to vehicles built after March 2023

Fully electric

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteria	Rating
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: updated test

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Optional system	Superior
Standard system	Superior
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (night)
Standard system	Superior
Optional system (built before April 2023)	Advanced

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Seat belt reminders
LATCH ease of use	+

Other available safety features

Standard blind spot detection
Standard lane departure warning & prevention
Standard rear automatic braking

Key

G
Good
A
Acceptable
M
Marginal
P
Poor

Superior
Advanced
Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2023 Nissan Ariya Engage e-4ORCE 4-door 4wd

The Nissan Ariya, an all-new electric SUV, was introduced for the 2023 model year. These ratings do not apply to the AWD extended range battery variant.

Evaluation criteria	Rating

Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the driver-side small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

During the crash, the seat belt allowed far too much forward movement of the dummy to the extent that its head hit the steering wheel hard through the airbag.

The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN2307
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	7
Footrest (cm)	2
Left toepan (cm)	2
Brake pedal (cm)	2
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	1
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	5
Upper dash (cm)	5
Lower instrument panel (cm)	4

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN2307
Head
HIC-15	339
Peak gs at hard contact	107
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm)	19
Maximum Nij	0.23
Chest maximum compression (mm)	21
Femur (kN)
Left	0.4
Right	0.4
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1
Right	1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.38
Right	0.36
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	2.1
Right	1.4
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	34
Right	43

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2023 Nissan Ariya EV 4-door 4wd

The Nissan Ariya, an all-new electric SUV, was introduced for the 2023 model year. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2023 Ariya conducted by Nissan. These ratings do not apply to the AWD extended range battery variant.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP2320
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	12
Footrest (cm)	6
Right toepan (cm)	4
Center toepan (cm)	3
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	2
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm)	7
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	11
Upper dash (cm)	9
Right lower dash (cm)	9

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP2320
Head
HIC-15	138
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.5
Extension bending moment (Nm)	30
Maximum Nij	0.41
Chest maximum compression (mm)	17
Femur (kN)
Left	1.9
Right	1.6
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	7
Right	6
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.46
Right	0.48
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	1.9
Right	1.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	28
Right	39

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP2320
Head
HIC-15	39
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.6
Extension bending moment (Nm)	10
Maximum Nij	0.14
Chest maximum compression (mm)	28
Femur (kN)
Left	0.4
Right	0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1
Right	3
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.31
Right	0.32
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.7
Right	0.7
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	28
Right	36

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2023 Nissan Ariya EV 4-door 4wd

The Nissan Ariya, an all-new electric SUV, was introduced for the 2023 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2023 Ariya conducted by Nissan. These ratings do not apply to the AWD extended range battery variant.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF2318
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	5
Left (cm)	8
Center (cm)	10
Right (cm)	5
Brake pedal (cm)	6
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	3
Right (cm)	7
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	0
Rearward (cm)	-4
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	1

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF2318
Head
HIC-15	98
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm)	11
Maximum Nij	0.17
Chest maximum compression (mm)	29
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.7
Femur force - right (kN)	0.9
Knee displacement - left (mm)	1
Knee displacement - right (mm)	3
Maximum tibia index - left	0.39
Maximum tibia index - right	0.38
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.6
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	1.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	33
Right	49

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: updated test

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2023 Nissan Ariya Engage E-4orce EV 4-door 4wd

The Nissan Ariya, an all-new electric SUV, was introduced for the 2023 model year. Side 2.0 ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2023 Ariya conducted by Nissan. These ratings do not apply to the AWD extended range battery variant.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis
Rear passenger head protection

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS2341
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	25.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS2341
Head
HIC-15	48
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Compression (kN)	0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	19
Lateral force (kN)	1.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	26
Average deflection (mm)	22
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	2.61
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.32
Pelvis
Combined force (kN)	3.5

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS2341
Head
HIC-15	51
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.4
Compression (kN)	0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	20
Lateral force (kN)	1.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	16
Average deflection (mm)	13
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	2.10
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.16
Pelvis
Combined force (kN)	2.8

About the side crash test

Headlights

Ratings are given for 2 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

All trims; built after March 2023

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was fair on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves, fair on the sharp left curve and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was fair on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves and fair on both left curves.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and on both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	All trims
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2023-25 models built after March 2023

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	79.7 m	None
Straightaway left edge	52.4 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	79.7 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	48.6 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	70.4 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	47.3 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	136.5 m
Straightaway left edge	136.5 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	87.3 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	66.3 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	71.3 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	57.3 m

Trim level(s)

All trims; built before April 2023

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on the sharp left and both right curves and fair on the gradual left curve.

The low beams created some glare.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on the sharp left and both right curves and fair on the gradual left curve.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the gradual left curve.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	All trims
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2023 models built before April 2023

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	114.3 m	36.9%
Straightaway left edge	64.6 m	36.9%
250m radius right curve, right edge	87.8 m	56.6%
250m radius left curve, right edge	62.0 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	72.6 m	52.4%
150m radius left curve, left edge	63.7 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	174.5 m
Straightaway left edge	162.2 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	92.1 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	75.0 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	73.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	65.9 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

Ratings are given for 2 different systems available on this vehicle.

System details

optional Pro-Pilot Assist 2.0

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to 2023-25 models of the following trim lines: EMPOWER+ trim, PLATINUM+ E-4ORCE trim

Superior

with optional equipment

Crossing child

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Crossing adult

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Parallel adult

In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 24 mph. A warning was issued 1.7 seconds before impact.

System details

standard ProPilot Assist

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to 2023-25 models of the following trim lines: ENGAGE trim, VENTURE+ trim, ENGAGE E-4ORCE trim, EVOLVE+ trim, ENGAGE+ E-4ORCE trim, EVOLVE+ E-4ORCE trim

Superior

Crossing child

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Crossing adult

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Parallel adult

In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 37 mph test, this vehicle nearly avoided a collision. A warning was issued 2 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (night)

Ratings are given for 2 different systems available on this vehicle.

Night

System details

standard ProPilot Assist

Overall evaluation

Includes high-beam assist credit

This rating applies to 2023-25 models of the following trim lines: ENGAGE trim, VENTURE+ trim, ENGAGE E-4ORCE trim, EVOLVE+ trim, ENGAGE+ E-4ORCE trim, EVOLVE+ E-4ORCE trim

Superior

Crossing adult

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision when using its high beams. When using its low beams, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision when using its high beams. When using its low beams, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Parallel adult

In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision when using its high beams. When using its low beams, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 32 mph when using its high beams and a warning was issued 1.8 seconds before impact. When using its low beams, impact speed was reduced by 18 mph and a warning was issued 1.3 seconds before impact.

Night

System details

optional Pro-Pilot Assist 2.0

Overall evaluation

Includes high-beam assist credit

This rating applies to 2023-25 models built before April 2023 of the following trim lines: EMPOWER+ trim, PLATINUM+ E-4ORCE trim

Advanced

with optional equipment

Crossing adult

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision when using its high beams. When using its low beams, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision when using its high beams. When using its low beams, impact speed was reduced by 24 mph.

Parallel adult

In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision when using its high beams. When using its low beams, impact speed was reduced by 23 mph.
In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 30 mph when using its high beams and a warning was issued 2.1 seconds before impact. When using its low beams, impact speed was reduced by 12 mph and a warning was issued 1.5 seconds before impact.

About pedestrian front crash prevention test

Seat belt reminders

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Front row
Unbelted occupant alert (audible & visual)
Initiation time
Duration	Long enough (90+ seconds)
Volume
Audio frequency
Second row
Startup status alert (visual)
Initiation time
Duration at least 60 seconds
Belt disengaged alert (audible & visual)
Initiation time
Duration at least 30 seconds
Volume
Audio frequency

Technical measurements for this test

About the seat belt reminder evaluation

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation	+ extra LATCH positions
Vehicle trim	Premiere
Seat type	leatherette

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor, a single lower anchor and the ability to borrow the second anchor from another position.

Note: When anchors are borrowed, they aren't available to use in their designated positions.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation	+ extra LATCH positions
Vehicle trim	Premiere
Seat type	leatherette

Rating icon	Rating
G	Good
A	Acceptable
M	Marginal
P	Poor
	Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol	Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol	Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol	Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
	No hardware available

Details by seating position

Position	Rating
1
1	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	not too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors
2
2	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	1 dedicated anchor and 1 that can be borrowed from seat 3
	not too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors
3
3	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	not too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors

Technical measurements for this test

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	-2-0
Force (lbs)	5
Clearance angle (degrees)	81
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	-2-0
Force (lbs)	8
Clearance angle (degrees)	90
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Lower latch is shared for this seat position
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	-2-0
Force (lbs)	8
Clearance angle (degrees)	71
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	-2-0
Force (lbs)	8
Clearance angle (degrees)	87
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	-2-0
Force (lbs)	9
Clearance angle (degrees)	78
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation

Background cabin sound pressure level at 24 km/h	49 dB
Audible signal sound pressure level at 24 km/h	65 dB
Difference between background and signal	15.7 dB
Background cabin sound pressure level at 40 km/h	52 dB
Audible signal sound pressure level at 40 km/h	65 dB
Difference between background and signal	12.2 dB
Dominant audio frequency	584 Hz