New Nissan LEAF vs. Nissan ARIYA — What’s the Difference?

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Last Updated on: 27th March 2025, 07:31 am

This question has come into my head repeatedly today. One of the first pieces of news I saw this morning was Nissan’s news about the new Nissan LEAF, the Nissan Micra EV, an electric INFINITI SUV, an electric adventure-focused SUV from Nissan, a plug-in hybrid Nissan Rogue, and other Nissan news. The only clear visuals of any of these coming electric models, though, were two pics of the new Nissan LEAF. I immediately thought: wow, that looks a lot like the Nissan ARIYA. Then I started wondering, what’s so different about it?

Of course, we don’t have many details on the coming next-gen version of the LEAF, but the pictures show it having a similar shape and possibly similar size as the ARIYA. The ARIYA is classified as a compact crossover SUV. The current LEAF is a compact car, but the pictures above sure make the coming LEAF look like a crossover, so one would presume the new version is going to be a compact crossover SUV … in the exact same class as the ARIYA. Hmm, strange. Perhaps it could be a subcompact crossover SUV? But that seems unlikely.

This is how Nissan describes what’s coming: “Reimagined as a sleek and spacious family-friendly crossover, the third-generation all-new Nissan LEAF pairs substantial improvements in aerodynamics with a more advanced EV architecture.” I can’t get over the fact that Nissan’s second model in its current lineup of EVs would be in the same vehicle class as the company’s first. Why not branch out more?

The headlights are different, but not even dramatically so. The panoramic roof is probably a bit different, but not that much so.

I think the new LEAF must be a bit of a different size from the ARIYA, I presume a bit smaller. The “substantial improvements in aerodynamics” and “more advanced EV architecture” make me think it will also be more efficient, and thus have more range than the ARIYA, which has a rated range of 216 to 289 miles.

The ARIYA price starts at around $40,000 and goes up to a base of about $54,000 for the highest-performance trim, while the starting prices of the two Nissan LEAF trims are just above $28,000 and $36,000. Presumably, aside from being a bit smaller, the new LEAF will have somewhat less fancy interior materials, less infotainment, and/or lower performance levels. If not, then I’m really lost.

Of course, as we can see, the new LEAF is also coming in new color choices.

Any other notable differences (or similarities) you’ve spotted, or expectations for the new LEAF compared to the ARIYA?