Nissan ARIYA vs Polestar 2

The Polestar 2 costs £8,210 more than the Nissan ARIYA. For that premium it adds 94 miles more WLTP range, 50 kW faster peak rapid charging and 40 kW more power. The Nissan ARIYA is not just cheaper - it also offers 59 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Polestar 2 comes out ahead overall.

The Nissan ARIYA is £8,210 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £160 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Nissan ARIYA comes out roughly £8,170 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 209 miles for the Nissan ARIYA and 231 miles for the Polestar 2 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Polestar 2 goes roughly 22 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 26-30 minutes.

The two are within 9 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 550 mm of total clearance for the Nissan ARIYA and about 541 mm of total clearance for the Polestar 2.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Nissan ARIYA and 90% for the Polestar 2. That gives the Polestar 2 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Polestar 2's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Nissan ARIYA's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use.