Hello, the Nissan Ariya just got three grand cheaper

August 2023 will be known for the biblical levels of rain that fell across the UK – we’re starting the ark-building as we write this – but perhaps it ought to be noted for the price drop Nissan has implemented on the Ariya, too.

You can now buy a new Nissan Ariya for a mightily more affordable (!) £39,645. Ok, ok, we don’t exactly keep a spare 40 grand down the back of the sofa either. But that's a saving of £3.000, which is a respectable wedge.

The fully electric SUV was fairly well-received, when it launched in July 2020. We liked the cabin, the decent amount (and choice) of kit and the 310-mile electric range.

Bigger than a Qashqai, the Ariya has two battery choices; 63kWh and 87kWh. It’s worth noting those figures are useable capacity, too – not just the actual size like many car makers cite. That means the Ariya is capable of anything between 223 miles or 310 miles, if you opt for the bigger one.

We were less impressed with the efficiency, and we thought the styling fell into Camp Marmite easily.

But what the Ariya most lacked was value. That's something Nissan seems to have addressed by this price cut and by introducing two more grades, Engage and Evolve+.

Engage is a new entry-level trim, offering two-wheel-drive with the big or smaller battery. It’s also chucked in heated wing mirrors and fancier headlights, and there’s a swathe of integrated cabin and safety tech to improve bang-for-buck.

Evolve+ pushes the top-end of the range in performance and features. The top-spec Nissan Ariya is now under the £60k mark. For that, the Plus grade includes all the fanciest Ariya Evolve features – panoramic sunroof, head-up display, Bose stereo, heated and cooled front seats – with more power.

You’re looking at 380bhp (up from 301), 443lb ft of torque and a 0-62mph time of 5.1 seconds. There’s no loss in range, either – that got our attention, too.

Since this Land Cruiser proved electric cars can tackle water-based activities without incident, we're sure the Ariya can handle a bit of (torrential) rain...