Nissan has opened pre-orders for its electric Ariya coupé crossover, priced from £41,845 up to £58,440 for the all-wheel drive performance model.

The Ariya is likely to prove highly popular for company car drivers and salary sacrifice car schemes

Starting first deliveries from summer 2022, the Ariya becomes the brand’s flagship electric vehicle and brings a rival to the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volkswagen ID.4.

It’ll also offer a class-leading residual value, according to new figures from Cap HPI.

Four versions will be available in the UK, all offered from launch and with two battery capacities and up to 310 miles of WLTP range.

The line-up starts with the Ariya 63kWh two-wheel drive model, aimed at families primarily using their vehicle in urban or suburban areas. It brings a 217hp output, giving a 0-62mph time of 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 99mph. Estimated range is up to 223 miles.

It’s followed by the Evolve 87kWh, priced from £51,090 and with 242hp of power and a 0-62mph time of 7.6 seconds along with the same 99mph top speed. Extended range from the larger battery stands at 310 miles – the highest among the line-up.

The top two models are the e-4orce Evolve 87kWh and e-4orce Performance 87kWh, which feature a twin electric motor, all-wheel drive set-up with Nissan’s e-4orce all-wheel control technology. Both have higher power outputs – standing at 306hp and 394hp respectively and the e-4orce Performance also boasts 600Nm of torque and a 5.1-second 0-62mph time. Range stands at 285 miles for the e-4orce Evolve and 248 for the Performance and both have a 124mph top speed.

The range-topping model also includes features such as a 10-speaker Bose sound system, digital head-up display, intelligent rear view mirror, electric panoramic sunroof, dynamic 20-inch alloy wheels with aero covers, and blue nappa leather seat fronts.

Across the line-up, Ariya will be offered with a choice of 10 body colours, including pearlescent, metallic and premium metallic shades together with six two-tone options.

The cockpit comes with a choice of three dashboard colours (black, blue and grey) matched to four upholstery styles, dependent on version, option pack and exterior colour of vehicle.

The Ariya’s focus on design, specification, technology and competitive price point has already been recognised by Cap HPI in its forecast, and both the 2WD Advance 63kWh and AWD Evolve e-4ORCE 87kWh are expected to retain 57% value over three years/30,000-miles, making Ariya the best performing model versus key rivals.

It’s expected to prove particularly popular with company car drivers.

Csaba Vincze, fleet director at Nissan GB, commented: “The Ariya is a very attractive proposition for company car drivers and salary sacrifice car schemes and comes complete with Nissan’s 10-year heritage of producing class-leading electric vehicles.  With P11D prices starting from £41,790 and low Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rates for EVs – just 1% in 2021/22 and then 2% in 2022/23 – the Ariya also provides substantial tax savings for the driver versus petrol and diesel-fuelled models.”