Long-term report: Warm weather continues to help the Nissan Ariya

People sometimes describe me as a rather tidy-minded individual. A bit pernickety even.

If you’re old enough to remember the sit-com Ever Decreasing Circles, I could possibly be compared to the annoying Martin Bryce, the character played by the late, great Richard Briers.

Which is why it gave me enormous pleasure to jump into our all-electric Nissan Ariya the other day, and see that, fully charged at 100%, it was offering me a range of exactly 250 miles.

Not bad at all – and naturally, I was pleased to note the round numbers.

The available range has actually been above that at times during June and July, something that probably wouldn’t be the case during the chillier months of the year.

And if 250 miles on a single charge seems impressive, it’s worth noting that our Nissan Ariya is equipped with the smaller of the two battery sizes (63kWh) available. The larger one (87kWh) will provide a range of up to 330 miles.

It’s this car’s range – and the one offered by the larger-battery model – which may convince EV sceptics that they’re good for lengthy journeys cross-country as well as short hops around town.

So what have been the highlights of another spell behind the wheel of OW22AAO? Well, everything has been going pretty well, thank you for asking.

Journeys of any distance are of course a breeze to complete, and a little forward planning helps if you’re heading from one end of the country to the other.

Locally, during the spring and summer months, there have been the usual trips to visit family and friends and to boost the profits of nearby garden centres – the list goes on.

One thing that’s become increasingly obvious recently that our Ariya is far cleverer than I am, with many of its characteristics described as ‘intelligent’ by Nissan.

That all-important word precedes a huge number of security and safety features in particular, such as Driver Alertness, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Intervention and many more. All incredibly useful when it comes to ensuring that you and your passengers arrive at your destination in comfort and safety.

In fact, there have been quite a few occasions on which I’ve given lifts to friends and family members recently, and although they obviously won’t get a handle on everything the car has to offer from a technological point of view, they have been genuinely impressed by their surroundings in the passenger and rear seats.

It might sound obvious, but the flat floor (there’s no transmission tunnel) is one thing everybody seems to notice, and is delighted by. This means there is more legroom for everyone in the back, especially the middle passenger in a row of three, and the car is easier to get in and out of.

Many other aspects of the interior styling also attracts favourable comments, with one pal of mine loving the luxurious feel of the carpet and its interesting design in particular. And of course, putting Great British potholes to one side for a moment, the Ariya’s ride is exceptionally smooth and stable for driver and passengers alike.

Charging the car has never been a problem. The Podpoint device we have had installed on our front wall has performed without a hitch so far with everything controllable via a handy app.

It’s exciting, too, to see that a go-faster Ariya NISMO is on the way too. NISMO is an abbreviation of Nissan Motorsport, so expect a car that’s dynamic, agile and sporty, with a bold personality and an added spark from the racetrack.

Model: Nissan ARIYA 63kWh Advance
Price (as tested): £45,715
Engine: Electric motor, 63kWh battery
Power: 214bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Max speed: 100mph
0-60mph: 7.3 seconds
Range: 250 miles (WLTP combined)
Emissions: 0g/km
Mileage: 13,232