[5] The Lada Niva is the world's first mass-produced off-road vehicle with a unibody construction (fully integrated body and frame).

[15] Development began in 1971 after the 24th Congress of the CPSU, in which Alexei Kosygin (the then-Premier of the Soviet Union) gave the designers at VAZ and AZLK the task of creating a car suitable for rural areas (specifically for the villagers and farmers of the Soviet Union), since the usual Zhiguli, Moskvitch, and Zaporozhets, intended primarily for ordinary people, were not much of use in the isolated areas that made up a large part of the USSR.

In the same year, a team of VAZ designers led by Solovyev began competing with AZLK to work on a "civilized" four-wheel drive vehicle.

The first prototype appeared in 1971 and was officially designated the E-2121[18] and nicknamed krokodil (the crocodile) due to its distinctive frontal section, but was rejected for being too utilitarian, so doors and a hardtop were added.

It used the VAZ-2103's 1,452 cc engine and shared some of its features, like chrome-plated bumpers, headlights and taillights, instruments, seats, and steering wheel.

Before its production, the Niva was tested over a period of years by a team led by Vadim Kotlyarov in the most difficult terrain of the Soviet Union, such as the Ural Mountains and Siberia, the deserts of the Kazakh SSR, and the Pamir Mountains in the Tajik SSR, where it was compared with its military counterpart, the UAZ-469, and some Western off-road vehicles—the British-made Land Rover Series and the Range Rover Classic.

[22][23] Its off-road capabilities were demonstrated for the very first time, which were based on its effective permanent four-wheel drive system featuring a transfer case and central differential lock, with the combination of a short wheelbase (only 2,2m), relatively low weight (just over a ton), independent front suspension, small dimensions (3,74×1,68 m), and high ground clearance (about 265 mm).

Its large but narrow wheels (175/80-R16 in dimensions), originally featuring domestically designed "Voltyre" VLI-5 high-tread tires, offered relatively strong ground pressure, which lowered the chances of slipping or getting bogged down off-road.

[19] The VAZ prototype displayed better design and real-world performance than its AZLK counterpart, the Moskvitch 416, so it was approved for production in March of the same year, after the 25th Congress of the CPSU.

[19] The original Niva has a naturally aspirated 1.6-L overhead-cam four-cylinder petrol engine producing 56 kW (75 hp) and 126 N·m (93 lb·ft) at 5,000 rpm, a four-speed manual transmission, and a full-time four-wheel drive.

[19] Coil springs are located at each of the four wheels, and the suspension is independent in front, whereas the rear axle is a five-link live-type, with ratios between 3.90 and 4.30 depending on the model and market.

On the Niva 1.7 or VAZ-21213 from 1994, all of the above features except headlight wipers and the rear fog lamp (which were discontinued) became default and air conditioning, an antilock braking system, and a hydraulic servomotor for the steering column were made optional, although they became standard equipment on the newest models.

Pre-1985 models are visually recognized by the aforementioned details, and are rare today (almost nonexistent in a well-preserved condition), so they are highly valued by various collectors of classic cars.

On the newest models, the old hand-adjustable, square black-metallic (previously chrome-plated) side mirrors, which originated from the VAZ-2103 were replaced with larger plastic ones that could be automatically adjusted..

It has more modern, ordinary looks, including a new mask, plastic bumpers, new side mirrors, different aluminium rims, new tires, a central brake light, heated front seats, and a slightly restyled interior.

It features new aluminium rims similar to the Urban, five new color schemes, "40th Anniversary" metallic labels on the fenders, a tailgate, a glove compartment cover, front-seat backrests, and floor mats.

Also, it has a slightly restyled interior featuring genuine leather seat upholstery and a steering wheel cover, and sills made out of stainless steel.

In the UK, the Cossack model featured large body decals, roof rails, running boards, 15-in alloy wheels, and on some versions, a sunroof, steel bullbars, spotlights, a rear-mounted spare tire, and semi-bucket seats.

Whereas the Hussar had the original 1977 trim, the new UK Cossack featured a new Rover-designed grille and other body kit items, and gained soft nudge-bars at the front in deference to public opinion against bullbars.

Internally, it featured a different metal dashboard, though it used the same Niva instruments along with the same steering wheel and artificial leather seats.

GM-AvtoVAZ, a joint venture between AvtoVAZ and General Motors, presented in 1998 the VAZ-2123, a new sport utility vehicle (SUV) based on the old VAZ 2121 engine, transmission and most mechanicals; but with a modern exterior design.

The rebranded Lada Niva was revealed by AvtoVAZ in July 2020,[37] with the firm saying that there was still strong demand for the 20 year old line of cars.

The 2020 model is produced at the Togliatti factory with minor design updates (but no technical changes) and joins the Lada 4×4 in the firm's range.

[39] During the safety test, the passenger dummy was hit by the glove compartment hard enough to risk traumatic brain injury.

[39] The reviewers noted that they did not expect a high rating and that the result was natural, as "it would be naive to believe that a 30-year-old design complies with modern requirements for passive safety".

It also set the world record of the highest point ever reached by a motorized vehicle, when another VAZ-2131 climbed to the 5200-m-high base camp on Mount Everest in 1998 and even higher just a year later, on 16 September 1999, when a similar Niva belonging to the Saint Petersburg extreme expedition team reached a height of 5725 m on a Tibet mountain during off-roading.

[47] The car had a longitudinal mounted engine, full-time four-wheel-drive, two-gear transfer case and rigid-axle rear suspension.

[50] At a Moscow International Automobile Salon in August 2018, AvtoVAZ presented the concept, built in honour of the original Niva's 40th anniversary.

[56] He showed his camouflage-painted Opel-engined offroader in the Russian media, allegedly to support domestic car producers despite the financial crisis.

[57][58] Serbian football player Aleksandar Kolarov received a certificate for a Lada 4×4/Niva as a reward for scoring a goal in his team's match against Costa Rica during the Russia 2018 World Cup.