Nikolaev covered the distance of 465 km in 4 hours 14 minutes 46 seconds.
The second place was taken by another KamAZ-master pilot Anton Shibalov, 3 minutes 35 seconds behind.
The top three was closed by another representative of the Russian team Dmitry Sotnikov (+5: 35).
Sotnikov's crew leads the overall standings.
The next stage will take place on January 6 in Riyadh.
Earlier it was reported that Alexander Maksimov was deprived of victory at the fourth stage of the Dakar in the ATV category.