Abstract Systematic nonlinear transport and broadband noise measurements are performed on single nanoribbon devices of the charge density wave (CDW) conductor NbSe₃ over a wide range of excitation levels and temperatures. The nonlinear voltage–current characteristics elucidate the depinning process of the two CDWs and the temperature dependence of their threshold electric fields. Within the temperature and electric field range where the CDW is anticipated to be entirely pinned by residual impurities, a non-monotonic behavior in the noise magnitude versus electric field is observed. This phenomenon is attributed to the proliferation of thermally activated phase slip events, enhanced by the size effect in nanodevices. The idea is corroborated by the observation of a smeared activated behavior described by the Dutta–Horn relation. Certain aspects of the temperature dependence of the noise magnitude deviate from a simple activated behavior, suggesting a multifaceted origin of the resistance fluctuations in CDW systems at the nanometer scale. These findings provide valuable insights into the dynamics of CDW in nanodevices.