Nissan Qashqai Review: Price, Interior and Reliability

This Nissan Qashqai review finds an easy family car that is comfortable and straightforward, although keen drivers may find more enjoyment elsewhere. The Qashqai is quiet, simple to place on the road and sensibly sized for British streets. The latest e-Power version is the one that gives the car a real advantage, with quicker response and much better official fuel economy than the mild hybrid.

Still, the trade-offs are easy to spot. A Sportage or Tiguan carries more luggage, and the mild-hybrid automatic can pause when you ask it to move. Used cars also need a careful once-over. I rate the current Qashqai at 8.2/10. It works well every day, even though some rivals do particular jobs better. To see if this vehicle is a good purchase, read this guide completely. 

Key Takeaways 

• Verdict: It feels relaxed, quiet and uncomplicated. It is better at daily life than it is at entertaining the driver.

• Price: New UK prices start at £30,635 for Acenta Premium. Move up the range or choose e-Power and the figure can reach about £43,225.

• Boot: There is room for up to 504 litres with the rear seats in use and 1,447 litres after folding them. The Sportage and Tiguan both carry more.

• Reliability headline: Of 683,919 Qashqai MOT records reviewed, 20.0% were failures. Similar-age cars averaged 17.5%. Those numbers help, but they cannot expose every engine, transmission or software fault.

• Fuel economy: Nissan rates the latest e-Power at 62.8 to 65.7 mpg, but Auto Express recorded 52.5 mpg in independent testing. The mild hybrid returns 44.1 to 45.6 mpg officially. 

• Fault warning: An older Qashqai deserves a close look at its suspension, steering, brakes and lights. With an early 1.2 DIG-T petrol, also look for excess oil use and a noisy timing chain.

Overview: Comfort-Focused Family SUV 

• Comfortable and easy to drive

• Best on 17-inch or 18-inch wheels

• e-Power is the strongest engine choice

• Built for comfort, not sporty driving

Within Nissan’s range, the five-seat Qashqai sits between the Juke and X-Trail. It measures 4,425 mm long, 1,835 mm wide and 1,625 mm tall, with a 2,665 mm wheelbase. It remains manageable on town roads, while four adults can travel comfortably. 

That character appears as soon as the road turns. The steering puts the car where you point it, but gives little feedback. Body movement is controlled, yet the Qashqai never asks to be driven hard. A Ford Kuga or Mazda CX-5 feels more energetic. The Nissan is quieter, easier and more settled on the motorway.

Off-road travel shows why the wheel choice matters. The Qashqai is calmer on 17-inch or 18-inch wheels than on the largest rims. Tekna+ has a more advanced rear suspension, but its 20-inch wheels still let extra tyre noise and low-speed fidget reach the cabin. A mid-range version suits the car better.

Is the Nissan Qashqai Automatic Any Good?

The 1.3-litre mild hybrid comes in 140PS and 158PS versions. The 140PS model uses a six-speed manual, while the 158PS version is available with a manual or Xtronic automatic. Neither feels especially eager at low revs. The Nissan Qashqai automatic transmission is easier in traffic, although the Xtronic can hesitate when moving away from a junction. The e-Power is much better. The e-Power layout works differently: the petrol engine produces electricity, then an electric motor sends power to the front wheels. It reacts more cleanly than the mild hybrid, and there is still no plug to find.

Expert Tip: Choose smaller wheels if ride comfort matters. Tyres for them usually cost less as well, a useful saving on a family SUV.

Is the Nissan Qashqai Worth Buying?

• Suitable for families and daily driving

• e-Power N-Connecta offers the best overall value

• Mild hybrid suits lower-mileage buyers

• Limited boot space and shorter warranty than some rivals

Yes. For a family, commuter or first-time SUV owner, the Qashqai feels easy to drive from the start, and it does not take long to get comfortable with it. It does not demand a change in driving habits. The mild hybrid uses petrol in the normal way, while e-Power fills up at a fuel station and charges its own small drive battery.

Which Nissan Qashqai Hybrid Is Best? 

The e-Power N-Connecta is where the range comes together. It loses the entry car’s plainness, adds parking aids and cabin features you will actually use, and stops short of top-trim money. Sport mode raises output to 205 PS and gives a 7.6-second 0 to 62 mph run. In Standard or Eco, 190 PS is enough for motorway slip roads and ordinary overtakes.

The mild hybrid remains the cheaper choice. Buy it if your yearly mileage is low or the extra cost of e-Power would take too long to recover through fuel savings. Pick the manual if you are comfortable changing gear. The automatic is convenient, though its pause at a busy roundabout can test your patience.

Buy something else if you need class-leading boot space, a plug-in hybrid or unusually long warranty cover. Kia gives the Sportage seven years or 100,000 miles. Nissan’s standard warranty is three years or 60,000 miles, while the e-Power motor, lithium-ion battery and other electrified parts receive five years or 60,000 miles.

What Is the Nissan Qashqai Price in the UK? 

• Starts at £30,635 in the UK

• e-Power starts at £34,875

• N-Connecta offers the best value

• Tekna+ is expensive for what it offers

The current Nissan Qashqai price starts at £30,635 in the UK. That is the Acenta Premium mild hybrid with a manual gearbox, before paint and options begin adding to the bill. An e-Power starts at £34,875, while the range climbs to roughly £43,225.

The figures below are each trim’s starting point, using Nissan’s lowest-priced mild-hybrid version. Change the engine, gearbox, colour or options and the total changes too.

Check the latest prices, trims and specifications on the official Nissan Qashqai page, as available models and pricing may change.

Nissan’s current consumer pages and online stock listings support these starting figures, though available engines and stock can change.

Acenta Premium is not badly equipped, but N-Connecta is the more complete family car. N-Design spends much of its extra cost on appearance. Tekna is a better use of similar money if the glass roof, powered tailgate and driver-assistance features matter to you.

Tekna+ is difficult to recommend at full list price. Some versions exceed the £40,000 expensive-car supplement threshold. Depending on trim, BIK sits at around 26% for e-Power and 34% to 37% for mild hybrids. The Qashqai is also expected to retain around 47% to 50% of its value after three years or 36,000 miles.

Expert Tip: Judge the full list price, not only the monthly payment. Choose paint, packs or a higher grade carelessly, and the car can slip into a dearer tax band.

What Is the Nissan Qashqai Interior Like? 

• Practical, well-built and easy-to-use cabin

• Comfortable seats with good visibility

• 12.3-inch touchscreen comes as standard

• Physical climate controls are simple to use

The Nissan Qashqai interior feels sturdier and easier to understand than the old cabin. The controls fall naturally to hand, the seat and wheel offer useful adjustment, and proper buttons remain for the heater and ventilation.

A 12.3-inch central display is standard on current UK cars. Higher trims add Google built-in, including Google Maps and access to supported apps. The system is quick to use within Google’s own services, though some Nissan menus take longer to learn. The digital instrument display can also look busy until you remove the information you do not use.

Material quality is good in the places you touch often. The upper dashboard and door tops feel soft, and facelifted cars use richer trim across the dashboard. Lower areas still use hard plastic, but most panels feel made to handle family use. That matters more than a shiny surface that scratches after six months.

Up front, the wide cushions and upright driving position make long spells easier, and the view out is good. Very tall drivers may wish the wheel came a little closer, so sit in the car properly before ordering. Tekna+ brings quilted trim and a massage function, but the standard seats already do the important job well.

The simple climate controls deserve praise. A driver can change the temperature or fan speed without hunting through a screen. That sounds like a small point until rain starts, the windscreen fogs and you need the right button at once.

Nissan Qashqai Boot Space and Practicality

• Enough space for a four-person family

• 504-litre boot capacity

• Rivals offer more passenger and luggage space

• Compact size makes town driving and parking easier

There is enough room for a four-person family, although the Qashqai is not among the class’s largest cabins. Adults are comfortable in the two outer rear seats. The narrow middle place is better for a child or a brief trip, and doors opening to about 85 degrees make child-seat fitting easier.

Nissan Qashqai boot space reaches 504 litres without the luggage boards and 1,447 litres after folding the rear seats. Versions fitted with the flexible boot-floor system have less space, and a high-end audio system can reduce it further. The floor is wide, and the load capacity is manageable, but there are no handy boot levers for dropping the rear seats.

The rivals are plainly roomier. A Kia Sportage offers roughly 587 litres, depending on the powertrain. Move the petrol or diesel Tiguan’s sliding rear bench forward, and it can take up to 652 litres. Its plug-in hybrid manages about 490 litres, a useful reminder that boot figures only mean something when the engine and measuring method match.

The Nissan feels comfortable with shopping, school bags and a folded pushchair. Pack a large stroller, travel cot and several hard suitcases, though, and the missing capacity becomes obvious. Braked towing capacity ranges from 770kg for e-Power to around 1,800kg for selected petrol versions, so caravan buyers should check the exact model. 

The Qashqai’s smaller body pays you back in town. It is shorter than the Tiguan, easy to judge from the driver’s seat and available with excellent camera coverage on middle and high trims. That trade makes sense for buyers who park on the street more often than they carry a boot full of holiday luggage.

Expert Tip: Take your own pushchair or largest suitcase to the viewing. A litre figure cannot show whether the shape of the boot works for your gear.

Nissan Qashqai Review: Is It Reliable? 

• Reliability is average overall

• Newer models perform better

• Suspension and steering are common problem areas

• Full service and MOT history matter most

The honest answer is that Nissan Qashqai reliability is mixed, and the model year matters. Newer examples generally perform better in reliability data, particularly cars registered from 2021 onwards. Their lower mileage and younger age explain some of the difference.

DVSA’s anonymized MOT data records the make, model, mileage, result and reason for failure. One independent study covered 683,919 Qashqai tests from 2023. It found a 20.0% failure rate, against 17.5% for cars of a similar age. Suspension and steering produced the clearest group of recorded issues, followed by corrosion or structure faults and lighting or electrical defects.

Another DVSA-based study found first-test pass rates of 91.6% for 2021 cars, 91.7% for 2020 models and 89.9% for those from 2019. Predictably, the figures fall as age and mileage build. Among 2011 cars tested in 2025, average mileage had passed 107,000, and only 47.2% cleared the MOT first time. That reflects years of wear and heavy use, not a fault shared by every 2011 Qashqai.

An MOT is good at finding worn tyres, tired brakes, loose suspension parts, dead lamps, emissions faults and structural damage. It may miss a screen that fails now and then, a hesitant gearbox, increasing oil use or a warning lamp cleared before inspection.

The current model has Nissan’s three-year or 60,000-mile warranty. Euro NCAP reassessed the Qashqai in 2025 and awarded it four stars, with 78% for adult protection, 85% for child protection, 65% for vulnerable road users and 62% for safety assistance. 

The 2026 Driver Power survey placed the Qashqai 29th out of 50 cars, while Nissan ranked 12th out of 30 brands. I would still rather buy a modest version with annual servicing, matching tyres and clean records than a high-spec car with gaps in its history.

What Are the Most Common Nissan Qashqai Problems?

Start by checking the generation. That search phrase spans nearly 20 years of Qashqais, so the weak points change from one generation to the next.

• Suspension and steering wear: DVSA-based MOT records show this as the model’s clearest trouble spot. On an older car, drive over rough tarmac with the radio off, look for uneven tyre wear and check previous advisories for bushes, springs, ball joints or play in the steering.

• Brakes, lights and age-related corrosion: Older cars commonly pick up advisories for worn discs, failed bulbs, a rusty exhaust or corrosion underneath. None is unusual on an aging family car, but several repeated advisories suggest delayed maintenance.

• 1.2 DIG-T oil use and timing-chain noise: This is the major engine warning on second-generation cars from the earlier part of the 2014 to 2021 run. Reports cover high oil consumption and rattling timing chains. Check the oil level before starting the engine, listen for cold, and avoid any car with poor service records or an unexplained engine warning light.

• CVT automatic behaviour: Give an older CVT car a proper, lengthy drive. It should move off cleanly, without shuddering, flaring revs or a long delay when selecting drive or reverse. Proof of correct servicing matters.

• Diesel DPF trouble: A diesel used mainly for short trips may struggle to complete diesel particulate filter regeneration. Warning lights, repeated forced regenerations and a rising oil level need investigation. Petrol or e-Power is usually the better fit for mostly urban use.

• Battery and electrical faults: Earlier second-generation cars have a history of battery complaints. Parking sensors, stop-start, cameras, mirror indicators and air conditioning should all be tested rather than assumed to work.

The latest third-generation car has fewer age-related MOT results, so any claim that it is proven for very high mileage would be premature. Owner reports mention software and electrical annoyances, but there is no single failure pattern strong enough to condemn the full generation. Check the VIN through Nissan’s recall system and insist that every warning light goes out after startup.

Expert Tip: Start a used 1.2 DIG-T from cold. If the seller has already warmed it up, arrange another cold start because that is when the troublesome rattle is easiest to catch.

What Is the Nissan Qashqai Called in Other Markets?

• Called Rogue Sport in the US

• Known as Dualis in Japan and early Australian models

• Australia and Canada later used the Qashqai name

The badge depends on the country and the age of the car.

The second-generation Qashqai was sold in the US as the Nissan Rogue Sport, which was discontinued after the 2022 model year. The current-generation Qashqai is not sold there. It sat below the regular Rogue in size, and Nissan dropped it after the 2022 model year. The current UK Qashqai is not sold in the US under that former name.

In Japan, Nissan used the Dualis name for the first generation. In Japan, the first-generation J10 was sold as the Nissan Dualis from 2007 to 2013. The present Qashqai is not part of Nissan’s normal new-car line-up there.

Australia received the first-generation model as the Dualis in 2007, while later generations used the Qashqai name, which the current Australian car still uses.

In Canada, the same second-generation model was sold as the Qashqai rather than the Rogue Sport. It has since been discontinued. Remember that difference when looking for parts, service information, or records for an imported car.

How Does the Nissan Qashqai Compare to Rivals?

Of the three, the Qashqai is the easiest to live with. The Sportage gives you more room and longer warranty cover, while the Tiguan has the largest boot and the richer-looking cabin.

The current prices, boot figures, powertrain choices and warranty terms come from the manufacturers’ UK information.

The Qashqai wins for drivers who want a manageable body and a convincing non-plug-in hybrid. The new e-Power is smoother and quicker to respond than the Nissan mild hybrid, and its official 62.8 to 65.7 mpg figure is excellent for this class. It also avoids charging cables.

The Sportage is the stronger family-value choice. Its boot is larger, its rear cabin feels more open, and Kia’s seven-year warranty is difficult to ignore. It also offers a plug-in hybrid and four-wheel-drive choices on selected versions. The Nissan is easier to place in town, and its e-Power system feels more like an electric car when pulling away.

The Tiguan is the space winner. It has a sliding rear bench, a larger standard boot and a broad range of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines. It also feels more expensive inside. The price gap is large, though, and the plug-in hybrid loses much of the boot advantage because its battery reduces cargo space.

Clear Winner: Nissan Qashqai e-Power for a typical mixed-use buyer. The Sportage is better for maximum family value, and the Tiguan is better for cargo room, but the Qashqai gives the best balance of size, comfort, response and fuel use.

Nissan Qashqai Review: Best Alternatives in the UK

The Nissan Qashqai is a strong family SUV, but some rivals may suit different buyers better.

Choose the Kia Sportage for value and warranty, the Volkswagen Tiguan for a more premium cabin, or the Hyundai Tucson for family space. The Ford Kuga offers flexible seating and hybrid options, while the five-seat Chery TIGGO 7 is a value-focused alternative with generous equipment. The Skoda Karoq and Dacia Bigster are also worth considering for practicality and value. 

Overall, the Qashqai remains one of the most balanced options for UK buyers.

Who Should Buy the Nissan Qashqai?

The Nissan Qashqai suits buyers who want an SUV to make daily travel easier rather than more exciting. It is especially strong for school runs, commuting, town parking and regular motorway travel. The cabin is simple to operate, the ride is calm on sensible wheels, and e-Power removes the slow response that weakens the mild-hybrid automatic. 

Good For

• First-time SUV buyers who do not want a large vehicle

• Families with one or two children

• Drivers who value quiet cruising and an upright seating position

• Urban buyers who want hybrid efficiency without charging

• Older drivers who prefer physical climate controls

• Used buyers who can find a well-serviced 1.3 DIG-T or newer e-Power

Consider a Rival If

• You need the largest possible boot, in which case the Tiguan is better

• You want a seven-year warranty, which points to the Sportage

• You need a plug-in hybrid or full electric SUV

• You want sharp steering and more fun on a winding road

• You regularly tow a heavy caravan, especially if considering e-Power

• You are looking at an early 1.2 DIG-T without complete service records

The final verdict in this Nissan Qashqai review is positive. Buy the e-Power N-Connecta for the best mix of equipment, comfort and economy. Choose the mild hybrid only when its lower purchase price matters more than performance and fuel use. The Qashqai is not the biggest, sportiest or most luxurious SUV here. It succeeds because it asks very little from its driver and handles ordinary family life well.

Explore Similar Japanese SUVs with SAT Japan

SAT Japan offers a wide selection of used Nissan vehicles and practical crossovers sourced from Japan. While the exact Qashqai model may not always be available, buyers can compare similar SUVs by year, mileage, specification, and condition. You can also read our how to buy guide to understand the purchasing and import process in the UK before choosing a vehicle.