Nissan Qashqai review

Nissan’s big-selling, mid-sized SUV. Of which some four million have found homes since the first one appeared in 2007. The Qashqai is a mainstay of the top 10 best-selling cars list every year, because it's affordable and people trust the badge. It's built in Britain too, remember.

This third generation arrived back in 2021, with a facelift in 2024 updating the grille, lights, bumpers and rear end, as well as adding more driver assistance and better connectivity.

You can have the Qashqai with one of two engines: either a 1.3-litre, 156bhp petrol mild hybrid paired with a six-speed manual gearbox or CVT auto, or the 1.5-litre, 187bhp e-Power, which is the most popular. All are front-wheel drive.

Space and practicality are both good – Qashqais have always been a very Goldilocks proposition for family transport in terms of exterior size vs usefulness – and it’s well-priced. In a world of expensive EVs, a true family SUV starting at just over £30k feels good value. The e-Power starts at £34,875, mind.

It is not, however, particularly inspiring to drive. Perfectly acceptable, but if you want to at least stay awake while driving, beware: the Qashqai is bland enough to sleepwalk through. It’s the glass of water of the automotive world; it’ll keep you alive, but it won’t tickle your tastebuds.

Will I be embarrassed if I'm seen in it?

Heavens no. Okay, so it's not going to win a Turner Prize any time soon, but the Qashqai is a confidently styled thing that's entirely modern without getting ideas above its station. Unlike most of the cheap competitors flocking here from China it looks like it belongs here, although insurgents like the (eminently terrible) Jaecoo 5 are starting to fight back by taking a leaf out of the Range Rover's book...

We digress. The Qashqai has a fairly amorphous profile, but the expanded grille – plated in scales that are inspired by Samurai armour, don’tcha know –  gives it a certain presence. Wheel sizes stretch from 17 to 20 inches depending on spec.

Generally it’s as per the Qashqai of old: inoffensive, if a tad forgettable.

Any good inside?

Climb high enough through the trim levels and you can have an Alcantara dash wrap (Alcantara in a Qashqai!?), and there’s now a 360-degree camera for kerb-free parking. Google is included in the Nissan Connected system – one of those things that makes it easier to get by without your phone connected – plus a host of advanced driver assistance systems. 

We're not sure the ‘transparent bonnet’ feature (where the cameras give you a projected direct line of sight to the front wheels) was entirely necessary though. This is a family SUV, not a Jeep Wrangler.

What if I don't want a Qashqai?

Then you're absolutely spoiled for choice, with a bunch of other decent (but similarly uninspiring) mid-size SUVs to contemplate: take your pick from the Skoda Karoq, Kia Sportage, Volkswagen Tiguan, Toyota RAV4, Peugeot 3008, MG HS, Vauxhall Grandland and others. If driving smarts matter to you, a Ford Kuga is similar money and handles pretty well.

Newcomers from China include the BYD Sealion 5, Chery Tiggo 7 and Geely Starray, but your budget would need to be pretty tight to justify going there.

The new Qashqai is… fine. It’s practical and useful, just about comfortable enough over short distances and it's exceedingly simple to drive. And given the size and available equipment it feels like decent value, which is rare these days.

If all of that sounds damning with faint praise, it really isn’t meant to. The Qashqai is an absolutely solid bet, especially if you don't give a monkeys about how well it drives.

Alas, that's where it falls short: it's not a car you ever feel at one with, and over longer drives the suspension isn't supple enough to stop the barrage of ruts and potholes getting on your nerves.

The e-Power hybrid is impressively smooth and likely good for 50mpg+... if you can afford it. Overall it’s a decent car, just not an exciting one.