The Nissan Qashqai has reached its 20th birthday, and according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), it is the fourth-most popular car in the UK with 15,699 models sold in 2026. Only the Ford Puma, Kia Sportage, and Jaecoo 7 have outsold it.
Christopher Sharp spent a week behind the wheel of the latest model to see how it measures up.
Specifications and Price
The model tested was the N-Connecta e-Power 205 PS Automatic 2WD version of the Qashqai SUV. It features two-wheel drive, a hybrid system, five seats, a 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine, an automatic gearbox, and a generously sized boot. Tipping the scales at around two tonnes, the car offers a boot capacity of roughly 500 litres with the seats up and just under 1,500 litres with them folded flat. It spans two metres in width and stretches to nearly four and a half metres in length. As tested in magnetic blue, this particular spec came in at £38,825.
A Pioneer of the SUV Revolution
The Nissan Qashqai holds a special place in automotive history because it truly kickstarted the SUV revolution in Britain. While Porsche and BMW had already been turning heads with the Cayenne and X5 for several years, this was one of the first occasions that motorists without a hefty bank balance could get their hands on a decent quality SUV. The British public, along with much of the world where Nissan sold the car, fell head over heels for the Qashqai. These days, SUVs dominate Britain's roads, with manufacturers across all price ranges churning out models in every conceivable shape and size. There are even dedicated awards for best small, medium and large SUV. The Nissan played its part in all of that, and it all began back in 2006.
Interior and Technology
Much like many of its rivals, the Nissan's cabin finds itself at something of a turning point. Manufacturers are beginning to cotton on to the fact that not everybody wants to operate everything through a touchscreen. As a result, there's a satisfying collection of physical buttons on the steering wheel - no haptic touch pads in sight - meaning you rarely need to stretch over and tap the touchscreen. As you'd expect from a family SUV, there's no shortage of storage compartments and several USB-C charging points for your phones and gadgets. There is a wireless charging pad, though it's best avoided because, as with virtually every similar pad previously tested, it tends to overheat your phone rather uncomfortably. Stick to the USB-C instead. Once you've familiarised yourself with the controls and configured everything to your preference, it's fairly straightforward to operate and manage. While it doesn't quite match the very best, it's certainly amongst the better half of vehicles tested this year in terms of ease of use.
Driving Experience
As with many hybrids, it features regenerative braking. This is where lifting off the accelerator causes the car to brake while generating electricity that feeds back into the battery. Similar to the Toyota Prius, though to a lesser degree, you can adjust this to some extent. It can prove quite responsive, but this requires you as the driver to refine your technique, being more delicate when easing off the accelerator into a bend, sensing when the regeneration kicks in, then responding as you transition onto the brakes. This will benefit not only the car's poise, but also ensure a smoother journey for any passengers on board.
The vehicle, being an SUV, will never possess sportscar agility, but bearing that in mind it's well-balanced. Stacked against other models in the SMMT's top five best-selling cars, it holds its own rather well. It exhibits considerably less body roll than the Ford Puma, delivers more feedback than the Jaecoo 7, and its hybrid system feels more polished than the Kia Sportage. It won't rival an Audi for steering precision, but you receive sufficient feedback to navigate the car through a B road bend. You're never going to drive this aggressively, but the engine responds keenly, and the suspension is compliant; you never feel compelled to engage sport mode.
Verdict
It's a practical car with a spacious boot, ample headroom in the rear for passengers of all ages, and impressive efficiency to boot. It's easy to understand why Nissan has continued manufacturing it for two decades and intends to carry on until the SUV craze subsides. Christopher's Verdict: 7.5/10.
