Nissan Qashqai - Reliability and safety
Standard safety kit is excellent, and it's helped the Nissan Qashqai achieve a five-star Euro NCAP rating
The Nissan Qashqai finished in a rather disappointing 42nd place out of 50 cars in the 2024 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. While that is ahead of the Volkswagen Tiguan (45th), it is behind the Ford Kuga (37th), Skoda Karoq (19th), and Kia Sportage (11th).
There’s more positive news for the Nissan brand, which moved up the rankings from 19th position (out of 32 car brands) in our 2023 Driver Power manufacturer ratings, to 15th place out of 32 manufacturers in the 2024 survey. The brand did well for child-friendly features, but was criticised for overall quality and road handling.
Family buyers, in particular, will be impressed by the Qashqai's five-star safety rating from industry body Euro NCAP in 2021. Both adult and child occupant safety are rated at 91 per cent, with Safety Assist systems scoring an outstanding 95 per cent.
The standard kit is comprehensive, with Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility tech including a blind spot warning to alert you to cars approaching beside you on the motorway, a rear cross traffic system to alert to cars crossing from behind when reversing, traffic sign recognition to let you know of the speed limit, an automatic emergency braking system with pedestrian and cyclist recognition to prevent collisions with vulnerable road users, a forward collision warning to alert you if it thinks you’re about to collide with something, Intelligent cruise control to keep you a safe distance from the car in front, and a high beam assist function to automatically put the main beam on when there’s no oncoming traffic to dazzle.
Many drivers will be disappointed to learn that, to meet EU rules and appease the Euro NCAP crash testing body, safety assist features like the speed limit and lane departure warning systems now reactivate every time you start the Qashqai. Nissan has addressed this by adding a new Driver Assist Custom Mode that lets you choose your preferred settings for these aids and activate them at the touch of one button on the steering wheel.
| Key standard safety features | Euro NCAP safety ratings |
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Warranty
Nissan offers a standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty for the Qashqai, although if you pay an extra £340 you can extend your Qashqai's warranty for an additional 12 months, but the 60,000-mile limit still applies. You also get three years of free roadside assistance with the Qashqai.
Servicing
Service intervals for petrol versions of the Qashqai are annually or every 18,000 miles, whichever comes first, while fixed-price service plans are available from your local Nissan dealer.
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The hybrid e-Power requires more regular maintenance, needing a service every 9,000 miles or annually, whichever comes first.
What do owners think?
Here’s what owners thought of the Nissan Qashqai in the 2024 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey.
| What they like | What they don't like |
| “The high driving position gives a great view of the road ahead, plus the cabin is spacious and very comfy.” | “I dislike having to agree to terms and conditions every time I start the infotainment system. It’s really annoying.” |
| “I’m really impressed by how smoothly it accelerates, and how quiet and refined it is at high cruising speeds.” | “The old Qashqai had boot dividers and a tray between the front seats. Nissan has ditched them, which is poor.” |
| “One reason for buying was that you don’t control the heating via a touchscreen. It’s much safer by buttons.” | “The USB ports inside the central storage box should be on the console. The start button is badly sited too.” |
| “My phone connects well through Android Auto and has all of the features that I’d expect from such a car.” | “The controls for the audio and heating aren’t as user-friendly as they should be. Connectivity is an issue too.” |
| “This is my third Qashqai and the looks, along with the quality inside and out, have improved with each model.” | “Acceleration is okay, but it should be better. A stronger electric motor would make all the difference.” |
| “All three driving modes are good, but in Normal or Sport the acceleration is exceptional for a heavy car.” | |
| “Despite being quite big, my Qashqai feels very light and easy to drive. The ride quality is also well judged, because there isn’t much roll in corners, yet the Qashqai isn’t crashy on the UK’s poorly surfaced roads.” | |
| “The driving position is very good, and while the front seats are extremely comfortable, they could be improved by fitting an infinite recline- adjustment mechanism. Refinement is impressive too, even at speed.” | |
| “There’s plenty of space in the front and rear seats, while the boot has more than enough space for anything that I could want to carry, especially once the seats are down. I just wish there was a well in the boot floor, for me to carry a full-size spare wheel.” |
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