Used Nissan Qashqai (2013-2021) Review

Hundreds of thousands of family car buyers can’t be wrong. A used Nissan Qashqai is a perfect family-focused all-rounder that will grow with the kids and remain useful for a long while until they outgrow it. Inside it is practical, the boot isn’t a bad size, and it feels a cut above a regular family hatchback. You get a sense of justified bragging rights over the neighbours.

It’s an affordable car to buy, too. The fact so many were sold to new car buyers means there’s a great deal of choice out there when looking for a used Nissan Qashqai – you can afford to wait until the right colour, trim or engine comes along, because it won’t be long before it does.

The Qashqai is also safe, reliable, well-equipped and good to drive, with ride and handling that won’t offend. You don’t even need to spend more on range-topping engines, as the regular ones will do just fine.

The 1.5-litre dCi is a safe bet for used Nissan Qashqai buyers, as it’s good on diesel and has a fair amount of pulling power in reserve. It’s by no means quick, but will rarely feel underwhelming, even on longer trips. The 1.6-litre has more go, but not that much more, and it’s less economical.

The 1.2-litre DIG-T is a decent engine, but you might prefer the later 1.3-litre DIG-T if you really want a petrol engine and can afford it. The 1.6-litre engines are OK, particularly those paired with an automatic transmission, but they’re somehow just a bit disappointing given the lift in power offered.

The smartly-styled Qashqai looks good even in base-spec guise, and it won’t be obvious that you’re driving the cheapest model. The extra features of higher-spec trims are novel, though, particularly Acenta and N-tec versions.

The Nissan Qashqai started a trend and, by the time this model arrived in 2013, there were no end of alternatives. Popular models include the Ford Kuga, Volkswagen Tiguan, Peugeot 3008, Renault Kadjar, Citroen C5 Aircross, Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, plus newer upstarts such as the SEAT Ateca and Skoda Karoq.

The Kia Sportage is another car that sometimes challenges the Qashqai for sales, and is more popular car than its in-house sister car, the Hyundai ix35 (later replaced by the Hyundai Tucson).

There was even an in-house rival for those who needed a more rugged SUV with seven seats: the Nissan X-Trail.

The Qashqai is a well-built car with a good quality finish inside. The sweeping dashboard top is soft-touch and the rest of the plastics, while not exactly yielding, are low-sheen and look well finished. Nissan displays good attention to detail in the design of areas such as the air vents and trim inlays, which are precision-assembled and premium car-tight.

The well-lit instruments have a quality look and we like the tactile click of the climate control dials. What cheapens the interior is the dated infotainment system, which has a muddy display and diminutive size. It’s odd, looking at the sophisticated, tech-packed steering wheel controls, and then glancing across to see something that seems a decade out of date.

Other touchpoints are pleasing. The door handles have a chunky feel and polished metal inlays, while the seat upholstery seems hard-wearing. We particularly like the stitched Nappa leather in range-topping models, which has interesting patterns and a luxurious appearance.

Choose a lower-grade Qashqai and you don’t get any form of infotainment touchscreen, simply a regular radio with big, chunky buttons. On pre-facelift cars, infotainment came on Acenta Premium and Tekna versions. The NissanConnect infotainment system had a standard rear-view camera, plus DAB radio and sat-nav.

It’s a rather confusing system to use, with laggy responses and blocky graphics. By today’s standards, it certainly doesn’t feel modern.

Infotainment was improved somewhat with the 2017 facelift. The display interface was better looking and less confusing, and Nissan updated the entire system to make it snappier to use. Sat-nav directions were called up much more quickly than before, but the rather low-resolution display screen sadly remained.

Want Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connectivity? Be sure to get a 2019-on model: it wasn’t available before then.

It’s in terms of space and practicality that the Nissan Qashqai really appeals to family car buyers. It offers a useful step up over a regular family hatchback, which is why so many are swapping into SUVs.

Right away, it feels good behind the wheel. Nissan provided a raised-up SUV driving position when developing the Qashqai, and further enhanced it here with a flat dashboard top, fairly low shoulders and a deep windscreen. It definitely feels a cut above a hatchback, and is further enhanced with a feelgood driving position that includes a high centre console and closely-positioned gear lever. It feels really safe and secure, which is why front-seat occupants love it.

It’s easy to get into the rear, and the back seat is also more comfortable than a normal hatch. The windows are big and there’s decent headroom (particularly if you avoid the panoramic glass roof). Where the Qashqai falls off the pace of newer rivals is in terms of rear legroom, which doesn’t seem as impressive as it once did. If you compare it to, say, a Kia Sportage, the extra rear space of its rival is obvious.

The boot is practical, but stats show it isn’t as good as its competitors here, either. The standard space of 430 litres is bigger than something like a Volkswagen Golf, but some way shy of, yes, the Kia Sportage. The opening is, however, wide and well-shaped, with a split load floor giving either extra space or a flat, slide-in surface. Cleverly, it’s two-sided: one side has soft carpeting, while the other has a tough, waterproof plastic covering. You can even use part of the boot floor to divide up the area, so loose items don’t slide around.

With the seats down, the boot extends to 1,585 litres, which is more competitive. Again, the flexibility of the space means it’s an ideal car for taking loads to the tip. Meanwhile, up front, there’s a good array of stowage slots and cubbies, and the use of an electronic parking brake instead of a traditional manual lever frees up space between the front seats.  

There are ISOFIX fittings for child car seats on the rear seats, but not on the front passenger seat. However, there is an airbag cut-off switch.

The Nissan Qashqai's dimensions are 4277mm long, 2070mm wide and 1590mm tall.

Most Qashqai buyers have gone for a diesel over the years. The 1.5-litre dCi is a strong engine. With 110PS, it doesn’t sound too great on paper, but it has a good amount of pulling power, so punches above its weight. It is very refined, particularly at lower speeds, and doesn’t mind being revved. We prefer it to the 1.6 dCi which, while quicker, doesn’t seem to deliver that much extra in everyday driving.

It’s only if you frequently drive at higher speeds over long distances that you notice the extra oomph offered by the 1.6 dCi. This version is available with an automatic CVT gearbox called Xtronic. The 1.6-litre dCi also offered an all-wheel-drive option for extra traction.

The earlier petrol alternative, the 1.2 DIG-T, is fine for everyday use around town. It’s refined and reasonably punchy, thanks to a responsive turbocharger. Again, though, if you cover longer distances, the extra power of the 1.6 DIG-T might be welcome – if not its extra thirst.

More recently, Nissan introduced a very impressive 1.3-litre DIG-T turbo petrol engine with either 140PS or 160PS. It is a genuine alternative to diesel in all regards, with decent pace, good refinement and reasonable fuel economy.

The regular manual gearbox is very light and smooth-shifting, and even the large, chunky gear lever is nice to hold. We much prefer it to the Xtronic alternative, which uses a CVT for the familiar ‘clutch-slipping’ effect that many find so very unusual.

The second-generation Qashqai is a much more refined car than its predecessor. Nissan put great effort into isolating all forms of noise, and it’s particularly good in terms of keeping road roar and suspension crash at bay – with the proviso that models with 19-inch wheels are less impressive in this regard.

Wind noise isn’t too excessive at speed, and the engines settle into the background nicely, particularly the 1.5 dCi and newer 1.3 DIG-T. Some higher-grade Qashqais made the most of this with a premium Bose sound system.

The fact most versions have automatic engine stop-start also helps keep in-town noise levels down when you’re stopped – as well as saving fuel.

Euro NCAP tested the Nissan Qashqai in 2014 and awarded it a full five-star crash safety score. Adult occupant protection was rated 88 percent, child occupant protection was 83 percent, with 69 percent for pedestrian protection and 79 percent for safety assist features.

The latter already impressed Euro NCAP, with a standard speed limiter and stability control, optional lane-keep assist and active emergency city braking. Although it wasn’t retested, the Qashqai’s safety credentials were further bolstered in 2019 when Nissan Propilot was made available. This is Nissan’s autonomous driving tech, and helps keep the car centred in its lane at speed, at a safe distance from the vehicle in front.

It’s not an autonomous drive system, but is an extensive driver assistance support tool, which is controlled by a blue button on the steering wheel. At an affordable £595, it’s well worth looking out for on used cars, as it makes long journeys less tiring.

Nissan fits front, side and curtain airbags, but misses out on knee airbags, and the seatbelt pretensioners only cover the front occupants. There are, however, seatbelt reminders for all five passengers. A space-saver spare wheel is another useful safety positive.

The Nissan Qashqai scored a fairly average 8.52 for reliability in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index.

Common issues include faulty CVT automatic gearboxes, while the manual transmission can often slip out of reverse gear (requiring a new gearbox to fix). Excessive oil consumption is also a regular issue on the 1.2 DIG-T engine, while a blocked DPF (diesel particulate filter) can occur if you don't cover enough miles in a Qashqai with a dCi unit.

Insurance groups for the Nissan Qashqai are a little higher than the family hatchback norm, so you might find costs higher as well. The 1.2 DIG-T petrol starts from group 13 (out of 50), with the 1.5-litre dCi jumping up to group 16. It’s worth noting that the 1.2’s replacement, the 1.3-litre DIG-T, actually starts from group 17, four groups higher than the older car. For that, blame the jump in power from 115PS to 140PS. 

The cheapest 1.6-litre dCi diesel begins in group 21 – although there is a (rare) special edition 1.6 dCi called Pilot One, which comes with the Propilot system as standard. The benefit? Its insurance rating falls from group 21 to group 19.

Another draw of the 1.5-litre dCi engine is that some versions offer sub-100g/km CO2 emissions, which gives free VED (road tax). The 1.6-litre dCi isn’t bad, though, with emissions of 116g/km placing it in the £30-a-year band. Choosing all-wheel drive will push it up to £165 a year – the same as the 1.2 DIG-T petrol. 

A 1.6 DIG-T costs £165 a year. The 1.3 DIG-T is more efficient and also meets the very latest exhaust emissions regulations, for those concerned about city-centre pollution.

The Qashqai range opens with the rather basic Visia grade, which you don’t really see on the second-hand market, because equipment is on the sparse side. It doesn’t even get alloy wheels, running instead on 16-inch steel rims with plastic trims. At least it has the distinctive LED running lights that help set apart this second-generation Qashqai, along with air-con, cruise control, a speed limiter, DAB and Bluetooth.

Nissan Qashqai Acenta grade is the favoured entry point. It has 17-inch alloy wheels, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, climate control, front fog lights, ambient interior lighting and folding door mirrors. 

Nissan Qashqai N-Connecta gets a clever high-beam assist gadget and traffic sign recognition system, sports seats, sat-nav, rear privacy glass and a 360-degree parking camera.

Nissan Qashqai Tekna has even larger 19-inch alloys, Bose premium audio, front heated seats and a blind-spot warning system, with Tekna+ adding luxuries such as Nappa leather, a panoramic glass roof, electric seats and gloss silver door mirror caps.