Nissan Qashqai e-POWER Review & Prices

This is the Nissan Qashqai e-Power, the hybrid version of the popular family SUV. It’s an option to consider alongside the likes of the Kia Sportage and Ford Kuga, and it's good enough to have been Highly Commended in the Family Values category of the 2024 Carwow Awards.

You can think of the Nissan Qashqai e-Power like a suspension bridge, connecting the gap between petrol power and going fully electric. That’s because it puts a twist on the traditional hybrid setup, but more on that in a bit.

From looks alone, you’d never tell the e-Power was any different from any other Qashqai. Unless you’re keen-eyed and spot the badging down the side or at the rear, of course. It matches the regular car for looks, except for starting on slightly bigger alloy wheels.

It’s a similar story inside, too. That means a rather stylish-looking and neatly laid-out cabin, especially with range-topping Tekna+ models’ rather posh-feeling and comfy leather seats.

As standard, you’ll get an 8.0-inch infotainment system, though everything above the entry-level model gets a 12.3-inch screen. The software on both is fine, though it’s far from class-leading — thankfully Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included to rectify that.

Space in the rear row of the Qashqai isn’t fantastic for adults, but the kids shouldn’t have any complaints back there.

Hybrid batteries often eat into boot space, but the Qashqai e-Power gets the same 504-litre boot as the rest of the range (though you get a bit less in higher specifications because of the boot separator). That makes it bigger than a Ford Kuga but smaller than a Kia Sportage.

Unlike most hybrids, the engine is purely there to generate the electricity that powers an electric motor on the front axle of the car, meaning it drives like an electric car – quiet and smooth – most of the time.

Official tests have the Qashqai e-Power returning 53.3mpg. However, you’re more likely to see around 45mpg – a bit more if you drive in town a lot, a bit less on long motorway drives.

Not only do you get better economy in town, the Qashqai is in its favourite environment here too. It rides comfortably over lumps and bumps, and is easy to navigate through tight streets. The instant torque of the electric motor makes it a touch easier to pull out of junctions than the petrol versions, and it’s generally quieter, too.

The downside is that when you need more power, the petrol engine is called into play and groans quite a bit when accelerating up to motorway speeds, killing the pleasant refinement you enjoy at lower speeds.

As with the regular Nissan Qashqai, there’s a lot to like about the e-Power version. It looks good, feels nice inside and is a comfortable, economical companion around town. It does command a slight premium over the petrol-powered car, but with lower tax and a slightly more relaxing city driving experience, it’s a viable alternative.

Sound like your kind of car? Find out how much you could save by browsing carwow’s Nissan Qashqai e-Power deals. You can also look through used Qashqais as well as other used Nissan models. And when it’s time to sell your car, carwow can help you get a great price.

Although the e-Power engine is the most expensive option, regardless of which trim you choose, the difference isn’t huge.

If you’re trying to save cash you should go for the lower-powered petrol engine as it will be around £4,000 less expensive than the hybrid, but the e-Power becomes much more tempting when compared with the more powerful petrol option, particularly if you spend a lot of time driving in town, where it will see maximum fuel efficiency.

There are plenty of alternatives to the Qashqai to consider, but as this is the e-Power model let’s stick to those with hybrid engines. The Volkswagen Tiguan is smart and upmarket, and comes with a plug-in hybrid version which, if you can keep the batteries charged, should return much better fuel economy, as well as being cheaper to tax and to run as a company car. It costs a bit more than the Qashqai, though.

The Kia Sportage and Ford Kuga are both available with self-charging and plug-in hybrid versions. The prices are quite different, though, with the Kia being very similar to the Nissan and the Ford starting at the top end of the Qashqai’s price range.

The Honda CR-V is another option, but its starting price is already more than you would pay for a top-spec Qashqai.

Quiet and comfortable around town, but that hybrid engine is rather raucous when accelerating up to motorway speeds

In town

Because of the Qashqai’s SUV shape you sit fairly high, which gives you a good view of the road ahead. The view out of the back isn’t bad, but the way the rear window swoops up towards the roof means the view over your shoulder is somewhat compromised.

Fortunately, you get rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera as standard, which makes manoeuvres less stressful, while stepping up to N-Connecta adds a 360-degree view. Go for the Tekna model and you get ProPilot Park, which allows the car to park itself. Handy.

Light steering means it’s little effort to navigate tight streets, while the electric motor is really responsive, so you can nip quickly in and out of junctions.

It’s here that the e-Power system makes the most sense, as you spend a lot of time driving without the petrol engine being called upon, making it as quiet as a typical electric car most of the time, and much more efficient than a petrol or diesel.

Refinement is helped by the fact it’s comfortable over lumps and bumps, too, even if you go for top-spec cars with 20-inch alloy wheels.

On the motorway

The e-Power model is the most powerful Qashqai of all, so you have nothing to worry about in terms of getting up to speed on a slip road or pulling off overtakes.

It is worth noting that while the initial response is quite perky, the hybrid engine doesn’t feel particularly quick to 70mph. And with the petrol engine working overtime to keep the electric motor’s battery topped up, acceleration is accompanied by quite the racket.

Once you’re up to speed though, it’s back to being quiet and refined. There’s a bit of tyre noise but nothing too obtrusive, and the suspension smooths out all but the biggest bumps in the road.

Intelligent cruise control is standard on all models, meaning the car will maintain its speed and distance to the car in front, taking the strain out of long motorway drives. ProPilot is included from the Tekna grade and above, which automatically keeps the car centred in its lane, as well as other features such as automatically slowing for corners and roundabouts ahead, or initiating an emergency stop.

On a twisty road

With all this talk of comfort, it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that the Qashqai isn’t the most exhilarating thing to drive down a twisty road. It doesn’t lean too much, but the light steering doesn’t offer much feedback from the tyres, which doesn’t give you much confidence that they will grip the road surface. Acceleration out of corners is acceptable, but again, the engine noise isn’t exactly pleasurable when you put your foot down.

If you want something that will put a smile on your face in the bends, the Ford Kuga is worth a look, while the Mazda CX-5 is great to drive if you don’t need a hybrid.

The interior is spacious with some practical touches, but it’s annoying that boot capacity drops as you go up the range

The Nissan Qashqai actually feels quite big from the driver’s seat, with plenty of space for those in the front. Good adjustability in the steering wheel and seats means even the tallest drivers won’t be pushed for space.

There’s a pair of large cupholders between the front passengers, and the door bins are big enough to take a chunky water bottle. Look ahead of the gear level and you’ll find USB-A and -C slots, as well as a 12V point, so whatever needs charging you should be well covered.

You will also find a useful bin beneath the arm rest to keep valuables well hidden, as well as a glovebox that could be a bit bigger.

Space in the back seats

There’s plenty of room in the back for two adults, with loads of legroom and generous headroom, even if you go for the optional glass roof. The middle seat is slightly less comfortable, and is probably better reserved for children, particularly because it’s raised so headroom is impacted.

Fold down the central armrest and there are a couple more cupholders, while the door bins aren’t as big as those in the front, but they will take a regular fizzy drinks bottle. N-Connecta models and above have a USB-A and -C slot in the rear, too.

If you want to fit a child seat the rear doors open really wide so the back seats are easy to access. The ISOFIX points sit beneath a small latch, and the bonus of good legroom means there’s decent space for a child seat without having to push those in the front forward.

Boot space

Though the inclusion of hybrid tech often cuts into the boot spaces of some cars, that’s not the case with the Nissan Qashqai e-Power, which offers 504 litres on the standard model.

However, what’s annoying is that you lose some space as you go up each trim level to accommodate some of the extra kit, such as luggage boards that allow you to create various different boot configurations. By the time you get to the top-spec Tekna+ model you’re down to 455 litres. (This affects non-hybrid Qashqais too, for what it’s worth.)

Either way, that’s comfortably ahead of the hybrid Ford Kuga’s 412 litres, though lagging some way behind the Kia Sportage plug-in hybrid’s 587 litres.

The rear seats fold in a 60:40 split to reveal between 1,440 litres and 1,379 litres, depending on which trim you go for. The gap to the Sportage is even bigger here, though, with that model having 1,715 litres on offer.

The space itself is pretty useful, with N-Connecta models and up getting a configurable boot floor (contributing to the reduction in capacity), while all versions have tethering points and a 12v socket.

The Qashqai’s interior is smart and well-made, but the infotainment system isn’t particularly slick

Step inside the Nissan Qashqai and you might just be pleasantly surprised. The latest model has a lovely cabin that looks and feels more upmarket than you might expect of a car that’s meant to be an affordable family motor – particularly in higher-specification trims.

The Peugeot 3008 might be nicer still, not just because the materials feel posher, but also because the Qashqai’s cabin design is more functional than flashy. However, if you want a real step up on the Nissan’s quality you’d have to start looking at pricier premium options such as the BMW X1.

Unfortunately the same can’t quite be said for the infotainment system. The e-Power model isn’t available in the Qashqai’s base trim, which – shock horror for 2023 – doesn’t even have an infotainment system. So hybrid models start with an 8.0-inch touchscreen in the Acenta spec, and upgrade to a twin 12.3-inch infotainment and driver display setup from N-Connecta.

It’s fine, but it’s far from one of the best in the business. It’s quick enough to respond to inputs that it won’t get on your nerves, but some of the graphics and menu designs are borderline retro at this point.

Fortunately, all models have wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which goes a long way to removing any infotainment complaints you might have. And from N-Connecta up, CarPlay is wireless. (Seems a bit stingy not to have that as standard if it’s available, though.)

Budget allowing, Tekna is a great trim to go for because it has some choice extras thrown in, namely a head-up display and excellent Bose sound system. The glass roof pack is also standard, making the interior feel more light and airy.

Nissan is going against the grain with its e-Power engine. Typically, hybrids will have a petrol engine that powers the wheels, with an electric motor working in tandem. This means that the engine runs at higher, consistent speeds when it’s most efficient, while the electric motors take over in town to save fuel.

However, the Qashqai only ever runs off the electric motor. The 1.5-litre petrol engine is purely there to generate electricity that either tops up the battery or runs the motor, depending on the scenario. The total power output is 190hp, which is decent enough for a family SUV but nothing to get excited about.

Although the advantage of smooth city driving is immediately apparent, the fuel economy benefits aren’t. During our time with the car, in mixed driving scenarios, we saw about 46mpg, which isn’t a huge distance from the official 53.3mpg figure. That’s similar to a Kia Sportage and Ford Kuga hybrid, but not a massive leap over petrol Qashqais.

There’s more to it, though. This hybrid system is really good at conserving battery capacity, so when you’re driving at lower speeds you will spend most of your time not having to call on the petrol engine at all – as a result we saw around 60mpg in this kind of scenario. The flip side is that long motorway drives, which need the petrol engine more, saw more like 40mpg.

Another positive, though, is that the CO2 emissions of 119g/km mean you will pay a bit less first-year road tax than non-hybrid models. Though not being a ‘proper’ hybrid means that although you will pay less company car tax than the petrol models, it’s still not as low as alternatives with plug-in hybrid options.

The Nissan Qashqai was tested by Euro NCAP in 2021 and scored very well, achieving very high marks in the adult and child occupant sections, as well as for its driver assist system, which is particularly impressive.

Standard safety equipment includes a forward collision warning system as well as emergency braking assistance. You also get lane departure warning and blind spot alerts, which are often extras or restricted to higher-spec trims on many cars at this price. The same can be said for the adaptive cruise control system.

ProPilot, which is the advanced driver assistance system, is included from the Tekna grade and above.

The Nissan Qashqai has proved to be a very reliable car over the years. Although the e-Power system is new, it’s unlikely to prove any different, because Nissan’s electric cars are similarly reliable and the petrol engine is rarely made to work too hard.

All Nissans come with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty as standard, which is about average among rivals, except Kia and Hyundai which offer much more tempting warranty packages.

That said, the warranty can be extended for a specific time or mileage, up to 10 years or 100,000 miles. What’s good about this is that the previous warranty could have already expired, meaning that you can pay for this cover even if you’ve bought a used Qashqai that is no longer covered by the original warranty. Your car will have to be inspected by a local dealer before cover is confirmed.