• Spacious enough for four – cramped for five
• Boot space is pretty average for the class
• Rear doors open very wide for better access

How much space is there?

Plenty. Compared to the previous-generation Qashqai, there’s 28mm of extra shoulder room for front seat passengers and 20mm more kneeroom for those in the back. Plus, you get bigger cupholders and a larger smartphone storage tray – important considering the exponential rate at which flagship phone screens are growing.

There’s an acceptable amount of space for two adults in the back, but three is more uncomfortable. That’s because there’s a wide hump in the middle of the floor to rob foot space. Plus, the centre seat sits higher than those either side, which reduces headroom. The Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan offer much more space in the back.

Also, if you have a rear-facing Isofix child seat, we urge you to try the Qashqai before buying. With a seat mounted behind the passenger, legroom in the front is severely impacted. And you can’t get around the issue by putting the child seat in the front, as there aren’t any Isofix points to mount it to. At least the rear doors open to 85 degrees, which makes loading children into the car easier than, say, a Ford Kuga.

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Boot space and storage

Entry-level versions of the Qashqai have 504 litres of boot space, which is more than the 412 litres you get in the Ford Kuga, but less than 521 litres available in the Skoda Kamiq. However, the Qashqai’s boot capacity is trim dependent. If you go for the top-spec Tekna+ model, for example, you lose 49 litres of boot to the Bose stereo’s subwoofer.

Nissan’s Flexible Luggage Board system is quite versatile, though. It’s a pair of boot boards that can be moved around to create a range of boot depth and dividers, which is good for transporting tall objects. Plus, if you don’t need the space under the boards, it’s the perfect size for the parcel shelf.

However, the Qashqai misses out on some key features its rivals enjoy. The rear bench only folds in a 60:40 split and there’s no load-through hatch to let you transport long items without dropping the rear seat back. You also can’t slide or recline the rear seats. Mercifully, the E-Power model retains the same practicality as the mild hybrid Qashqai, even though it has a more complicated powertrain to package into the car’s body.

Is it easy to park?

Fairly. The Qashqai isn’t much longer or wider than a typical hatchback such as a Volkswagen Golf, which means it’s not that difficult to park. We found it a doddle to steer into parking spaces thanks to its tight turning circle and great all-round visibility.

Nissan has also now ditched the Qashqai’s most basic Visia specification, so every model in the range has a rear-view parking camera as standard. However, if you step up to the mid-range N-Connecta model, you’ll get a useful 360-degree parking camera. It affords you a much clearer picture of your surroundings.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP safety rating from 2021
• Scores very highly for occupant protection
• Simple driver assistance technology

The Nissan Qashqai was last crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2021 – and it scored a full five-star rating. The testers were particularly impressed by how it shielded both its adult and child occupants from impacts, as both sets of dummies emerged from their wreckages with only minor injuries.

However, it’s worth noting that Euro NCAP has since reformed it test procedures. Impact tests are broadly the same as before, but the firm now places safety technology under closer scrutiny with more invasive tests of cars’ autonomous capability. So, it’s possible the Qashqai wouldn’t perform as well in this area if it were retested today.

Standard safety equipment includes automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring and a driver attention alert that recommends you take a break if you’ve been driving for too long. There’s also adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and rear cross traffic alert.

Unlike Ford or Volkswagen’s lane assist systems, we think the Qashqai’s adaptive safety tech is well moderated. It’s there if you need it, but it’s seldom annoying. Alternatively, if you don’t like using the equipment, you can switch it all off in one go using the safety assist menu in the digital gauge cluster.

Watch the Watch the Euro NCAP Nissan Qashqai crash test video