Should you buy one?

Yes. The latest Nissan Qashqai is an entirely recommendable family SUV. It’s spacious, packed with easy-to-use technology, pleasant to drive (in automatic form) and it’s available with a clever full hybrid powertrain that promises strong efficiency and refinement around town.

However, some rivals do some things better. The Skoda Karoq is more comfortable, even more spacious and better suited to long-distance drivers as it’s available with a choice of frugal diesel engines. And there’s an awful lot to recommend about the latest Volkswagen Tiguan – namely its excellent plug-in hybrid powertrain and strong build quality – if you’re prepared to live with its annoying touch-sensitive controls.

There are cars in this class that are a lot more fun to drive, too, such as the Ford Kuga and the pin-sharp but often overlooked Mazda CX-5. So, if you’re the sort who wants more mechanical substance to go with your SUV style, these might be more up your street.

Still, if you’re simply looking for a reliable SUV to haul your family around in (which is arguably all any car in this class needs to do), the Qashqai remains a solid choice. And that’s probably why Nissan still can’t build them fast enough to fulfil demand.

What we like

The Qashqai drives neatly enough, it has plenty of space to hold you family and it’s packed with clever (and inobtrusive) driver assistance technology. The E-Power hybrid is also great around town, delivering excellent fuel economy. We also love the fact it still has physical buttons for the climate controls. Don’t bin them off for the Mk4 model, Nissan.

What we don’t like

Nissan’s engine range is quite limited. The Kuga, Sportage, Tucson and Tiguan are all available with plug-in hybrid powertrains, which gives them a bit of an edge for drivers trapped inside ultra-low emission zones.

Plus, while we like Nissan’s E-Power hybrid system for its stellar fuel economy around town, it doesn’t seem to be any more fuel efficient than the mild hybrid models once you’re on faster roads. That makes it difficult to justify the added expense. The high levels of road noise from the largest alloy wheels will also get on your nerves if you’re covering big motorway miles.