Nissan X-Trail Review & Prices

Where a lot of family cars focus on the ‘sports’ part of SUV, the Nissan X-Trail leans on being utilitarian, while remaining plush. It’ll get you a fair distance down the road less travelled, but the engines are a bit noisy compared to alternatives such as the Peugeot 5008 or Hyundai Santa Fe.

Think of the X-Trail as that parent who loves a hike and a camping trip. There’s a degree of rugged outdoorsyness to it, and you can depend on it more than most other SUVs off road, but really it’s most comfortable on the couch at home with the whole family.

It’s a good looking car with a big grille, pointy, split-level headlights at the front, lots of sharp creases down its sides and a slightly odd but interesting tailgate which steps in below the lights. The chunky body cladding adds some toughness to its looks, too.

Nissan has given the X-Trail a good-looking interior, too. The dashboard has lots of swoopy lines, curving down below the 12.3-inch infotainment display perched on top. There’s a 12.3-inch driver’s screen, too, while the poshest trim levels get a head-up display.

There is loads of soft-touch trim within reach, and it generally feels as upmarket in the cabin as it looks. There are a few hard, scratchy plastics lower down around the centre console and door cards, but you’ll find that in most SUVs at this price point.

You get a lot of room across the front two rows of seats in the big Nissan, with lots of adjustability in the seats and steering wheel and plenty of storage compartments, including a centre console which features cupholders and even has enough room to tuck small bags underneath it.

Even tall adults in the second row have enough headroom and legroom to get comfortable, though third-row occupants won’t enjoy anything more than a short drive; seats six and seven aren’t as spacious as in a Peugeot 5008 or Kia Sorento. While the 575-litre boot (485 in seven-seater models with the rearmost seats down) should be plenty for most families, it’s smaller than alternatives, too.

Around town the X-Trail is generally quiet and comfortable, especially when you’re just pottering about at a steady speed. There’s enough power from its petrol engines to avoid feeling sluggish, and the e-Power version has a very civilised hybrid system; in the city you’re unlikely to need the petrol engine to kick in.

If you need to accelerate briskly, though, the engines ruin the calm. They’re all noisy, but especially intrusive in the hybrid model as it chimes in from the electric silence. It’s most vocal when you’re driving uphill or accelerating onto the motorway, but once you’re up to speed it quietens down again, with minimal wind noise from its mirrors and roof rails.

It’s a bit less relaxing on a country lane, with some noticeable body lean around corners and not much in the way of feel through its light steering wheel. It never feels sporty as a result, but take a B-road at a steady pace you should get no complaints from your passengers.

Check out the latest Nissan X-Trail deals to get this rugged, handsome SUV on your driveway, or have a look at X-Trail lease deals instead. Our trusted dealer network has plenty of used Nissan X-Trails for sale, as well as other used Nissans, while Carwow can even help you sell your car when you want to switch.

The Nissan X-Trail starts at just over £36,000, and it feels like a bit of a bargain when compared to the Peugeot 5008 at almost £40,000 and the Kia Sorento at almost £43,000. It may not be quite as capable a seven-seater as either of its alternatives - and the four-wheel drive model starts at £40,000, but if you need a bit of off-road ability then the Nissan is a no-brainer.

Entry-level Acenta Premium models come equipped with front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera, as well as keyless-entry and 18-inch alloy wheels. Mid-level Tekna cars come with vegan leather as standard, 19-inch alloys, 360-degree cameras and automatic three-zone climate control, while top-spec Tekna+ models build on that with real leather seats and optional 20-inch wheels.

The petrol engine can be very loud and grating under hard acceleration, but around town and when cruising, it's quiet and performs well

In town

Where you’ll find the X-Trail to be rather accomplished is on urban roads. With more refined suspension than the previous version, this new X-Trail is very comfortable in town, soaking up bumps impressively and allows for smooth progress. 

The petrol engine is generally a willing and capable companion, and despite not having a huge amount of power, copes well enough with the low-speed stuff. In normal driving it's quiet, too, but it speaks up when you accelerate hard. If you do a lot of town driving, the hybrid e-Power models are your best bet, because they're quieter, more refined and return better fuel economy.

You won’t be wanting for visibility, as the rear window is large and wing mirrors provide a good side view. Add into the equation light steering, and the X-Trail is easy to manoeuvre – even if it is still a large SUV. Cameras on higher spec models and standard-fit parking sensors make getting in and out of spaces simple. 

On the motorway

For families, long-distance driving can sometimes be difficult if the car isn’t up to the task. But the X-Trail manages to be a great car to cruise in, and intelligent cruise control fitted as standard helps to take some of the strain out of longer journeys. 

The more advanced ProPilot assist, which comes as standard on Tekna models, provides full traffic assistance by keeping you in lane, follows the car in front at a safe distance and controls the X-Trail to a stop in heavier traffic, setting off when the car in front does. If longer journeys are standard practice for you, this is a must. 

Continuing the comfort theme to the motorway, the X-Trail soaks up bumps and imperfections well. That makes it a very comfortable car on the whole, with the open cabin feel means you don’t feel cocooned or cramped. 

Much like in town, the petrol engine likes to make its presence known when you're accelerating hard, but it's more noticeable on the motorway. Getting up to speed on a slip road or away from a roundabout is accompanied by a raucous sound, though forward progress is far from brisk.

On twisty roads

The noise issue with the engine rears its head again when you take on hillier roads. On switchback countryside Tarmac, the X-Trail’s engine sounds like it's working hard to keep the pace up. The hybrid version isn't much better.

Nissan hasn’t built this to be a performance SUV, and you can feel it has a more comfort-based setup. Its light steering is direct enough, but doesn’t inspire the most confidence at higher speeds. Sport mode does sharpen the throttle response and adds extra weight to the steering, but it’s not necessary nor that focused. 

Off the beaten track and on looser surfaces, the X-Trail isn’t going to blow you away, but it does cope well. Engaging off-road mode in the drive selector does provide you with confidence to take on a gravel road, but don’t expect it to go completely off-piste as well as the likes of the (much more expensive) Land Rover Discovery.

There's a decent amount of space and touch points higher up feel of a good quality. But it's not as spacious in some places as you would like

Despite being based on the same mechanical bits as the Qashqai, the X-Trail feels significantly bigger inside and easier to live with. You can easily find a comfortable driving position, with lots of adjustment on offer, while the full length sunroof on higher spec versions helps the cabin feel bright and open. 

There’s a decent amount of storage up front as well, with the centre console having a ‘floating’ look to it. The upper section has the rather large cupholders, drive mode selector, gear selector and parking brake, with the wireless charge pad fitted on more expensive models at the base of the dashboard. Underneath is an open, additional space that means you can place less essential items there. 

The door bins are also fairly substantial, fitting larger water bottles and other things. They aren’t lined on even top-spec cars though, so things can rattle around.

In the back seats

If your key concern with the back seats is spaciousness, the X-Trail delivers. There's loads of kneeroom and headroom is great, even with the electrically operated sunroof that can be found on the two top trims.

Being a larger SUV means that shoulder room is good, too, so it's not much trouble to carry three across the back. The middle seat isn't raised too high, but we found the seatbelt plugs for the outer seats were too close to the middle, so they could dig into your bottom.

Another minor complaint is that while the front feels pretty plush and premium, that hasn't been extended to the rear seats quite so much. For example, there's no soft materials on the door tops to make it more comfortable to rest your arm.

Rear door bins are big, though, which is useful if you have a large water bottle for longer trips. And if you don't have a person sitting in the middle you can fold the central hatch cover down to reveal a slot for a phone and two cup holders.

Boot space

In five-seat mode, the X-Trail has a 585-litre boot and it comes with a flat floor. This is a usefully large space, but it's considerably less than the 720 litres you get in the five-seat Skoda Kodiaq. In seven-seat versions, fold the rearmost seats down and you have 485 litres on hand, which is less than the Kodiaq's 630 litres, but the Peugeot 5008 is top of the pops here, with a massive 952 litres.

The gap widens if you fold the middle and third rows down. The X-Trail has 1,298 litres (1,424 litres in the five-seat model), compared just over 2,000 litres for both the Peugeot and the Skoda.

Regardless, the X-Trail's boot shape is good, and with additional pockets at the side, you’ve got a decent amount of space to use. Folding down the three seats does also provide a flat floor, but there isn’t a cover for the folding mechanism, so that means there’s a channel that things could get trapped in or lost down. You can slide larger items forward fairly easily though. 

With the help of a 60/40 split, you can fold down either one, two or three seats, while the central backrest folds down so you get through loading, while also revealing the rear cupholders.

Lighter optional trims help make the X-Trail feel more spacious, but there's a fair amount of scratchy plastics throughout the cabin

While Nissan may not be the last word in style, it’s done a pretty good job with the X-Trail. There are simple lines, with chrome effect detailing around to highlight the shapes, while there’s also a bit of piano black plastic, which can get smudged and covered in fingerprints pretty quickly. 

On the top-spec Tekna+ model, you can get a really nice tan leather to brighten up the interior, while the top two specifications get the full-length sunroof to make it feel even more open. The rest of the trim options are grey or black, which are less likely to show up grime but don’t look as fancy. 

Although there are scratchy plastics to be found, especially lower down the cabin, the overall quality is pretty good and it all feels solid. The doorbins aren’t felt-lined, so smaller things may rattle around inside.

The infotainment system is also pretty solid. It may not be the most premium-looking design, but it’s smooth and simple to navigate. Alongside the large configurable driver’s screen, and head-up display on Tekna and Tekna+ models, you have all the information you’ll need at your disposal. Entry level models get an old-school TFT display, so we'd avoid this unless your budget won't stretch any further.

There are two USB ports to connect your phone to the infotainment, and you get wireless Apple CarPlay but only wired Android Auto.

Offered with three power options, the X-Trail starts with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine driving the front wheels. That offers 163hp and 300Nm, which will be enough pull for most, but it does feel strained when you need more power and could struggle with the weight of seven people on board. Nissan is betting on most people choosing from the two hybrid options.

Both of those use the same 1.5-litre turbo petrol, but rather than driving the wheels, it works more like an on-board generator to charge the 2.1kWh battery pack, which in turn powers the electric motor – or motors in the case of the e4orce top-end version.

With the three power options on offer, there’s a clear step in efficiency between the entry-level mild-hybrid and the full hybrid versions. The mild hybrid will do 39.9mpg, or 39.2mpg in the seven-seat form. We actually saw 36mpg during our time with the latter, which is impressively close to the claimed figures. Emissions are 161-164g/km CO2 depending on the seats you choose. 

For the full hybrid options, there’s not a huge step in efficiency, but it’s enough to make more of the 55-litre fuel tank. For the 204hp full hybrid option, you can get up to 47.3mpg with emissions of 134g/km CO2. 

If you’re after all-wheel drive, the dual-motor e4orce version can get returns of up to 43.8mpg. Emissions are increased over the front-wheel drive model, at up to 148g/km with the third row of seats.

The Nissan X-Trail scored five stars when tested by Euro NCAP in 2021, but stricter rules came in force in 2022 - so there’s no guarantee that the big Nissan would maintain its score if it were tested now.

Nonetheless, it’s no surprise to learn it’s not lacking in assistance kit. All models get adaptive cruise control, front emergency braking, blind spot warning, driver alertness, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition.

If you want the full ProPilot system, which can take over the accelerating, braking and steering on motorways, you will need to go for the Tekna trim or above. On top of this, e-Power models also have ProPilot Park, which can detect parking spaces and park the car automatically.

Nissan came 14th in the 2025 Driver Power survey for owner satisfaction, placing it just above the half-way point in terms of results. Not shocking, but not the most confidence inspiring result, either.

That being said, sharing parts with the Qashqai helps the X-Trail, because so many have been sold that parts are fairly inexpensive, while any issues have been resolved.

In terms of warranty, Nissan is again pretty average, offering three years or 60,000 miles. That mileage limit isn’t great, and three years is a basic amount of time, falling behind Hyundai’s five-year warranty and Kia’s seven-year promise, or Toyota’s stellar 10-year warranty with regular dealer services.