Nissan Qashqai e-POWER Review & Prices

The Nissan Qashqai e-Power is the hybrid-engined version of one of the UK’s most popular cars. You get all the things we love about the regular Qashqai – namely the fact it’s a comfortable and refined family car – but with a more eco-friendly engine.

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

Irrespective of its mildly interesting hybrid system, Qashqai e-Power alternatives include other petrol-electric family SUVs such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, Ford Kuga and Citroen C5 Aircross.

From the outside there’s little to differentiate the e-Power from regular versions of the Qashqai, aside from some subtle badging. However, 2024 saw the Qashqai receive a little nip and tuck, with a bold new grille and headlight design up front, and new lights at the rear.

Little has changed inside, which is no bad thing because the Qashqai has a smart, functional interior, though top-spec models now feel more plush thanks to some soft Alcantara upholstery.

More useful is the introduction of a new Google-powered infotainment system within the main 12.3-inch display. It means the excellent Google Maps is built-in, and you can use the Play Store to download apps such as Spotify to play music.

Practicality is decent, with a spacious interior and a 504-litre boot that’s fairly average among alternatives. However, higher-spec trims see boot capacity drop quite a bit, which is a shame. The Kia Sportage and Volkswagen Tiguan have much bigger boots regardless.

Out on the road, Nissan’s e-Power system is at its best around town. Unlike most hybrid cars, the petrol engine is only there to act as a generator for the battery, with only the electric motor powering the wheels. This is great at city speeds because it drives smoothly and quietly like an electric car, but at higher speeds the sound from the engine doesn’t always correlate to the speed you’re doing, which can be quite jarring.

Fuel economy is okay. Realistically you’re looking at a maximum of about 45mpg, which is about what you’d expect from traditional hybrid systems. The Qashqai e-Power, then, is more appealing to city drivers, but perhaps look elsewhere – the petrol-powered Qashqai, for example – if you drive on the motorway or country roads a lot.

With all that being said, the Nissan Qashqai is a comfortable car to drive around in at any speed. It soaks up bumps well and wind and road noise are kept to a minimum.

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The Nissan Qashqai offers great value compared with alternatives, though you’ll have to pay about £4,000 extra to get the e-Power version of each trim, rather than the basic petrol engine, so it’s worth checking if the fuel savings are worth it (or you’re willing to pay the extra for the smooth city driving characteristics).

Looking at hybrid versions of other family SUVs, the Nissan Qashqai e-Power is a bit cheaper than the Ford Kuga and considerably cheaper than a Volkswagen Tiguan. The Toyota C-HR isn’t as practical, but you can get a hybrid version for a bit less than the Nissan.

The Citroen C5 Aircross, as always, is the true value proposition. It feels cheaper inside than the Qashqai, but it has a bigger boot, and you can get a plug-in hybrid for about the same price as the e-Power. If you have the facility to charge regularly, the Citroen will be much, much cheaper to run.

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 it’s rather dull compared with some alternatives

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.

New for 2024 is a Google-powered infotainment system. Older models had to make do with a smaller screen on lower trims, but now every version comes with the largest 12.3-inch infotainment display. It’s still quite clunky to find your way between menus, but integrated Google Maps is brilliant compared with most other built-in navigation systems, and you can access the Google Play Store to download other apps such as Spotify. Rather use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? Both are still included for easy smartphone mirroring.

As well as some decent technology, build quality is impressive too. There are some squidgy plastics dotted around the cabin, and even where there are some cheap-feeling plastics, they at least feel hard-wearing, which is ideal in a family car.

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, making the jump in purchase price tough to justify from a financial perspective.

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 still fairly 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.