New Honda HR-V vs Nissan Qashqai: costs
The growing family SUV class found its genesis in the Nissan Qashqai, but now the latest evolution faces pressure from the new Honda HR-V...
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
In the range-topping trims we’re testing, the Nissan Qashqai is pricier than the Honda HR-V to the tune of almost £5000. However, that gap shrinks when you factor in discounts; while dealers won't give you anything off the HR-V at the moment, Nissan dealers will already knock £2715 off the latest Qashqai. You can also use our New Car Buying service to find great deals on both the HR-V and Qashqai.
The Qashqai also sits in a lower insurance group, but the HR-V counters with cheaper servicing, slightly stronger predicted resale values and much greater efficiency. Indeed, it averaged 48.4mpg on our fuel economy test loop, compared with the Qashqai’s 33.6mpg.
If you add up all of the costs that a private cash buyer can expect to face over a three-year, 36,000-mile ownership period, choosing the HR-V over the Qashqai is likely to save you just over £3000.
What’s more, it’s a similar story if you take out a PCP finance deal, instead of buying outright. Put down a £3000 deposit and sign up to a four-year contract with a 10,000-mile annual limit and the Qashqai will set you back £459 per month – £69 more than an HR-V on the same terms.
As for which makes the cheaper company car, it’s a difference of around £160 per month in favour of the HR-V when you look at benefit-in-kind tax.
Still, whichever contender you choose, you get a lot of luxuries for your money, including dual-zone climate control, ambient interior lighting and a heated steering wheel. Both cars come with heated front seats, too, although only the Qashqai’s can treat you to a massage as well.
Likewise, the list of safety kit that each comes with is comprehensive; lane-keeping assistance and blindspot monitoring are included, as is rear cross-traffic alert to prevent you from accidentally reversing into the path of a passing car.
These models are too new to have featured in the 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey, but Honda ranked 14th out of 30 brands, while Nissan was down in 27th.
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