New Nissan Qashqai vs Seat Ateca vs Skoda Karoq: costs
It’s been a while since the Nissan Qashqai was the pick of the family SUV crop, but now there’s a brand new one. Can it beat tough rivals from Seat and Skoda?...
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
The Nissan Qashqai has the highest list price, while the Skoda Karoq is the cheapest, but the Seat Ateca ends up being the most affordable to buy outright after Target Price discounts. It’ll also be the cheapest to run for private cash buyers over three years. The Qashqai makes up for its higher servicing costs by having the strongest predicted resale values. Overall, the Karoq will be the priciest to run, but the differences aren’t huge.
If you go down the PCP finance route instead (and assuming you’re covering up to 10,000 miles a year for four years, with a £3000 deposit), your monthly payments work out at £309 for the Karoq, compared with £341 for the Qashqai and £345 for the Ateca.
Company car drivers are best served by the Karoq, which costs around £700 less in benefit-in-kind tax over three years (for a 40% taxpayer) than both its rivals.
Our contenders’ high-end trims mean there are plenty of toys on offer. We’ve mentioned already that they come with 19in wheels and multiple parking aids, but in each case the list is swelled by dual-zone climate control, power-folding door mirrors, keyless entry, heated front seats, electric tailgates and privacy glass. The Ateca features leather seats, but the Qashqai is the best equipped overall, adding the electric front seats also mentioned earlier, a heated steering wheel, a heated windscreen, adaptive cruise control (also fitted to the Ateca) and a head-up display, which projects key information onto the windscreen.
Standard safety kit is equally generous on the Qashqai, which matches the Ateca in coming with blindspot monitors and lane-keeping assistance. All three get automatic emergency braking.
The Qashqai hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP yet. Both the Ateca and Karoq are rated as five-star cars, but they were tested under less stringent criteria than newer models. Of the two, the Ateca offers better child occupant protection.
Used alternative
2020 Volvo XC40
For the same money as any of the cars here, you could put a one-year-old Volvo XC40 on your driveway in petrol T3 or T4 guise. If the good looks and premium badge don’t entice you, the rest of it will. It’s plush inside and highly practical. In addition, it’s comfortable, refined and pleasant to drive, and it’s got all the latest safety tech. It’s the best family SUV you can buy, new or used.
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