Used Nissan Qashqai 2014-2021 reliability review

What should I look for in a used Nissan Qashqai?

What are the most common problems with a used Nissan Qashqai?

The Qashqai is a very popular choice with families, so look out for scratches and scrapes where bulky items such as bikes and baby buggies have been lifted in and out of the boot, as well as general wear to the rear seats.

Bear in mind that the 1.5 diesel models will need a new cambelt every five years or 75,000 miles, at a cost of about £500; so if the car you are looking at is approaching this age and/or mileage, make sure it’s been done or factor the equivalent discount into the asking price. All other engines use a timing chain.

While the second-generation Qashqai is not widely known to suffer from diesel particulate filter problems, if choosing a diesel example it’s still worth taking it on a long run once a week in order to minimise the chance of any issues arising.

Is a used Nissan Qashqai reliable?

The second-generation Nissan Qashqai did very well in our most recent What Car? Reliability Survey. It finished in seventh place out of 76 cars in the family SUV class, with a strong score 98.3%. This is a much better result than in previous years, where it was found near the bottom of the rankings. See the full list here.

As a brand, Nissan did badly, finishing in 29th place out of 30 manufacturers featured. That put it above MG, but below Dacia, Skoda, and, in fact, nearly all of its direct competitors.

Check out the full list of manufacturers here.

Used Nissan Qashqai reliability: the owners' view

Readers who told us about their experiences with the Nissan Qashqai for our annual Reliability Survey found most of their cars reliable.

However, reliability issues which were highlighted included outdated sat-nav systems – which may require a trip to a dealer to update – air conditioning which needed frequent re-gassing, and one instance of the car’s alternator failing after 30,000 miles. Other issues included recurring tyre pressure warning messages.

Issues with Nissan’s dealer network were also highlighted by our readers, with some noting that dealers found addressing repairs a challenge.

If you would like to see the full reliability list for small SUVs, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.

To take part in our annual reliability survey with your car, please follow the link here.