Nissan Qashqai Turns 20 With 64,294 UK Sales at 2017 Peak
The Nissan Qashqai, launched at the Paris Motor Show in 2006, has turned 20. Built in Sunderland's Wearside region and designed in London, it is the UK's fourth best-selling car of 2026 so far, behind the Ford Puma, Jaecoo 7 and Kia Sportage.
The Nissan Qashqai, which made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2006, has done more for British car manufacturing and the new-car sales charts than any other model launched in the past two decades, according to motoring journalist Richard Ingram.
The family crossover is now celebrating its 20th birthday. It remains the UK's fourth best-selling car so far this year.
From 20,000 sales to a 2017 peak
Nissan sold almost 20,000 Qashqais in the UK in its first full year on sale. Sales peaked in 2017, when 64,294 cars found buyers.
Ingram wrote that the car's raised, SUV-style body gave customers the look they wanted without the high running costs. Clever packaging, he said, sacrificed nothing in practicality. The short-lived Qashqai+2 even offered seven seats before the Nissan X-Trail replaced it in 2013.
Designed, engineered and built in Britain
The Qashqai is a British product from start to finish. It was styled at Nissan's design hub in London, engineered at its technical centre in Bedfordshire and assembled on Wearside.
Nissan marked the anniversary with a special edition celebrated with an iPod, CDs and a stickerbomb livery.
Where it stands in 2026
This year only three models have outsold it in the UK. The Ford Puma tops the table, followed by the Jaecoo 7 in second and the Kia Sportage in third.
Nissan chose its frugal e-Power hybrid system over a pure-electric powertrain for the current model. Ingram said that gives buyers almost everything that is good about electric cars without the hassle of plugging in.
He conceded the car is not the most daring, desirable or dynamic in its class. But it serves its target market flawlessly, he said, and earned a commendation in the 2026 New Car Awards, five years after the third-generation model reached Europe.
Challenge from China
Chinese-owned brands are pressing hard. Ingram named Jaecoo, BYD and MG as threats to the Qashqai's popularity.
Plans to axe the current car's electric successor do not help, he said, especially as electric-car uptake is finally gaining traction. Nissan has vowed to stick with hybrid for the next Qashqai, which is said to be on the cards.
Ingram wrote that gentle evolution has made the Qashqai "the default family car for legions of buyers". He said he is confident the country will still be celebrating its success a decade from now, adding that Britain arguably owes it more than afternoon tea or the traditional Sunday roast.
