Like it or loathe it, the Nissan Qashqai has done more for British automotive manufacturing – and left a bigger imprint on the new car sales charts – than any other model launched in the past two decades.

Now celebrating its 20th birthday, the Qashqai changed the motoring landscape forever when it made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2006. In its first full year, Nissan flogged almost 20,000 in the UK alone. Its popularity peaked in 2017, when a total of 64,294 cars found homes up and down the country. 

Its jacked-up proportions gave (and still give) customers that all-important SUV style, but without the associated sky-high running costs. Meanwhile, the clever packaging sacrificed nothing in terms of practicality and daily usability; the short-lived Qashqai+2 even offered seating for seven, before being superseded by the Nissan X-Trail in 2013.

The Qashqai is a true British success story, too. It was styled at the brand’s design hub in London, engineered at its technical centre in Bedfordshire and assembled on Wearside. It’s more British than any modern MINI, that’s for sure.

It might not be the most daring, desirable or dynamic offering in its class, but the Qashqai is the perfect example of a car that flawlessly serves the needs of its target market – enough to earn it a commendation in our 2026 New Car Awards, five whole years after the Mk3 model arrived in Europe. 

Shunning a pure-electric powertrain for Nissan’s frugal e-Power hybrid, it offers buyers (almost) everything that’s great about EVs, without the hassle of plugging in. Its success is well earned. Gentle evolution has made it the default family car for legions of buyers. It’s the UK’s fourth best-selling model so far this year, only behind the Kia Sportage (third), Jaecoo 7 (second) and table-topping Ford Puma.

Indeed, it’d be remiss of me not to acknowledge the ongoing challenge from China. Brands such as Jaecoo, plus BYD and MG, put the Qashqai’s popularity under threat. Plans to axe the current car’s electric successor don’t bode well – especially as EV uptake is finally starting to gain traction.

And yet I’m confident we’ll still be celebrating its successes a decade from now. As a country, we arguably owe it more than afternoon tea or the traditional Sunday roast.