Is the Nissan Qashqai reliable?

On MOT evidence the Nissan Qashqai is below average. It passes 67.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 204 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Nissan Qashqai?

The item recorded most often is "A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play", which appears in 22.0% of failed Nissan Qashqai tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Nissan Qashqai?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.3% of all Nissan Qashqai tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Nissan Qashqai usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 73,170 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Nissan Qashqai get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.5% of Nissan Qashqai tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 45.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Nissan Qashqai models petrol or diesel?

Of the Nissan Qashqai cars tested, 46% are petrol, 44% are diesel, 9% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Nissan Qashqai MOT pass rate & common failures

From 599,957 recorded MOT tests of the Nissan Qashqai, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Nissan Qashqai passes 67.4% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is below average, ranking it 204 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 599,957 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, which appears in 22.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 73,170 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

67.4%national average72.3%unadjusted69.0%range covered100%rank204 of 262

The Qashqai is 4.9 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 69.0%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Nissan Qashqai tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play22.0%
34,991 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn17.7%
28,176 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm17.0%
26,912 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc14.2%
22,527 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.6%
20,082 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning12.3%
19,505 occurrencesLamp not working explained
7.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.6%
16,890 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.9%
14,143 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
9.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc8.4%
13,347 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
10.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.3%
11,656 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Nissan Qashqai tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements23.3%
139,819 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm18.8%
112,684 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged15.2%
91,291 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured13.9%
83,242 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn12.1%
72,473 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play5.2%
31,216 testsBall joint worn explained
7.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt4.5%
27,071 tests
8.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded4.4%
26,533 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs88%

6–8 yrs79%

9–11 yrs69%

12–14 yrs51%

15+ yrs45%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Qashqai fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 73,170
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol46.1%
Diesel44.4%
Hybrid9.5%

Trim names grouped into this model (25)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

QASHQAI ACENTA
QASHQAI ACENTA PREM DIG-T MHEV
QASHQAI ACENTA PREM E-POWER A
QASHQAI ACENTA PREM T MHEV CVT
QASHQAI DCI
QASHQAI KURO E-POWER AUTO
QASHQAI N-CONNECTA DIG-T MHEV
QASHQAI N-CONNECTA E-POWER A
QASHQAI N-TEC
QASHQAI N-TEC DCI
QASHQAI N-TEC DCI S-A
QASHQAI N-TEC DIG-T S-A
QASHQAI N-TEC+
QASHQAI NCONNCTA DIGT MHEV CVT
QASHQAI PREM ED DIG-T MHEV CVT
QASHQAI PREMIERE ED DIG-T MHEV
QASHQAI TEKNA + DIG-T MHEV
QASHQAI TEKNA + DIG-T MHEV CVT
QASHQAI TEKNA + E-POWER AUTO
QASHQAI TEKNA DIG-T MHEV
QASHQAI TEKNA DIG-T MHEV CVT
QASHQAI TEKNA DIGT MHEV 4X4CVT
QASHQAI TEKNA E-POWER AUTO
QASHQAI TKNA+ DIGT MHEV 4X4CVT
QASHQAI VISIA DIG-T MHEV

Check a specific Nissan Qashqai

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Nissan models

Nissan Juke — 66.5% adjusted
Nissan Micra — 63.8% adjusted
Nissan Note — 65.9% adjusted
Nissan X-Trail — 70.5% adjusted
Nissan Navara — 68.6% adjusted
Nissan Leaf — 72.0% adjusted
All Nissan models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Vauxhall Astra — 71.0% adjusted, ranked 160
Volkswagen Polo — 67.5% adjusted, ranked 201
BMW 3 Series — 80.0% adjusted, ranked 55
Toyota Yaris — 72.3% adjusted, ranked 144

Common questions

Is the Nissan Qashqai reliable?: On MOT evidence the Nissan Qashqai is below average. It passes 67.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 204 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Nissan Qashqai?: The item recorded most often is "A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play", which appears in 22.0% of failed Nissan Qashqai tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Nissan Qashqai?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.3% of all Nissan Qashqai tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Nissan Qashqai usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 73,170 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a Nissan Qashqai get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.5% of Nissan Qashqai tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 45.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Nissan Qashqai models petrol or diesel?: Of the Nissan Qashqai cars tested, 46% are petrol, 44% are diesel, 9% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.