Most reliable car is built in Britain! Nissan Qashqai tops Which? study

Nissan’s Qashqai has been voted the most reliable car in one of the biggest annual polls of vehicle owners.

The family-friendly SUV, starting from £26,405, has topped consumer group Which?’s annual survey of vehicle dependability, which is based on feedback from 50,000 UK drivers.

The results of the poll are the cherry on the cake for the manufacturer, with the Sunderland-built Qashqai confirmed earlier this month as the best-selling new car in the UK in 2022 – the first time a British-made motor has topped the sales chart in almost a quarter of a century.

The SUV has a five-star rating from the consumer group, with expert testers praising the car’s practicality, family appeal and – based on the latest owner feedback – near-flawless dependability.

‘Nissan’s efforts with the all-new version have seen it crowned our most reliable car for 2023 – a fantastic achievement for what is one of the more affordable cars in the sector,’ said Which?.

‘It’s easy to be dismissive given this is such a new car – after all, newer models tend to be more reliable. But looking at similar aged cars in our survey, not one was reliable enough to get five stars out of five in this category, let alone come anywhere near those at the top. 

‘Our data shows that 2023 is set to be the year of the Qashqai.’

Andrew Humberstone, managing director of Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd, said the award from Which? was a ‘welcome pat on the back’ for its workforce in the North East.

Topping Which?’s respected survey is the latest coup for the Japanese brand and its investment and commitment to its Sunderland factory where the Qashqai has been produced across three generations dating back to 2006. 

Some 3.8 million examples have come off the North East assembly line in the last 17 years. 

Which? said there wasn’t another car dating back to 2021 that could match the Qashqai’s five-star reliability rating

The home-grown Qashqai was designed in Paddington, engineered in Cranfield (pictured) and is built in Sunderland

Nissan’s Technical Centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, ran lifecycle tests on the Qashqai before it went on sale in 2021. This included assessments using this ‘Climatic Four-poster Vibration Rig’ to simulates 3 years of driving in 5 weeks

It comes in the wake of official confirmation earlier this month that the model had topped the UK registrations table last year, with 42,704 Qashqais sold in Britain – some 6,794 more than the previous-year’s best seller, the Vauxhall Corsa.

It meant the Qashqai became the first UK-built model to top new car sales charts for 24 years.

The last time a UK-built car hit the number one spot was the Mk4 Ford Fiesta back in 1998 – the final year that the supermini was produced at the Dagenham plant before assembly shifted to Germany and Spain.

The home-grown Qashqai – which was designed in Paddington, engineered in Cranfield and is built in Sunderland – was the nation’s best-selling car of the last 12 months with 42,704 examples driven off dealership forecourts across the UK in 2022.

Commenting on its new accolade from Which?, David Moss, senior vice president of research and development at Nissan Technical Centre in Cranfield, said: ‘We’re delighted that both real-world customers and expert reviewers have recognised the quality and durability of our fantastic new Qashqai.

‘Our engineering teams put the car through a series of gruelling tests during its development phase to ensure the very highest standards of reliability, so it’s really rewarding to get this recognition from people driving them every day.’

Before the third-generation Qashqai was cleared to hit showrooms in 2021, it was the Bedfordshire test centre that put the new model through a host of challenging assessments to ensure its long-lasting build quality.

Nissan’s UK production factory in the North East city has been the home of the Qashqai SUV since it first entered the market almost 20 years ago

Production of the latest third-generation Nissan Qashqai at the Sunderland plant began in 2021

Some 3.8 million Qashqais have come off the North East assembly line in the last 17 years

The petrol-powered Qashqai start from £26,405. A new e-Power hybrid version is expected to broaden its appeal and boost sales in 2023

This included the use of a ‘Climatic Four-poster Vibration Rig’ to simulate three years of driving in just five weeks, undergoing extreme heat and cold weather testing and repeatedly simulating a lifetime of use with repeated slams of the door to check the hinges and panels could endure the test of time.

‘The development team even stores a range of leisure and activity equipment (e.g prams, golf clubs, suitcases) to test durability of boot space liners and trims,’ the car maker says.

Alan Johnson, vice president of manufacturing at Nissan Sunderland Plant, added: ‘We are proud to build the Qashqai and absolutely delighted to see its continuing success with customers. 

‘It’s hugely satisfying to know that we manufacture not just the UK’s favourite car, but also its most reliable.

‘This award is a true testament to the hard work, dedication and expertise of our 6,000-strong team here in Sunderland, as well as our excellent supply chain partners.’