A used Nissan Qashqai makes most sense as a manual diesel with its clutch checked and, on the 1.5 dCi, proof of cambelt changes; steer clear of the Xtronic CVT automatic and the 1.2 DIG-T petrol.
27 known faults, 15 rated high severity in our database; owners report 44.3 mpg, 84% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Nissan Qashqai advert (free) →A manual diesel is the lesser risk in both the J10 (2007 to 2013) and J11 (2013 to 2021) Qashqai, because the Xtronic CVT automatic has known faults for failure covering every car from 2009 to 2021. The gearbox judders, loses drive and drops into limp mode, and on J10s that's happened from as early as 16,000 miles. That doesn't make the manuals trouble-free, so check the clutch on any of them.
On the J11, skip the 1.2 DIG-T petrol. Undersized piston rings make it burn oil, which stretches the timing chain and ends in engine failure, and owners of 2014 to 2016 cars have had whole engines replaced. The 1.6 DIG-T manual isn't the way round it either, since its clutch and dual mass flywheel have failed at as little as 3,000 miles. That leaves the diesel manuals, though on a 2015 to 2017 car you'll want to check it stays in reverse.
On the J10, the 1.5 dCi and 2.0 dCi both need paperwork. The 1.5 dCi's cambelt is due every 5 years or 72,000 miles, but belts on 2007 to 2014 cars have snapped between 38,000 and 65,000 miles and wrecked engines, so insist on a receipt. The 2.0 dCi on 2007 to 2013 cars has a known fault for crankshaft bearing failure and was recalled over it in 2013, so ask for proof that work's been done.
There aren't owner fault reports on the Qashqai sold from 2021 to judge it by yet, so don't assume it's better or worse. Whichever generation you pick, drive one on the wheels you'd be buying: the 2021 car's ride goes firm on 20-inch alloys, and the J10's 17 and 18-inch wheels give up much of its comfort over potholes for slightly sharper cornering.
No Qashqai engine or gearbox escapes a serious known fault, but the Xtronic CVT automatic is the one to avoid, with failures on cars from 2009 to 2021. Symptoms are juddering from a standstill, revs climbing while the car barely speeds up, and limp mode. If an automatic's a must, get proof its CVT fluid has been changed around every 60,000 miles, or as often as every 30,000 on a car that's had hard use.
The 1.5 dCi diesel's worth a look only with solid cambelt paperwork. Its belt is due every 5 years or 72,000 miles, yet on 2007 to 2014 cars belts have snapped at 38,000 to 65,000 miles, sometimes after the auxiliary belt broke and got dragged in, so ask for receipts covering both belts. On 2014 and 2015 cars the turbo can also fail at 50,000 to 60,000 miles, and one owner paid £1,100 to have it sorted.
Avoid the 1.2 DIG-T petrol on 2014 to 2018 cars. Undersized piston rings let it burn oil, which stretches the timing chain and destroys the engine between 40,000 and 80,000 miles, and it's poor oil pressure and fuel-diluted oil rather than mileage that wear that chain. The 1.6 DIG-T isn't the safe petrol either: manuals from 2015 to 2019 have lost clutches and dual mass flywheels at 3,000 to 28,000 miles.
Manuals across the range from 2009 to 2017 have a known fault for clutch and flywheel failure at 20,000 to 60,000 miles, and 2015 to 2017 manuals, 1.6 dCi 4WD cars above all, can jump out of reverse. On J10s, the 2.0 dCi's crankshaft bearings have failed at 40,000 to 70,000 miles, and 4WD 2.0 dCi and 2.0 petrol cars have lost rear differentials at 35,000 to 40,000.
The clutch and gearbox come first on a used Qashqai, because both carry serious known faults. On a manual, feel for judder pulling away in traffic and from cold, sniff for a burning smell, notice any baulky gearchanges and reverse far enough to be sure it stays in gear. On an Xtronic CVT, any shudder setting off or climbing a hill, a whine, or revs flaring with no gain in speed means the gearbox is failing, so don't buy it.
Pull the dipstick on any 1.2 DIG-T and ask how often it's been topped up; a low level, a rattling timing chain or black exhaust smoke points to the piston ring fault. On a 1.5 dCi, look for dated receipts for the cambelt and auxiliary belt, and on any diesel that's done short trips, watch for a DPF warning light or limp mode on the drive.
On 2016 to 2018 cars, park on a slope to check the electric handbrake holds, then make sure it lets go promptly as you pull off, since a sluggish release wears the clutch and low battery charge has been linked to it failing to hold. Watch for a Chassis Control System Fault message with lost power on 2014 to 2019 cars, and run the sat nav, DAB and Bluetooth for a while on 2015 to 2019 ones.
Look at the rear brake discs on 2014 to 2018 cars for heavy rust, and the front discs on a J10 for wear on the inner face. Check the air con blows cold, listen for rear suspension rattles over speed humps on 2007 to 2009 cars, and ask for proof of the 2.0 dCi bearing recall and of the steering recalls for a loose pinion cover screw on 2007 to 2009 cars and the power steering unit on 2010 to 2011 cars.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
As a manual diesel with its paperwork in order, a J10 is worth buying, but it's a poor bet as an Xtronic CVT automatic, which has failed anywhere from 16,000 to 76,000 miles on 2009 to 2014 cars. Owners have reported juddering, collapsed bearings, lost forward gears and whole gearbox replacements, and one owner paid £3,500 to have a 2013 car's CVT rebuilt at 43,000 miles.
The cambelt decides whether a 1.5 dCi J10's worth having. Owners have had belts go at 38,000, 42,000, 45,000, 62,000 and 65,000 miles, several of them wrecking the engine, and a 2007 car's auxiliary belt broke and jammed the timing belt at 53,000. On 2007 to 2012 cars the EGR valve can stick shut and damage the turbo, and one owner had injectors fail twice by 32,000 miles.
The 2.0 dCi has a known fault for crankshaft and main bearing failure at 40,000 to 70,000 miles, and its 2013 recall cut power and torque through a software change. One owner's 2011 car stalled with a tapping rattle at 41,000 miles, and the dealer said it wanted a replacement engine. Listen for whining or clunking from the rear diff on 2009 to 2013 4WD 2.0 cars, and check 2008 to 2013 1.6 petrols for overheating or coolant loss from a cracked head.
Rear dampers on 2007 to 2009 cars rattle over bumps and have failed MOTs, so listen for knocking from the back on the test drive. Several owners have had the plastic tailgate handle, which holds the number plate light, snap off, windscreen seals have leaked and misted the cabin, and front discs have been found nearly gone on their inner side by 24,000 miles. One 2010 car's clutch burned out twice, and its owner paid £1,677 and then £1,145.
Real-world economy on this generation: Nissan Qashqai 42.1 mpg, Nissan Qashqai 45.8 mpg.
Oil burning on the 1.2 DIG-T petrol is the J11 fault that ends engines: undersized piston rings let the level drop between services, the chain stretches and the engine fails. Owners of 2014 to 2016 cars have had timing chains replaced and engines swapped at 29,000 and 52,000 miles, and some didn't know until a service found almost no oil in the engine.
Manual 1.2 and 1.6 DIG-T cars from 2014 to 2019 get through clutches and dual mass flywheels early, at 5,000 to 30,000 miles. One owner of a 2017 1.6 DIG-T paid £1,800 for a new clutch and flywheel at 15,000 miles, and a 2015 car's replacement set failed again at 14,200. On 2016 to 2018 cars the electric handbrake's slow release doesn't help, and low battery charge has been linked to it failing to hold and letting cars roll away.
The Xtronic CVT still has a known fault on the J11, with juddering, rubber-band revs and total failure at 40,000 to 80,000 miles, and one 2016 1.2 DIG-T's CVT failed at 12,000. The 1.5 dCi diesel has a known fault for turbo failure on 2014 and 2015 cars, and one 2014 car's turbo broke up and sent pieces into the engine. A Chassis Control System Fault warning with a loss of power has hit 2014 to 2019 cars.
Rear brake discs on 2014 to 2018 cars can be badly rusted by 12,000 to 20,000 miles, so look through the rear wheels at them. The Nissan Connect sat nav, DAB and Bluetooth unit can reboot and cut out on 2015 to 2019 cars, air con on 2015 to 2017 cars can leak its gas, and several 2014 to 2016 cars have had batteries fail, with one owner paying £210 for a new one.
Real-world economy on this generation: Nissan Qashqai 45.8 mpg, Nissan Qashqai 35.9 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Nissan Qashqai advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 44.3 mpg across the Nissan Qashqai engines with data, about 84% of the official figure, from 3,162 submissions.
Nissan Qashqai Real MPG by engine →You sit up high in a J10 Qashqai and there's a good view out, and its dCi diesels, which came from Renault, are strong engines. Pick one on 16-inch wheels with taller tyres and it'll ride more comfortably than on any other wheel size the J10 came with, soaking up potholes best of all.
The J11's ride is very smooth and quiet, and its interior's a clear improvement on the J10's. That makes it the calmer and more comfortable of the two generations to sit in, and its cabin's the nicer one to spend time in.
A used Nissan Qashqai makes most sense as a manual diesel with its clutch checked and, on the 1.5 dCi, proof of cambelt changes; steer clear of the Xtronic CVT automatic and the 1.2 DIG-T petrol. Our database holds 27 known Nissan Qashqai faults, 15 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
A manual diesel is the lesser risk in both the J10 (2007 to 2013) and J11 (2013 to 2021) Qashqai, because the Xtronic CVT automatic has known faults for failure covering every car from 2009 to 2021. On the fault record the J10 (2007 to 2013) carries 10 known faults against 17 on the J11 (2013 to 2021). Each generation's section above gives the detail. Nissan Qashqai faults by generation.
The clutch and gearbox come first on a used Qashqai, because both carry serious known faults. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Nissan Qashqai fault before you travel.
Owners report 44.3 mpg on average, about 84% of the official figure, from 3,162 submissions. Belt (1.5 DCI, K9K): 72,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Nissan Qashqai Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Nissan Qashqai buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 240 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
CarAdCheck is not affiliated with Honest John or Volkswagen Financial Services. What happened to Honest John, and where each feature lives now.
The Nissan Qashqai is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
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